Co-sleeping Concerns with a toddler and new baby

[ShowersofBlessings]

My 17 month old still falls asleep nursing (for both nighttime and his nap during the day). I don't mind this really. But I am concerned about when the new baby comes. What if he can't fall asleep without nursing and the baby needs me at the same time? Is this something I should prepare for? Or is this something that will take care of itself without me intervening? He will be about 2 when the new baby comes. I have some time, but it feels like not enough. He is still co-sleeping (sort of) with us and I also wonder how this will work with a new baby.

Does anyone have any btdt stories/encouragement for me? For those of you that are or have tandemmed nursed, did you oldest fall asleep on his/her own, or did he/she still nurse to sleep? If the oldest still nursed to sleep, how did you make it work? Thanks!

[MomTo7]

I too was stressed in the same place where you are. I was lucky that it worked out without my help. dd was co-sleeping and nursing to sleep and half the night when I got pregnant. When I was about 7 months along she decide to self wean slowing. By the time the twins came she wasn't nursing at all ( I was :cry). The twins sleep in an attatched bed on my side and dd still co-sleeps. I am now giving her milk milk in a cup as I have plenty and she just giggles and grins as I pump it for her cup. I am so happy she will still take it.

:pray that it works out for you too.

[ArmsOfLove]

My first was older than yours but still nursing and for the first few months I nursed them together :) We sorted it out after that :tu

[greenemama]

i agree that the thing just kind of sorts itself out. normally dh would hang with henry (then 2) and i would help jude to sleep and then i'd help henry to sleep. this still happens, it did tonight. but some nights henry goes to sleep first, then jude. and other nights (some routine we have here, eh? :rolleyes ) i discuss playing quietly in his room with henry while i help jude to sleep and about 90% of the time he can be quiet enough long enough for jude to drift off.

it all works out. :heart one thing i was surprised about is how henry understands that jude is a baby and his needs for mama are more pressing than his are. he doesn't feel unimportant, he calls it taking care of the baby. it's kind of a heavy thing for him to get but he does and does so without resentment. sometimes he helps by helping *his* baby to sleep, his hippo or some other friend. :)

don't worry about it -- it really does work out. you'll be really surprised at how different kiddos are at 2 comparted to 18 months. :hug

[RealLifeMama]

When Nathan was a newborn, I'd get him to bed first, and then put April to bed, or get April to sleep and then Nathan.
April had just turned 2 when Nathan was born.
The hardest part was keeping her quiet so he could go to sleep.
It helped to have DH there to seperate them.

[MagnoliaMommy]

I would put ds in bed first and once he was asleep, dh would bring the baby in. I slept in between the two kids. Ds has since moved on to his own bed and I sometimes miss being snuggled in between my two little ones.

[Treenahurricane]

I'm not tandem nursing (unfortunately DD#1 hasn't nursed since she was 7 months old), but we handled the cosleeping issue with our toddler just a couple weeks ago. Grace slept with us up through the night before Isabelle was born, but when we came home, we didn't feel comfortable with Grace sleeping with Isabelle (Grace will be 2 end of this month) because she is very mobile in her sleep (kicks us, etc). Because Isabelle won't sleep in her bassinett even though it's sidecarred, we moved Grace to her own bed. She protested the first couple nights, but now has no issues with it. She had self-weaned to her own bed for a period of time in the past so luckily it wasn't a big shock for her.