Advice for when second baby arrives

[ArtemisBean]

I'd love to hear your tips for how to make things easier for the first few weeks after having baby number two. DS will be 2.5 when the baby is born. Feeling a bit anxious about how different it will be this time, with both a toddler and a newborn to wrangle in those early weeks when I'm recovering, establishing bfing (hopefully) and trying to get my head around everything. Any advice would be much appreciated!

I have a toddler and a seven week old, so all this is fresh!
Firstly, I have a really supportive and involved husband. It is much easier with two pairs of hands.
Secondly, let your cleaning standards slip!

I'm just in this stage - a 22 monther and a 6 weeker :). I'd suggest:

-accept what help you can get

-use day time breast feeding as a bonding time with the toddler, chatting, reading, singing

-bulk cook in advance or have ready meals in the freezer or lower standards for a few weeks or all of the above

-try to have the house clean before the baby arrives and then don't look too closely at the diary and dirt for the next few weeks!

Ugh, sorry the paragraphs didn't work!

I second the supportive husband, and hello to a fellow new mum of two :)

A tip I was given was to have something "special" that would only come out when I was breast feeding dc2 so that dc1 did not get fractious. There was 18 months between my two. We used tv time - so tv only went on when I was sat feeding dc2.

Get childcare for the eldest

15 months betweeni mine and I spent ages before the youngest was born planning things to do, waste of time. Best thing is just to go with the flow. Routines will go to pop while you get used to the new baby and that's good, allows everyone time to settle. Make sure you get some time with each of them alone, dad or other family member to help out. I breast fed and found it easier to do so on the floor so I could play or read books with my oldest. Also, enjoy it, bring home my youngest to meet her brother was one of the best days ever

My eldest two are 18 months apart and I remember we had family up the week my second was born so my eldest child spent a lot of time with family that week. I'd say accept what help you can get and don't be ashamed to ask for help.