What r u doing/did u do w/ LO#1 when new LO arrives

bonnin507

DD will be 22months when the new LO arrives.  We currently have someone who watches her in their home.  It will be January, and in WI that means cold & snow.  I'm not really fond of the idea of bundling up my toddler & new baby to take DD to her sitter, but I'm also not sure I want to try to juggle both of them @ home either.  I want to keep things somewhat consistent for DD too.  I'm hoping DH will be open to taking DD to the sitter @ least a few day/wk, but I know he isn't going to want to do it all 5.  Just curious if others done w/ LO#1 while on maternity leave.

jf198400

I am definitely keeping DD1 home with me.  Her DC is 30mins from our house, there's no way I'm driving an hour with a newborn.  Also we really can't afford it since most of my leave is unpaid.  I plan to try to do playgroup meetups, storytime, and maybe gym class with DD while I'm on ML so she doesn't get bored.  I figure I should be able to handle taking 2 kids to those activities.

KKWISC

My DH owns his own business and I stay home. So I'm hoping DH will take at least a week to 10 days off in the beginning and then work part time for 2-3 weeks. I'm also banking on my mom, my brother (sah-Dad), sil and bil. 

lindylogana

I'm keeping DD home with me while I'm on leave.  Its exhausting somedays but I'm loving all the extra time I have with her, while I'm off work.

mcp

DS will continue with daycare when the new baby comes.  I want to keep his routine consistent, plus it's only 2 miles from our house so not a big deal to drop off/pickup.  Plus we'd have to continue paying for it anyway to hold his spot.  I also like the idea of having that time to bond with the new baby while ds is at daycare.

spunkyprincessmande

I'm not in the same situation as you as I am a SAHM, but could you only send DD to the sitter a couple days a week, the days that your H would be okay dropping her off?  That way she gets that part of her regular routine, but she also gets to enjoy the time that your home and bond with her new sibling.

3/05bride

During my 6 month leave, #1 will be with his nanny 2 days/week.  This way I get some time to bond with the baby alone and keep DS used to his routine but also get some extra time with him while I am off work. 

jenns123

I kept LO#1 home with me.  LO#2 slept a lot so I had a lot of quality time with LO#1 and did not feel overwhelmed at all.  DH was off a 3 days then my mom was off for a week, but I could have done it solo, the only thing I couldn't do was lift LO#1 into her high chair.  We had a few picnics in the living room

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha

My DD's are a little under 22 months apart. I wasn't sure about sending DD1 to daycare or not, but since we are paying for it (or otherwise losing her spot), I decided to keep sending her. She goes 4 short days (like 8:30 - 3) a week. Of course, it hasn't started snowing (yet!), but I think the hassle of getting the two of them dressed and ready to go would be worth a few hours of being able to focus on DD2.