DH heads back to work tomorrow! For the foreseeable future I will be a SAHM to 2!
LO 1 is 22 months and LO 2 is 3 weeks old. Baby brother was in the NICU for 19 days so I'm definitely not in a routine at home yet!
Any tips for surviving??!
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@cmomma17: I'm interested in this, too! I'm due with #2 next month and I have a nearly 3 year old, as well. I'll have help for a few weeks, but then it's all me...
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@meredithNYC: I haven't showered or changed out of my jammies today and I had leftover birthday cake for dinner. And that was with DH here to help! Just wondering if this is my destiny!
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@cmomma17: Hopefully not! Though I imagine the first couple of weeks are probably a blur for everyone. I remember the sleep deprivation with my first and ugh, it's awful
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@cmomma17: so excited to hear LO2 is home!!!
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Do whatever works and be kind to yourself!! It's hard but not a nightmare. The TV is your friend. Also endless alphabet. Don't be hard on yourself if you need to order out all week for dinner, you'll get there and everyone will eat vegetables again at some point.
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And it does get Easier!! The first month I wanted to cry because I just wanted to get out of ge house and we couldn't from weather and I didn't have a handle on leaving w two yet. Now it's cake. I took both girls and the dog to the vet in the pouring rain yesterday and we were only 5 minutes late
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It does get easier is my best advice. Tend to your toddler first. Cook easy meals when you can. Make extra so you're obly cooking every other day or so. The TV is your best friend. Anyone that tells you otherwise can suck it.
It is ok to set baby down somewhere safe snd walk outside for 5. Ask for help!!!
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Screentime is your friend.
Be kind to yourself.
Pizza is OK for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It gets easier every day.
Glad R is home! -
TV is the electronic babysitter. Explain how events will play out for your toddler. E.g. "we are going to go to the playground right after I finish nursing, then we will come back home to have lunch". I think this helps set expectations a little.
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Following since I'll have a 2 year old and a newborn in a few months.
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I struggled with going from 1 to 2, but it gets easier! Sometimes, someone is going to have to cry, and that is ok! You will find your stride and it will get easier!
(and I went from 2 to 3 and that was sooo much easier than 1 to 2!!!)
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@regberadaisy: @oliviaoblivia: @SleepyMonkey: Hahaha I love that we all said the same thing. High five for screentime.
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@cmomma17: Wait...R is home?!
This is awesome news! No advice, just happy he has recovered. -
I found the advice to tend to the older child first so helpful. I think it helped ward off any jealous tendencies too.
Also, TV is your friend! I felt a little guilty giving DD so much screen time during that transition, but once we found our stride, I massively scaled back (same goes with snacks and easy microwaveable food - lots of chicken nuggets - mama didn't find it in her to cook healthy meals all the time). Remember that anything can be temporary - your house your rules. You won't ruin your older one for life if you need to let loose and be lax for a few months while you're figuring out life with a toddler and newborn, but in the interim you just do what you gotta do to survive and stay sane.
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@sorrycharlie: omg the first few months she watched sooo much TV. It's much better now but even I, who doesn't think her brain will turn to mush because of screen time, started to feel a little guilty. Add in weeks of subzero temperature? It was baaaad.
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I found it easier if I keep LO1 busy. I have LO1 help me with pretty much everything since she's 15 months apart from LO2 and isn't doing independent activities for more than a few minutes at a time. LO1 "helps" by handing me a newborn diaper, bringing a blanket/burp cloth/whatever object to me for the baby, "holding" the bottle (while I hold it too), laying next to the baby during tummy time, showing the baby different toys, picking out books to read to the baby, etc. It makes LO1 feel important, keeps her occupied, and allows me to hold/rock/feed/change the baby without LO1 feeling ignored.
Also don't feel guilty for letting the kids cry while you take a minute to use the bathroom, grab some food, make a cup of tea, brush your hair, brush your teeth, etc. You need to take care of you in order to be the best mom you can be. The kids aren't going to be scarred for life and even just a quick moment of doing something just for you can make a world of difference. -
No advice as I only have 1, but so glad your LO is home!
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Keep LO1 busy. I actually thought it was easy going from 1 to 2.
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Agree with all pp! Mine are 17 months apart. I would sit the older in my lap while I nursed the little one and we watched tv together. Lots of bonding time.
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Lower your expectations. I was so hard on myself because when LO1 was x weeks, I was cooking, showering, etc. Umm - it was a lot harder with two and having unrealistic expectations did not help.
When you do cook, double whatever you are making so you can freeze some of have lots of leftovers.
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I have a hard time with having a messy house./9 anytime I had 2 minutes to myself I was flying around tidying up, only to have it destroyed 2 minutes later. Once I letgo of the cleaning and realized if I just left everything until the toddler was down for the night, life was much more enjoyable.
Another vote for screen time, use it as much as you need.
This is awesome news! No advice, just happy he has recovered. 
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