Two under one year?! Help!!

[frazzledmom79]

Due my second baby 2 weeks before my first turns 1 :-O - any practical tips on how to cope, especially first thing in the morning, meal times/ feeding, naps & bedtime? Baby 1 is great, good sleeper and I'm intending on sleep training Baby 2 early on.............

I've got an 11 month age gap. Big things that helped me were....

1. always having the changing bag stocked up so that you're not racing around doing it.

1. Batch cook a few meals for your eldest - I use little pots and have spag Bol, cheese sauce, pasta sauce, shepherds pie etc all frozen ready to be defrosted. If you get a chance batch cook for you too.

1. Use a sling.

1. Sort out anything with your eldest now which you don't want happening after baby is born or as baby gets a bit older. For me, I got my DD really good at self-feeding so she could get on without me when I didn't have enough hands.

That's all for now but I know others will come forward with great suggestions! I really tried to be supermum for ages but have lowered my standards where necessary as it's the only way. Don't put pressure on yourself to do more than get through the day with everyone fed, clothed and happy.

Just enjoy and go with the flow. Don't stress over routines, meal times, bedtimes too much. Allow a couple of hours either side of your normal routine for these things. Growth spurts may result in children being hungry all the time for a week or so then refusing food the following week.

Also, I sat my 1yr old down with a snack and cbeebies everytime the baby wanted a feed. He wasn't left out that way.

Oh and allow half an hour extra on to the time you think it will take you to get ready to leave the house!

Wonderful, lots of practical advice there, thank you!! Just need to try and calm myself down before baby 2 arrives! Panic has well and truly set in!!