Coping with complete exhaustion and a toddler?

[Cherrypi]

Help! I keep completely running out of energy and needing to sleep. However I am in sole charge of my toddler at the time it hits. What strategies can I use to keep awake? I'm 14 weeks.

[Waggamamma]

It's tough. Make yourself a cup of tea and a snack for the toddler. TV on cbeebies....feet up for an hour.

Also low energy activities like colouring, play doh, stickers, reading stories. I was able to pass a good half hour by giving my toddler a basin of bubbly water and a few cups and spoons. Minimal input required from me. Don't feel guilty it will pass.

[LizLimone]

I bought a big box of crafts at that first trimester stage when I would hit flu-like exhaustion in the afternoons just when DS was hitting his post-nap energy peak. It had little craft projects in it that we could do sitting down - paper plate bugs, sticker pictures and so on. Kept him busy for an hour or so... and then it was TV time!! I significantly relaxed my standards on screen time and just let 5-6pm be TV hour when he would watch his favorite cartoon.

During 'TV hour' I would half-sleep with one eye open on the couch and that rest gave me the energy to get through dinner, bath and bedtime.

[weebairn]

I put a mattress on the floor in the front room and lay on it while she climbed on me. Ah the joys of first trimester.... I am 30 weeks now and tired and back hurts from lifting her but it's nothing like as bad as the first 2 months. Hang in there.

[Cherrypi]

Thank you both. Flu like exhaustion is a great way of describing it. We have been watching more tv but that's when I'm worried about falling asleep and my son having unsupervised reign of the house. I would normally overload on coffee but obviously can't do that. I've tried knitting too.

[Rockchick1984]

Stairgate on the living room door, you doze on the couch while he watches tv but can't escape!

[Chloe01mum]

"Carpet picnic" for dinner saved me for these first few months.

Dh was in afghan for 6 months and I was left with the 3dc while pg with no4.

Dinner for a good few weeks (maybe longer ) was bowls of chopped fruit/sliced cheese/different hams/pizzas/pasta etc.

Took minutes to prepare then I could flop on the couch and watch them eat it. Put the blanket down first and it can just be shaken out the back door so no mess.

Dc4 is now one and none of the older three are showing any damage from eating picnic food every night

[LittlePink]

Ive had terrible exhaustion in the first tri and its still going in the 2nd but I think not as bad now but the way I got through it with a 2 yr old was to take her out in the mornings when I didn't feel too bad, do lots of fun stuff then in the afternoon napped when she napped then just stayed very local or stayed in with c beebies on while I crashed on the sofa. Shes obsessed with c beebies so she was quite happy to sit and watch it. In the very early days 6 or 7 weeks I carried on taking her out in the afternoons and almost died of tiredness and felt utterly dreadful and I just thought to myself I cant do this. I physically cant do it so I backed off completely on the going out and took it as easy as I could with a 2 yr old. Luckily shes not too crazy tearing around the place, she has her moments but if c beebies is on she will sit and chill. Phew! I do feel guilty letting her watch it a lot but sometimes it just has to be done!

[ithoughtofitfirst]

It's horrendous.

This takes a little effort initially but I just plan my days hour by hour. It helps me see that ds is not actually watching too much cbeebies more than anything! I let him watch it for the hour after dh leaves for work where we lazily eat breakfast and I drink lots of tea. Then I spend the following hour getting us showered (sometimes I just run a bath and take him in with me) dressed, semi presentable hair and make up... next hour sit out the garden with loads of toys, snacks, drinks, blankets and pillows.

Before you know It it's lunch time so it's something easy to prepare. I drag it out for as long as I can like pretending my hand is a snake trying to steal his food.too busy laughing to eat quickly.

Then ... hallelujah.... nap time for about 2.5 hours

Etc!

Hang in there woman xxxx

[ithoughtofitfirst]

Oh and then more cbeebies in the afternoon!

[ikeaismylocal]

I tend to really struggle in the mornings, a couple of times I have felt myself about to fall asleep so I make a little bed on the sofa, cuddle ds and we watch Mr tumble with my eyes closed. I don't fully sleep but I doze, I wrap my arms around ds so I'd wake fully if he tried to wiggle away.

It's really not ideal and I have only done it 2 or 3 times. I co-sleep with ds so I'm really aware of him even when I'm asleep but it feels wrong to be anything other than fully conscious whilst looking after ds.

I have a friend who regularly naps on the sofa whilst her toddler plays/watches tv.

[Cherrypi]

I just worry mine would get up to mischief if I slept. I tried taking him upstairs into his room which he can't get out of and giving him you tube Ben and Holly while I doze on his bed but he presses random buttons and loses it. I'm just hoping it passes soon.

Some good tips from everyone though thanks.

[ithoughtofitfirst]

I've never successfully slept with ds awake. He would just throw toys at me