Routine for 3 month old and 22 month old - any suggestions?

[koalabear]

Hi - my DH is in the USA working, and I'm here with our two little ones. We will be moving over to the USA when our house sells. In the meanwhile, I NEED A ROUTINE or I am going to go mad. I had a great one for my first born, but trying to fit the 3 month old into it is driving me nuts. Any suggestions? Please help. At present, I would say I am a definite candidate for PND and need to cut this off at the pass. thanks

Not realy sure what to suggest.

Do you keep the eldest to the original routine?

Maybe you could get them up at the same time each morning, then do feed/breakfast together.

Have a set time to get dressed and try to go out each morning.

After lunch, perhaps the eldest could go for a nap, hopefully the youngest too, if not then some quiet time for both of you.

Then after dinner, bath them together and feed, then bed.

Goodness, if only it was that easy!!

It will get easier as the youngest adapts to your lives.

My only suggestion is stick with what works for the eldest, it is much easier to make the youngest one fit. Second and later children have to be more flexible, I think we can get too rigid about routine. My 3rd is the most laidback but has to fit in totally round school, pre school and meals etc of the older 2. Also get out as much as possible looking at 4 walls with 2 little ones will drive you nuts, the younger one can always nap in the car or pushchair.

You have exactly the same age gap as I have between my DS's - now 2.7 years and 1 years. I can really sympathise - you get it all sorted for DS1 and then along comes DS2.

It does get easier in terms of routine - I agree stick with no 1's routine & deal with no. 1's demands first - eg in the morning I'd get DS1's drink first to keep him quiet while I breast fed DS2. If Ds1 would then demand more I'd said it's DS2's turn - he would have to wait- which he accepted and Ds 2 seemed to accept he would be dealt with second as well.

All the best and agree do try to get out - it does help prevent you climbing up walls.

DS1 now 3yo was on a GF routine from fairly early on (though not fanatically), and he still is. DS2 now 7mo is GF as well but didn't really settle into it till closer to 4mo. It works wonders for me and 2nd time around I am a bit more relaxed but I still like to know where we are up to. I can sympathise with your DH not being home as my DH was working in Madrid while we were living in Germany and I really struggled to keep it together spending so much time on my own. Looking back I should have taken up the many offers of help I had and gotten out of the house more. HTH Sim

Mine are 26mo apart, so a bit different to yours, but this is what I did when dd2 was tiny. (She was bf on demand BTW)

Up aruond 6.30-7.
Dd1 milk, dd2 bf. Changed and dressed dd2.
dd1 breakfast about 8.
Dd2 back to bed about 9.
Dressed dd1 and myself if not had chance so far.Time with dd1 (story etc).
DD2 woke about 9.45, feed, changed.
TRied to do something then..walk to shop, visit Nanny, etc. To keep ME sane, not them!
12ish, feed and change dd2 then sleep. DD1 lunch, then her sleep. And MIne!
After sleeps, feed dd2 snack dd1. Took them for a walk in pushcahir if possible.
Feed dd2 about 5ish, then tea for dd1 at 6.
bathed them at same time (stuck dd1 in big bath then dd2 in baby bath on floor beside until she was about 5mo, then bathed them together)
Milk for both, dd1 to bed at 7ish.
DD2 stayed downstairs in Moses until I went up cos she was snacker in the evenings.

dd2 was a very placid baby - that helped a lot!!

HTH. Its a matter of finding someting that suits all of you - trial amd error I think.