# Advice on cosleeping with restless toddler/newborn?



## amcal (Jan 13, 2003)

I'm new to mothering.com and was so excited to see this board! I'm hoping someone might have some suggestions.

We cosleep and my DD is 15 months old and has never been the best sleeper but was doing so much better in recent months. However, the last couple weeks, she's started waking again every two hours and moaning and crying out. I have to pat her and very loudly shush her back to sleep but she wakes an hour or two later again. She was just to the dr and does not have an EI and is not sick in any way but she is cutting all for eye teeth, however, I don't think that has anything to do with the constant waking - she's been like this since birth - sometimes it's better than others but sometimes, like now, it's pretty bad.

I'm 38 weeks pg and am very anxious about how this is all going to work with a newborn. First, I'm completely exhausted from being up all night long and this will only get worse when the baby comes. Second, if DD is still waking constantly, she's going to wake the baby and the baby is going to wake her when she wakes for feedings. How do you all do it with a newborn and a restless toddler? I don't want to move DD out of our room nor do I want to have the baby sleep in another room but the thought of this all night wake/sleep thing with two of them is really making me anxious.

I forgot to add that DH works out of town and is only home about 8 nights a month so having him deal with DD isn't an option. Also, she screams bloody murder if she wakes and I'm not there so there wouldn't be much he could do anyway.


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## sarasprings (Mar 30, 2003)

I'm sorry I can't be of much help, but I understand how tired you are. DS has always been a restless sleeper, waking every 1/2-2 hours. Since he began walking 3 weeks ago, he spends over half the night thrashing back and forth. DH and I are completely exhausted from 12 months of never sleeping more than 3 hours in a row (and 3 hours has been an extremely rare treat). I have read every book I can get my hands on, and nothing has worked.

Do you have any friends, relatives, neighbors, etc that can help you out and watch your daughter so you can rest/nap before you give birth? And/or help you for a while after? If anyone offers to help, I would really take them u pon their offer. We didn't because we didn't want to bother anyone, but after having a baby -- I would help anyone in anyway I could.


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## MamaPippi (Apr 24, 2003)

Our ds was waking up, wiiggling and crying a lot--doc insisted it was normal--but when we stopped feeding him yogurt before bed he slept much better. I think he was having a lot of gas & tummy cramps.

So, could it be a food problem?

You could also try infant gas drops, Hyland's teething tablets, lavender oil, warm bath before bed.


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## Mallory (Jan 2, 2002)

Hi, welcome to mothering!
My boys are 19 months apart (they are now 2 and 3 1/2).

I was really surprised at how little they woke each other up. That baby is hearing her night time noises and getting used to them already and newborns really don't cry very loud.

Is she nursing? Have you considered letting her start again when the baby is born (she is still such a baby too)? At least then you don't have to hardly move to help them both at night and even if they are awake for a while they are quiet. I also took the advice for twin moms and often woke up the other to nurse if I was awake anyway.

I also thought that those last few weeks of pregnancy and having a toddler were worse then after the baby was born. At least after the baby was born when I got a chance to sleep I could, but the end of pregnancy is soo uncomfortable that often even if ds was asleep I didn't sleep very well.


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