When baby comes along, with a 4 yr old. Routine question.

[VickityBoo]

I'm due baby 2 in September. Currently my routine is rather easy I suppose.

Wake dd at 7:30, get her washed, dressed, hair tidied, then brekkie/tv and leave for playgroup.

When baby comes the eldest will still have the same routine so would I be looking at waking baby for milk/wash etc at 6:30, then get dd up? I am a 'never wake a sleeping baby' person but if not, how on earth does it all work out?

I'd hate to take baby straight from sleep to the car then have him/her scream in the car for milk! It's a 45 min trip in total.

Also what about the eldest getting to groups? I'd again have to wake baby to get into the car seat etc.

I'm over thinking but want to be prepared!

but when I took my 4 to pre school used to make sure baby had a feed just before we left -is it 45 mins on way or there and back ?
you do end up waking them more than you might with a first one but I found that meant they got in to a routine more easily - re - groups baby just came along - he liked being out and about

It's roughly 45 mins, not all car time. That's getting there, dropping off, chatting then getting home again. Seems to take around that long. Unfortunately I don't live close to anything so I can't make things easier by changing to a closer playgroup, not that I'd do that anyway hers is lovely.

Just after views really. I hope to be better in myself this time. I was happy and healthy with dd as a newborn but couldn't get my act together to leave the house before 3pm. Even then it would only maybe happen once a week at first.

I think that's why I'm already questioning things now. Getting a little head start in the mindset.

oh I wondered - that makes sense - my DH did the preschool run for the first couple of weeks - then I did a couple a week -I was worried about it at first I do think in general as you have to do it you can do it

You'll find your feet and will be surprised how it happens without you even realising. If the baby wakes for a feed at 6am, you could keep it awake till you're ready for the car seat, or put it back down in the car seat. If baby has been up at 5ish then you can probably lift straight in to car seat when you are ready to go, s/he will prob fall straight back to sleep. If baby hasn't woken by 7am then just get your dd ready half an hour early (she'll never know, plus will need to go to bed earlier in the eve) and you would then have time at, say 8am to quickly feed baby. I used to feed dd while ds ate breakfast- he was such a slow eater which was very useful! TV might be handy too, though not ideal, I find everything has a place!
You do NOT have to get baby washed before you go out, or dressed! Dd was 3m when ds started nursery, 25 min journey each direction. Numerous times dd would be in her sleepsuit, or I would end up feeding her when we got there.
I was a bit like you- had to set the alarm to get to a playgroup with ds, we were (are) such lazy lumps. But now I'm (pretending to be) super organised- get everything ready the night before.

I really do think you'll be surprised how it just "happens", well I hope it does anyway, as it did for me.
HTH

Agree that a routine will just naturally develop over time and yes, you may find yourself waking baby no2 up more than you did baby no1 because you often need to be somewhere at a certain time.

Also, you don't need to wash and dress the baby - just take them out in their babygro and dress him once you get back home again. DS1 was still in nursery 4 days a week when DS2 was born and I used to walk there and back at 8am each morning - DS2 got bundled into one of those big fluffy snowsuit-type things (it was December!) and shoved in sling every morning! Once summer came, he just went in the sling as he was in his babygro

What is this "wash" of which you speak?

Buy a warm fleece oversuit with a zip up the front. This will be your friend. It can go over whatever the baby happens to be wearing. Remember that you can always sit in the car and feed the baby after you've dropped you'd dd off.

Oh, and playgroup is not compulsory! If nobody fancies going, don't go.

With my first- lucky to be out of the house for 3. Second one, had to get dd to school for 8.45. It happened. Probably with my hair unbrushed and dd in odd socks, but we made it!

I'm mystified too at concept of washing a baby at daybreak. Won't an evening bath do nicely? Their wee faces get wiped after brekkie surely?

Thank you! When I say wash I do mean face flannel and clean hands/bum!

Oh did you mean dd? Yes she gets a wash in the mornings, by the sink. Sometimes a shower (she still sometimes wets the bed).

It will just happen. If baby goes everywhere in her/his jammies for the first few months it is just fine.

When your dd is having brekkie just top up your little one with some milk. That was my mantra for the first few months, just before we went anywhere I would offer DD2 a bf to ensure we at least didn't have a screaming car journey because she was hungry.

You won't really know until the baby gets here.

When d2 was tiny I had 1 at preschool and 1 at school. So, I would get dd2 up at 6.30 feed her, change her nappy and maybe change clothes. I'd get showered and dressed, then get ds and dd1 up (about 7.30 by now), washed, dressed and breakfasted. Think I had time for another quick feed before the school run, then would be back home in time for the next. Or I would do the next at ds playgroup on the days he went.

I would be super-organised the night before and lay out clothes, do lunch boxes and make sure dc's were bathed. In fact, I still do this 5 years later!

I had no problem waking a sleeping baby if we had to go out. Dd2 fitted in the others routine. Most times she would sleep while we were out.