Strategies for managing two under 2
My wife and I just had our second child so we now have a 1 year old son and a two week old daughter. Our son is "all boy" and almost walking, crawls everywhere, gets in to everything, and is fearless (not to mention tons of fun). Our daughter is a total mama's girl, completely adorable, wants to be held all the time (by her mom only), is breastfeeding, and obviously not sleeping through the night.
My wife's mom is staying with us for a few weeks to help out, but she'll soon head back home. We'll get some intermittent help from family, but for the most part my wife will be at home with the kids while I'm working. So..... what are some real life strategies for one person managing both kids?
Examples:
How can my wife breastfeed while my son is awake and exploring?
How can my wife feed our son while our daughter is awake and crying because she wants to be held?
How can we make sure my son gets time to play and lots of attention while Mom is caring for a newborn?
We have a few ideas on these but would like to hear from other's experiences. If there are already some good websites or postings please send the links!
Thanks!
Re: Strategies for managing two under 2
Babyproofing and a good carrier.
My kids are 18months apart and I had help from my husband and my mom for the first 3 weeks and then was on my own. I managed just fine.
Number 1 key is to have your main living space totally childproofed. When I was home with the kids we spent most of our time downstairs in the living room and kitchen. Everything was safe- tv secured to the wall, stairs gated, cabinets locked. So DD could roam around and play while I was holding DS. I also made sure I had everything I needed close by- diapers and changing pad on both levels of the house, so I didn't have to run up/down all day.
Does your DD like the swing or bouncy chair? Those are good places to put the baby when your wife needs to do things with your older child. You can also put her down on an activity mat for tummy time. It is okay for the baby to cry sometimes. If you really need a safe place, put her in the crib.
Get out of the house everyday. It will seem daunting at first. We went lots of places- playgrounds, gym class, music class, library storytime. It was easy to take the baby b/c he would either sleep in his carseat/stroller or I could wear him in a carrier. I highly recommend the Ergo. It's important for the older child to get those social activities, its good for moms mental health too! I always made sure I had lots of snacks. If I needed to BF the baby I would strap my older child either into the stroller or in the car. She would get a snack while I fed the baby. Pouches are great for on the go snacks.
Wine. I'm kidding. Kind of.
seriously, you got good advice above. Other than what's been mentioned, I prepped my older child's meals/snacks for the day before dh left for work.
All of the above, and this! I had to make it a priority to make the kids lunches and snacks the night before while my H entertained the little ones. My youngest also lived in the Moby, he is still a giant snuggle bug (and the added bonus of the Moby, he still has his eyes
)
I'm not hungry, I'm HUUUNNNNNGGGRRRRRYYYY! NOW!
Dec 2014 Dec Siggy, Free For All
Big E- 2008
Miss M- 2011
Baby Z- 2012
Baby Smoosh, Due Dec 2014
You've received some great advice. The first few months will be tough but it'll get easier and you'll be surprised how independent your DS becomes.
The only other idea I have is that you could hire a mother's helper - just a high school kid who comes over for a few hours a day to help out. Or you can see if there is a mother's-day-out program that your DS could go to occasionally (it's like daycare but only 1 or 2 days per week).