Here's my "dirty little secret". My daughter doesn't really sleep well unless I'm lying right with her. I'm also the only one who can get her to sleep. So when I go out in the evenings, she basically stays up until I get home. I can usually sneak out for an hour or so after she's deeply asleep, but if she wakes up she immediately calls for me and gets upset until I show up. Yes,  I recognize that this is my own fault, but it's never really been an issue until now.

In the past, I've kept my laptop right next to the bed using a wireless connetion to get on the 'net. I've worked after she's gone to sleep and if she wakes up, I just quickly nurse her back to sleep.

The problem is that now I've started a job with a company that doesn't allow me to use wireless. I have to be physically connected to a network. Our physical connection is on the first floor and the bedrooms are all on the second. Now, I can run a wire upstairs with some difficulty. In fact, we'll need to figure something out because no freakin' way can I work only in the office area. It's right next to the living room and has no door. So when all the boys are home, or even if Piper is playing in the living room, I wouldn't get anything done with all the commotion.

However, it would sure be nice to get her to the point where her dad can put her to sleep sometimes. And it would be nice if she could sleep on her own from...say 8-12 or something. I'm not going to end our cosleeping arrangement cold turkey, but I'd like to get to the point where I can work completely uninterrupted from 7 or 8 until 11 or 12. That would make my life soooo much easier. Plus, then I might actually be able to go out at night without feeling like I have such an early curfew.

I'm not planning on doing this overnight - she's a creature of habit for sure. So it will be implemented very gradually. I read the No Cry Sleep Solution when she was little and found it minimally helpful.

Any advice at all is appreciated.

First, no dirty little secrets, and there is no shame!! You have done what worked best for your family up until now, and it appears that is changing.

Books - have you tried NCSS for toddlers & preschoolers? Available at the library, and it is written to be either a reference book or cover to cover, whatever works best for you. You could easily browse it and take what you think might work for you guys.

Asher always had to have ME lie down to sleep with him. Even after Rachel was born, he preferred me over Micah. It was a long process, usually taking up to 45min-an hour of lying and waiting for him to sleep. I started occasionally leaving the room saying, "Rachel needs me to change her diaper" or other various things to allow me to leave for a "few minutes". It didn't work at first, and he cried the whole time I was gone. Then one day it just started working. The NCSS for T&P actually has really good ideas in this respect for leaving the room, since you can't tell Piper you are going to change a diaper. Like, you can sit by the bed and fold some laundry, read a book next to the bed, etc. That way she starts getting used to the idea that you WILL be leaving the room, making her less likely to wake up because she knows that you won't be there, no reason to check to see if you are. kwim? Maybe her dad could sit in there with you guys, so she could get used to him being in the room as well, making it easier to transition to him putting her to bed sometimes. Now Micah takes Asher to bed every night and they sing songs together and he is able to snuggle with him for a few minutes and come downstairs. He prefers Micah take him to bed now, it's actually kind of bittersweet. I really enjoy that time of day with him, settling down and singing together. Depending on Rachel's mood at that point of the night, we have started to join them to make it a whole family wind down.

Hope you find something that works for you - and what's with the wired only thing? Strange!

Holy crap! I am so disgusted! I don't know anyone who puts their kid to bed like that. ;-)

You suck, Amanda.

And I just now figured out your user name. I've been saying holly-stiching. Der.

Yes, I know. I thought about putting a space between the words, so I will now. Thanks for the motivation! And if you can believe it, Mason just started going to bed without nursing. He's down to about once or twice a day now. He turned four in April.

Kaya was about 15 months old when we night weaned her. I totally would not have done it, but all she wanted to do was nurse ALL NIGHT! I certainly didn't mind nursing her to sleep or any other time, I actually enjoyed it, but, she wanted to be on the boob the entire night. I simple couldn't do that anymore. She was getting to big & uncomfortable. I started nursing her after bath time & then my DH would take her to bed and lay down with her. She did fine, A few fits but mostly eased into it really well. For a month or so my DH had to put her to bed & get up with her, b/c if I did, she would scream bloody murder unless I let her sleep on the boob! I couldn't dare pop her off after she was asleep or she would flip out. We even tried the paci swiitcharoo trick but it didn't work. Anyway, she's now 2 and her dad puts her to sleep most nights, b/c he is the sleep master (and she's a Daddy's girl anyway!). I can still get her to sleep, but just not as quickly. Unfortunately, she also completely weaned during all of this. I guess she decided if she couldn't nurse all night long, she didn't want it at all. I'm certainly not suggesting that you wean Piper, just sharing my experience with a baby that only wanted to nurse to sleep. Good luck!

She still falls asleep right on top of me sometimes. Then I roll her over onto the bed. She nurses a lot in the early morning hours - it's how I keep her "asleep" until a decent hour.

Grrr. It's so frustrating. The reality is that I haven't changed the setup because it's been working and ultimately I'm lazy. I don't like to fix what ain't broke. But obviously now it's an issue. *sigh*

And yeah, Sommer, I totally don't get what's up with the no-wireless thing. Even my Dh, who works for a large national company and deals with all kinds of sensitive data, can work pretty much anywhere. Their motto is more "anything an associate needs to get his/her job done." I'd be tempted to work for them, but no freakin' way could I work with my husband, lol.