If pregnant please come in...

yepyepsms

My son is almost 19 months and I am 21 weeks pregnant. I am feeling so guilty and really struggling finding the energy to play with DS. He weighs 28lbs so carrying him is very tiring and he is definitely at the age where he runs from room to room, doesn't want to sit and read books very long, etc. Are you struggling with the same? Any tips or something creative to try to play with your toddler that isn't as exhausting? Looking for ideas but also venting a little. DH is tired from having to take on most of the playing, etc and starting to resent me I think.

bigdreams24

I am 14 weeks pregnant and my daughter is 23 months old. I have a hard time carrying her for long periods as well. I try to spend time on the floor playing quietly with blocks and toys. My husband has been taking her on walks and outside most of the time. I wish I had more energy but working, being pregnant and having a toddler is a challenge! She is happy most of the time and I feel she is getting her needs met so at the end of the day as long as shes smiling I'm ok with it.

blushingbride_08

I'm 7 weeks and my LO is 20 months. I've been in bed most of the week while dh has taken cared of him. He's off from work this week. I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you do just have a play date so your LO can play with someone else.

foreverapartofme

I'm 9 weeks pregnant and have not come out of the exhaustion stage yet.  This happened when I was pregnant with DD and I could barely stay awake.  I've been just trying to play with her in spurts.  Today we were trying out her color paints and then we played with play doh too.  Blocks are a nice quiet activity too!  My DD loves snuggling and reading stories as well.  It is tough... I think just try your best.  Also, I've been trying to nap when DD naps during the afternoon since I am on Christmas vacation but that will be ending all to soon!  Just rest and play when you feel up to it.  I know DH probably is getting tired of helping but we didn't have these babies on our own. LOL.  Good luck!

magentawarped

DD is two (today, actually) and I'm 33 weeks along. I've been exhausted the entire time. We've been reading a lot of books, watching movies, and I'll set her up with activities she can do alone, like coloring and building blocks. I've also been taking her to the play place at the mall a lot so that she can run off some energy and play with other kids with minimal effort on my part.

Zimger

I am 33 weeks and DS is 21 months.

He definitely does not like to sit down. DH plays with him and does the lifting when he is home. But he often works nights and weekends so it's just the two...er three of us.

What really helps us is routine. During the week he knows I come home from work, we have supper, playtime/craft time, bath, a short movie then bed. On the weekends I am more flexible but I make sure that he has a few activities to keep him busy. Nothing holds their attention for very long right now. I like to do crafts and cook so I keep him involved in "helping". I also set up a sensory bin that he can go to whenever he likes. You can find nifty ideas on Pinterest.

We still have our long days and our tantrums and our share of not sleeping but we manage. Hang in there!

 

yepyepsms

Thank you ladies for your thoughts and ideas!!

ktpaladino

I am 33 weeks along and DS is 20 months old. I've been dealing with a lot of fatigue this pregnancy. The fact that I have ridiculous sugar cravings that I give in to, then end up crashing, sure does not help. I have the guilt too. I've been relying on the TV and iPad apps to allow me a few minutes of rest and feel horrible about it but I'm doing what I have to do to get through the day physically. Sometimes in the afternoon DS will get cuddley and spoon with me while watching a cartoon so I can close my eyes for a few minutes. Those are the best days. But others are just downright exhausting! Some other ideas are laying on his road floor mat and playing with matchbox cars, or coloring. Also he likes to eat and that usually keeps him quiet so when I need a few minutes to just sit still, I bust out the snacks.

gigantan

I'm 32 weeks along and my DD is almost 19 months old. I feel your pain; it is rough trying to keep up with everything! I have been napping when she naps on the weekends, and when I work I manage to get through the day.. barely. If not for my DH, I couldn't do this for sure. I would let your DH know that this is a temporary stage and our energies will pick up again someday (I hope!). 

GL!

HeavenBlessedMom

We do have an au pair who came 2 wks ago (my main goal is to avoid hospital bed rest), but DD was 13 mo when she came and I was 16 wks with triplets.  DH is better at being calm with DD, so he really taught me how to just close the door and have her play with what's in the room.  She's just super interested in walking/running, so that's all she wants to do.  Closing the door focuses her on the room, not distracting her from what's in the next room.  She's not into books or too into TV (watches bubble guppies for maybe 10 minutes at a time, but plays and walks around the whole time).  Babies are just happy to be with you at the end of the day:)

desertmouse39

DD is almost 19 m and I am 28 weeks pregnant.  I feel the same way you do a lot of the time and DH doesn't always jump right in to help without being prompted.  I have been exhausted most of this pregnancy, and sick more often than I was the first time.  I work full time and LO is in daycare, so I really stress out on how much time she DOESN'T spend with me as it is, and I have to calm myself down sometimes.  It's going to be harder when the new baby is here!

I try to spend as much time interacting with my toddler as I can and try to not be too hard on myself when I have to step back.  I can't carry her too much or do a lot of physical play, but we read books, play with her dolls, take walks and dance to Pandora whenever possible.  I also let her watch a little more TV than I used to (maybe an hour a day now) but I sit on the couch with her and snuggle.  The housecleaning and other chores fall aside sometimes, but I'm OK with that.  Good Luck.  Think how wonderful it will be when our LOs are a little older but so close in age!!

michellepeanut

DD is 19 months and I'm 37 weeks pregnant. She really loves singing songs, so we do a lot of that and I've revamped some of the actions so I can do them from the floor. We do a lot of sensory play in a hard sided kiddy pool - rocks and dump trucks, water and scoops, shaving cream and paintbrushes, etc. She also loves reading so we spend at least 2 30min periods a day reading. We also take her puzzle pieces and tape them up around the room so she can go on a scavenger hunt. Play toss the ball or we have mini sticks so I can usually 'fish' the ball back to me or ask her to get it if it misses me. Arts & crafts are a big hit right now so we usually do one a day: paint, markers, stickers, etc (if I'm really tired and don't feel like closely supervising or dealing with mess we just paint with water on construction paper). We do a lot of block building and knocking them over. Make pillow piles and jump in them, I usually kneel beside them and encourage/ make sure she doesn't whack herself - she doesn't really notice I'm not jumping around if I tickle her occasionally and have a lot of enthusiasm in my voice.

michellepeanut

DD also loves to 'help' so we do laundry together, dust together, vacuum, etc.  Just give them something similar to what you have they love imitation at this stage.

ktpaladino

DD also loves to 'help' so we do laundry together, dust together, vacuum, etc.  Just give them something similar to what you have they love imitation at this stage.

Same here. Yesterday I gave DS the swiffer mop and he pushed it around the tile floor for 45 minutes. Heaven. The DustBuster is also a big hit

hmontty

My DD was very big for her age (>99th percentile) and didn't walk until 20 months. When she was 21 months, I gave birth to my son. So I was lugging around a huge toddler who couldn't walk up until I was 8 months pregnant. I know how you are feeling.

Honestly, there wasn't much I could do but just try to rest as much as possible. It was tiring, no way around that.