Hoping someone can give me advice or a plan to sort out my toddlers sleep before her baby sis arrives.
She coslept with us until around 18m - from 12m she would go asleep in her own bed then get in with us when she first woke, usually around 1. Usually would then sleep through. At 18m when I became pregnant I night weaned her, she now just breastfeeds 2-3x a day, usually feeding to sleep. Until recently she was sleeping through in her cot probably 3-4 nights a week, the rest she would wake about 3ish and I would bring her in with us.
Her usual routine is wake 6.30, nap 11-1, bedtime routine starts at 6 and usually asleep by 7.30 latest. However, I had covid recently, my husband was away when it started so had to stay away and I really, really struggled to cope with her when I was at my illest. This meant her routine went to shit and I often let her watch cartoons with me in bed while I dozed feverishly. Ever since then I cant get her sleep back and I'm getting to breaking point. Its also coincided with both her turning 2 and my milk starting to change due to the pregnancy so she often won't feed to sleep any more. She's often up until 11-12 then would sleep until the same time next day if I let her. I dont, I get her up about 7 and shes grumpy, miserable and overtired all day so we cant do anything. Baby classes are no longer fun and weve started skipping them, I certainly can't go for a coffee, she doesnt want to play. Its just awful. About 50% of the time she sleeps properly and is her normal, sunny, happy self but it only takes the slightest thing eg sleeping in until 6.45 or a dog barking just as she was about to drop off for her nap and it seems to set off a spiral of awful sleep for days. I'm at my wits end with it.
Any tips / advice / help? My mum just advises sleep training which I don't agree with, HV has no helpful advice at all and friends just offer sympathy which again doesn't help practically