Talk to be about bed sharing with and toddler and newborn!

[sheebee]

I have just found out I am pregnant with number 2. Ds will be 2.5 when baby arrives and I'm already thinking about our sleeping arrangements.

Currently D's falls asleep cuddling me in his bed, I leave the room and he is fine for 3ish hours. He wakes a lot from 11ish onwards so I have a king mattress next to his bed where I go in and sleep on with him.

He still disturbs a lot even with me in there, he tosses and turns and it's like he can't get into a deep enough sleep.

I can't see him sleeping without me anytime soon so I'm just wondering how I would add a newborn into the situation?

All thoughts welcome!

 

[NDH]

Congrats

My daughter was 17 months when #2 was born. About two months prior we moved her into her own room when we moved into a bigger house with am extra bedroom. She would sleep in there for naps and start out the night there, and then when she woke up for the first time she would come into our bed and sleep between us the rest of the night. It still happens that way and they are now 2 1/2 and 11 months. Dd2 sleeps in a crib attached to our bed as a side car and dd1 starts the night in her bed and then joins us at some time in the night.

 

[sheebee]

Thanks for this. I think I'll be going down a similar route. Just worried that DS is so disturbed it'll wake baby and baby will wake him... Oh well I have another 8 months to find a solution by which time Ds will be sleeping all the way through - hahaha!

 

[SarahBear]

I'm curious about what others have to say as I am going to try to conceive this summer and don't plan to kick Violet out of the bed.

 

[mackenzie]

My eldest is 4, youngest 1.5, and before the youngest was born we had a very similar pattern to yours, she'd sleep in her room for a few hours, but then come through to our room. We've got a king size mattress and a single on the floor in our room to make a giant bed, so when baby was born she went nearest the edge ( not so near she'd fall off), then me, then older daughter then dad. We never had any real trouble with baby waking toddler, although toddler sometimes slept with her hands over her ears!! I love it and have no desire to force stop cosleeping, although sometimes I do feel like I am getting the least sleep of the entire family.

 

[too_scared]

Congratulations on your bfp

I'm just newly pregnant and we bed share with our little guy. Our plan is to get another mattress when the time gets closer for baby and make a giant bed. We will do daddy, kiddo, mommy, baby. Or at least that is the plan now! Hopefully it works out.

 

[Pixie19]

So glad i read this!
I'm due in August and Logan is still in our bed.
We took the side off his cot and attached it to our bed so we have one big bed, we currently sleep Logan, me, OH...going to have to convince OH to swap sides with me once Poppy is here...

 

[sheebee]

Its nice to hear that its possible to have both los in bed at night. I'm just worried as I do all of night time stuff on my own (dh works crazy hours in a high pressure job, he's not lazy I promise) and wonder how I'll manage.

Feeling quite low these past few days. Totally overwhelmed and wondering if this was a bit too soon. Am I neglecting my son by not being able to focus so much on him. I have terrible morning sickness and am so bloody exhausted all the time. Sorry for the whinge, I have very few people I can turn to and when I say stuff like this out loud I'm ashamed of myself...

 

[too_scared]

I had a few weeks with my son that we just sat in the play room and he played while I tried to move as little as possible. We did more fun things on days that I could but some days that's all I could manage.

Sometimes we have to do what we have to do. Ms will pass and you'll feel much better again soon.

 

[sheebee]

Bump! Anymore thoughts? I'm becoming more and more anxious about night times!!

 

[mazgoli]

Sheebee, don't worry too much about it, if you are relaxed your babies will be too.
Too_scared, I did this too, although in a bed and not mattress on the floor (which would have been much better). I had six children over 12 years and co-slept with them until they were excited to move into rooms with their older siblings.
Most Eastern societies co sleep and to my mind it is the most natural way to be. When expecting my 5th child, I was still breastfeeding number 4. I continued to breastfeed both for about four months until my 2 year old daughter decided she wanted to stop.
Don't do what feels wrong to you because someone tells you, go with your instincts and enjoy your children, all too soon they'll be grown up.

 

[Feronia]

I'm planning to do the same and DD will be 26 mo. when #2 arrives. She's currently on a mattress next to our bed, but she comes into bed at some point in the night and nurses for the rest of the night. The one thing I'm worried about is switching sides with the newborn. With DD, I'd nurse on one side and then move her to the other for the other boob. How will I do that if there's a toddler on one side? Hmmm.

Has anyone nursed 2 babies at night at once?

 

[HopefulPony]

Following x

 

[yellowglow]

I haven’t done the two breastfeeding option (my milk couldn’t last) but we have had our 2.5 year old co sleep with our 10 month old. We did move him to co-sleep with his brother when the little one was born. He’s a bit of a wild sleeper, and I didn’t trust him in the bed with her while she was under 6 mos. After she was bigger, I had less of a problem with my toddler being in the bed. Now they actually snuggle together. It is nice to have both of them in the bed, although they fight over who can snuggle with mum.

 

[fandabby]

My daughter only now in her bed for last 5 nights, mainly cause babe is crying all night with colic. Wakes her up and bags under her eyes unbelievable never mind me.

We pushed bed against wall, elektra by wall, body pillow, me, babe, cot pulled against bed with pillows covering gap. Cot used for clothes.

I've Co slept all and normally when they get to school they start sleeping in there own bed. Often early morning all in our bed.

Hubby on couch so he can sleep!