experience please?

[FraggleRock77]

My 2year 3month old has decided that sleeping in his bed after lunch is not for him anymore! He is happy to lay on the sofa for an hour though and watch toddler TV. As soon as we get ready to go out in the car for the afternoon, he's asleep. He sleeps very well over night, nap or no nap. I'm partly in denial as i loved having an hour to myself. Plus how do you manage a whole day of toddler wrangling without a mental break. Currently pregnant too!

[OhPuddleducks]

Urgh. Went through this when pregnant and am now in it again with the second one. Avoid the car, if possible? I try too divide the day into sections and vary what we do, so we go out most mornings, come home for lunch and then afterwards I am veeeery boring and get on with bits while the preschooler reads or plays quietly and the toddler screams about a bit until he doesn't get a reaction - he'll then play quietly on his own. After an hr/hr and a half we do something else all together - go out and get some fresh air if it's not horrible or I set up a doing activity like craft/baking/elaborate pretend game. After that they have to amuse themselves a bit and then we have a bit of tv before bed. Some days it goes like clockwork and other days it is awful!

But as you have a another one on the way, I would make full advantage of the tv and any other quiet independent play he enjoys. That way he won't be totally blindsided when the baby comes and you aren't available at the drop of a hat.

(And then they'll get a bit older and play together and you get time back that way)

[FraggleRock77]

Thank you for the post PuddleDuck. I basically had to wake him after ten mins sleep in the car. He spent the rest of the afternoon in a grump!
It's so annoying, as he clearly needs the extra sleep and so do i!!!!
It's such a tough adjustment. I'm not sure how you cope with more than two?!