Moms of 2+: Schedule?

WatchPot

I have a few months before I have to start getting 2 out of the house but I'm still trying to figure out how we are going to do it.  WIll I just have to get up at 5am to get myself and 2 kids ready and out the door so I can be to work at a decent time? 
I would love to know your schedule for getting out of the house and then for the end of the day/evening as well. 

What should we be doing now to get DS#1 ready for bed time routine interuptions?

bunch

I'm a SAHM so I don't have all the advice, but I found that I had to be way more organized about having the diaper bag, etc done ahead of time (night before).  And my little (now that he's older) doesn't like to eat b'fast right when he wakes up, so I've developed car breakfasts- french toast sticks, dried fruit, cheese sticks. 

As far as bedtimes, honestly, since bedrest while pg with my 2nd, DH has put the 1st to bed.  Once 2nd came, I was nursing/putting him down- so DH still put 1st down.  We'll do books all together, or sometimes if 2nd falls asleep first I'll snuggle with older in bed, but generally its all my DH's job.

blueLu25

Well, to be completely honest, it takes forever for a long time, until you really get the hang of it When E was tiny, I found it easiest to try and get up first and get myself ready, then when O got up I could be ready to get him fed, dressed etc. I would put E in the pack n play or swing while I got ready, while O was still sleeping. Nursing is a whole other issue- give yourself time to feed baby right before you leave and change right before you leave. No matter what, whatever baby is wearing WILL get spit up on 2 secs before you have to go out the door. Bibs are your friend. One good thing is, I learned how to put make up on in record time. Also getting bags, food etc the night before helps a lot. 

cmcmillan

For bedtime, if you are normally doing it start having DH do it. So by the time baby comes, W is used to the new routine.  We will do books together all of us, then M and D go into his room for more reading, while I put W down.  Our plan is to start having D do W, so he is used to it when I am home. And once baby is here he will do both or we will some how juggle it. lol  

MissLauraQ

Honestly?  I take care of myself once I'm at work, and do nothing but get them ready (ish) and out the door.

 At my work I have:  My makeup and lotions, I don't brush my teeth til I get here.  I take a shower at night and have hairspray and my flat iron at work. 

All I do is get up - and put clothes on.  I have coffee and eat when I get to work - so the fridge here is seriously stocked with all my foods.

 I get the kids up - dressed (no teeth brushing! BAD MOM!) if I get Willow up and out early enough she can eat breakfast at preschool.  Alex knows if he wants breakfast he has to wake up earlier then me.

Most of the time both of them are only half awake when I strap them in the car. 

I wake up at 6-ish am, I'm out the door by 7.

JDCSKF

When I work, I work until 11pm, I still have to get everyone up and out for school. DH is gone by 5am. I get up at 6:30 am get dressed, get J up and get her breakfast up. Get K up, change diaper and nurse. When J is done with breakfast she gets herself dressed (with what I laid out while changing the baby) and she brushes her teeth. I do J hair when done nursing and then we get ready to head out the door at 8am.

 

I still do bedtime for J, since that is our special time. DH takes over baby duty while I put J to bed. 

keri1013

What Leanne said!

I actually find it easier to get out the door now that Anna is older and a bit more predictable. Thank goodness for maternity leave because those first couple months I had a very hard time getting out the door before 9:00am at the earliest! I do still have to get up pretty early on work mornings though to get myself ready. 

I agree with having DH do the bedtime routine for W now so he's used to it. Jeff has been doing bedtime with Max since he was a baby, so he was used to that when Anna came along and I was busy with her in the evenings. Definitely get as much ready the night before as possible. 

Anna and Max go to bed at a similar time now. We moved dinner a bit earlier, so usually we eat around 5:45 or so and then I take Anna up for bed, then DH takes Max up around 6:30. Anna will sometimes wake to eat once before I go to bed, but other than that it's nice because with both in bed early then we do dishes, make lunches for the next day, etc and go to bed pretty early ourselves. It was hard when she was still nursing to sleep because it could take me a long time to get her down and then half the time she'd wake up again as soon as I got in the shower. So I guess my advice is just hang in there the first couple months and know that things do settle into a routine eventually!

coribecca

Ditto Leanne.  It's easier for me to get up before the kids are up and get myself ready first, before worrying about the kids.  I get everyone's outfit ready the night before (including mine) and try to do as much the night before as possible.  There's a learning curve and it does take a while before you get the hang of it.  Thankfully I don't have to do it every day.

At night, I have two different routines:  one for when DH is home and one for when I'm on my own.  When DH is here, we divide and conquer.  When he's not, I get G ready for bed first and then get E ready for bed.