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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

2.2 mo & newborn... questions.

10 replies

MrsRV · 15/12/2013 20:06

ok, DD will be 2.2 yrs when baby no 2 is born. So, our plan is to use DD's 2nd birthday as an excuse to turf her out if the nursery & put her into her "big girls room". Don't want to leave it until after Baby is born as I don't want her to make the association. However, I'm not sure whether to keep DD in her cot (which is a cotbed) and buy just a cheapy cot only for bab 2? or put DD into bed & put bab into DD's cot?

second question, I need a double buggy don't I?

third, what happens at bath time? stick tgem in together... but I remember DD requiring a bottle immediately after bathtime.... DD will need attending too?

I appreciate I am totally ridiculous.

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noblegiraffe · 15/12/2013 20:09

I put my DS in a bed at 2 and it worked really well.

When my baby was newborn, we bathed them separately, usually bathed the baby in the day, in the sink or baby bath. Since she began sitting up confidently on her own they have been bathed together. They love it!

noblegiraffe · 15/12/2013 20:11

Also, you don't necessarily need a double buggy right away, you can have the baby in the sling. This leaves your hands free too if you want to walk anywhere with the older one.

ChristmasJumperWearer · 15/12/2013 20:13

My DC2 was in a bed from before 2yo, FWIW.

Don't start on the "big girl" stuff too early in your pregnancy, as you risk a backlash. We found that it only clicked with DD about being the big sister (3yo) once DC2 was actually here. Then she willingly handed over all kinds of toys and books.

missorinoco · 15/12/2013 20:15

Do you have a moses basket? That eill cover the first two months. We went for the cheapy cot option, as DC1 was still in the cot part of the cotbed and the containment was good for the mornings. He would play happily in there in the morning.

I got a double buggy with a similar gap, but you may not need one. Depends on your DC1. A buggy board is an option.

We bathed together mostly, but the newborn was usually after after about a minute, and I would then feed the newborn whilst DC1 was in the bath. I fed on the carpet by the open bathroom door. You can bathe separately. Peppa Pig is your ally, however irritating she is.

DimLight · 15/12/2013 20:18

I had 5 more months age gap so might be too different but...
Moved DD into bed & it was fine.
Didn't have a double buggy but a buggy board & a big shopping basket bit that my DD managed to sit in!
Bath times together, older one carried on playing whilst I sorted the baby out. Baby only went in for few mins.
But don't worry, you will find your own routines. My major panic was bedtime on my own, but I just kept adapting the routine as the baby changed & it all worked out in the end.
Good luck!

DottiestDoris · 15/12/2013 20:20

I have 2dc with this age gap, with ds2 only 8 weeks old.
We have kept ds1 in cotbed and have a cheap cot for when ds2 needs it in a few weeks, but we have no choice. There is no room for a proper bed if we want to keep a spare room for visitors. So they will be in a room together. Foolish? Maybe! Time will tell.
Double buggy completely unnecessary. Sling or babybjorn to keep hands free, get the dc1 walking, or buggy boards are great-we've just invested and they're great and a helluva lot cheaper than a double buggy! Not to mention easier to drive.
We bath the two dc together. I bf dc2 while reading dc1 a story. I believe you have to as imo bath, feed bed is SO important for a baby. And seems to be working too as dc2 is sleeping through already feeling smug ( but probably more luck than judgement)

addictedtosugar · 15/12/2013 20:22

We have a 2 yr age gap.
DS1 climbed out of the cot about 3 weeks before his baby brother arrived... But by that point we had 2 cot beds. At 4.5 and 2.5, we are just contemplating getting a single for DS1. DS2 climbed out of his cot at 18 mths....

We had a double, and I wouldn't have been without it. DS2 spent a great deal of time in the sling, but I tended to walk them both to the groups in the pushchair, and then put DS2 in the sling for the hour-2, then back in the pushchair to go home. I guess it depends on how much walking you do as to how essential it was. I did a fair amount of walking.

Bath: when very tiny, strip baby, in bath while encouraging DS1 to start undressing. baby out wrapped in towel, finish undressing toddler, then toddler into bath. Sit on bathroom floor feeding baby if required (tho he would normally wait til I was reading a story), baby in bouncy chair in bathroom door while getting toddler into PJs. Into toddlers bed, where I read a story and fed baby (bf, could do one handed once latched on. Is that possible with bottles?).

Just don't start potty training when baby is too small. You can guarantee just as you sit down to feed baby, toddler will have an accident!

Congrats!

DeathMetalMum · 15/12/2013 20:28

We had two cots dd1 was 2.1 and had'nt even thought about climbing out of it so we had both in cots til arund 6 months. We probably didn't get that much usage out of the second cot but I wouldn't have wanted to move dd1 into a bed before dd2 came so we just got a second hamd cot for a while.

We had a double which was essential for me but only used for 6 months. I would have kept it longer but we didn't really have any storage space and was a pita to use on the bus easy to get on but no way of having a space during busy periods. We now have buggy board and dd walking but there was no way I could have done that at the beginning. I think it depends if you drive. I don't so needed the peace of mind both were safe as I went down the road.

Baths are not part of our bedtime routine so we only do baths when me and dp are around much easier - dd2 in first, share for a bit dd2 out and pjs and milk while dd1 gets longer for splashing etc. (With some crying in between from someone).

matilda101 · 15/12/2013 20:31

I have 18 months between my two and the first couple of bath sessions were a complete disaster but what works now (I only bath them twice a week due to dd1's eczema) is that I take then both upstairs and start to run the bath, toddler runs about upstairs, baby has a kick about on the floor) get everything together, towels, nappies and clothes etc for the two of them. Dd1 gets undressed and put in bath, dd2 then gets held in bath and I wash her quickly, get dd2 out, dried and dressed as quickly as possible, repeat with dd1. Go back downstairs, feed dd2 while dd1 has a cup of milk and watches tv. Finish feeding dd2, take her upstairs and put her in her cot (I am lucky that she self settles, has done from around 3/4 weeks!)(dd1 was awful at getting to sleep!), go back downstairs, get dd1, brush teeth, read story in cot, leave he'd to go to sleep.

With regards to the cot, I've ended up buying one for dd2 off eBay as I'm not quite ready for dd1 to go into a bed yet but she slept in a crib for the first couple of months so if you're ready for your eldest to go into a bed go for it otherwise just wait, you can see how things work out.

As others have said, you will get away with a sling the first few months, I loved mine, or the toddler can go on reins and the baby can go in the pram; however, I did buy a second hand double buggy which has been a godsend, more for containing dd1 than anything, she's pretty good on reins but there are times I need her in the buggy!

It's hard work and there will be a lot of tears (from all of you!) the first few weeks but it does get a lot easier when you get used to having two!

exhaustedandannoyed · 16/12/2013 10:16

Mine are 2.1 years apart. We had the same dilemma about cots and bought a cheapy cot for dd2 and set up a big girl room for dd1 with her toys and books in there and a proper bed. We thought she would continue to sleep in the cot in the baby room and baby would be in our room. She started to play in her big girl room more and more and then started to want to sleep in the bed instead of her cot. She basically led the way and is now (8 weeks in) sleeping in there every night.

We didn't get a double buggy, just put toddler in buggy and baby in sling and will probably increasingly just have toddler walk and baby in pram in the coming weeks (though we have to drive everywhere mostly).

I don't bath the baby very often, just give her a sponge down usually at some point in the day but dh is around anyway in the evening. If I had them both on my own I would prob just put toddler in the bath and have baby in the bouncy chair for that time. You could always time it so you feed the baby at story time or something?

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