Advice please. 2 under 2 soon!

[KeepOnPloddingOn]

I am mostly excited; this was planned ! However, I occasionally do wobble and panic! if dd being a nightmare

I would move to hear from others who have gone through this mayhem and ask for any advice ?

(There will be 20 months between them.)

Thanks in advance :)

You will be fine.

I had a 2 yr gap between dc1 and dc2 and then dc3 turned up a year later. So 3 under 3. My top tips would be:

Minimise the amount you go up and down stairs eg we have always all got dressed and then gone downstairs for breakfast. I keep toothbrushes downstairs so we don't have to go back up. Also keep a stash of nappy changing stuff downstairs.

Get a decent double pushchair. P&T worked well for me but I think there are more options now.

Sling.

Have a stash of things you can do with dc1 with one hand while feeding the baby. Jigsaws, books to look at etc. It makes feed times a nice snuggly thing for you all. A bit of TV won't hurt either.

Take the baby to bed with you when the big one naps. With a bit of luck the baby will get the idea and they will nap at the same time (mine needed naps until quite old thank goodness) - result!

I found that once I had got my head around the fact that dc2 was going to have to cry a bit sometimes, it was really a lot easier than I anticipated. Don't forget you already know what you're doing this time around. I also found that working around dc1's activities was helpful.

shoe I have heard that dc2 I often left to cry a little more , given the circumstances. I guess its something I will have to get my head around too :)

miaow the basket idea is wonderful. And awwww how lovely! What little darlings, thanks for sharin such a cute photo :) you can see they are like two little peas in a pod!

np =) Good luck, you will be fine :D

just short of 21 months between my two. I actually found the first 6-12 months a lot harder than being pregnant with a toddler and it got worse before it got better for several reasons but I learnt a lot (and that's why we've planned a bigger gap with number 3)...so tips are

*get everything you need for the next day ready the night before -clothes, nappies, breakfast laid out, bag packed and ready to go out
*go out as much or as little as you need - Internet shopping (and meal planning) is great if you can't get out much, but I found my two easier to cope with out of the house so we went to every toddler group going those first few months

• pack (or get OH) to pack snacks and a packed lunch so you haven't got to worry about food during the day *breathe. ..If a DC does a massive poo or needs a feed as you're going out of the door you can cancel or be late. ..people will understand
• I've read on here lots that people have a special box of toys for DC1 that only comes out when they're feeding DC2, didn't work for me but I'm mentioning it in case it works for you *try and synchronise nappy changes where possible (and DC2 can go 8-12 hours overnight without a change...I always forgot this) and naps IF possible. my two still nap together at 3.4 and 19 months and it is a GODSEND!!

I'll come back if I think of more. ..but most of all be kind to yourself, let the little things go and enjoy it!

Oh yes definitely get a city select if you can. We have one and it's amazing; so many combinations and it can be a single or double and so easy to push, it's fab

I am back with more positives

DS didn't get the hang of potty training until he was just over three, so DD was around 16 months, I am convinced that is why DD was out of nappies during the day at 21 months as she had spent so long accompanying DS and I to the toilet so she knew what was going on and just followed his lead
Also, along the same vein, she was a lot more advanced on those kind of things as she just copied her big brother, things like drinking from a cup, using cutlery, sitting on a chair rather than in a highchair, etc

Thankyou for the positive vibes! :) I am writing all these down :)

nice I am thinking of gettig the city jogger instead as I am afraid the select will be too heavy to bump up curbs etc? Dd is very big.

nice --asks tentatively* why are you going for a bigger gap next time? Gulp! Is it thaaat hard, haha?

My two are huge! I'm just getting to the point now of swapping them over so heaviest is at the top as finding it a struggle now. I put my foot on the bar at the bottom to bump up curbs and only ever have a bit of a problem if the basket is extended and I can't quite get my foot in first time. but it's a very personal thing

bigger gap because yes I found it very hard, but I had anxiety and C-PTSD and found the stress of it all too much so I'm pretty sure that's quite unusual! but also I get terrible morning sickness and knew I couldn't handle two toddlers so wanted to wait until DS was at nursery.

I'm pregnant now and it's not a much bigger gap, when DC3 arrives there will be 26 months between him/her and DD (and I've really enjoyed the extra few months this time) - I was right to wait though, the MS was horrendous 24/7 this time, and it's no fun having your head slammed with a toilet lid while you throw up I can tell you

nice oh goodness you have been through the ringer! Hope the morning sickness has eased now? You poor thing!

20 month gap here to. Loads of great advice given. At age 4 1/2 and 2.5 it's amazing and I would never swop it. My DD and DS are partners in crime. It's a special bond that comes with close ages

Another 22m gap here. (Also have a nearly 5 year old dd - 2.11 between her and ds 1)

It's fine. You'll be fine. Ds is 7 weeks and we've had a few stressful things happen too - 2 grandparents dying and dh having some big problems at work, I thought we wouldn't be able to cope without that going on aswell. But it's been ok.

A routine is good, I stick religiously to nap time and we try and get out somewhere each morning. Ds has been a bit more tearful than usual, and also found it very difficult when dh went back to work. He used to cry for 10 mins + every morning. :( but once we get going its fine.

I find it helpful to get kids breakfast and then feed ds2 so he will sleep while I get everyone dressed and ready and prepared for the day. Sometimes I even get tidied up too!

Try and save tv time for the end of the day when everyone is tired, then you can put it on guilt free!

Lower your standards, don't be too hard on yourself when you react the wrong way or something goes pear shaped. :)

19 months between my DD and DS.

I tried the sling but DS didn't like it. We used the double pram Britax B Dual and I have found it excellent, sturdy, not too heavy, with lots of useful seat combinations (infant carrier up, normal seat down, normal seat up, facing different ways, reclines etc.) .

I didn't do much cooking initially, food was always something basic like salmon in the oven with some sweet chilli sauce (you literally just pour over, put it in, take it out 20 mins later), Uncle Ben's Express rice (2 mins in the microwave) there are lots of different types including wholegrain if you're health conscious, and steamed mixed vegetables - takes 5 mins on the hob. We ate various variations of this for the first 6 months (different fish or chicken, basically).

I used to bath them together - I used the routine from a book called 'The Second Baby Survival Guide' by Naia Edwards, it was very helpful.

I didn't have a strict schedule, in fact some flexibility helped as I was not getting stressed over not meeting the day's milestones like being dressed before 10am

I used CBeebies, toys and books to help me entertain my toddler during the endless hours of breastfeeding. The main problem was tiredness, I was shattered during the night feeds and would also get a major crisis around 3-4pm (was somehow always feeding time too), so I used to read Mumsnet on my mobile to keep me awake (while chatting to my toddler to keep her feeling involved). For me, it WAS the only way to not drop off as I was simply overcome by sleepiness.

Now they are 20 months (DS) and 3 (DD) they are very close, very attached to each other. It was the best thing we ever did and I hope you will feel the same way OP :-))

I had three under three, I got into a routine after each baby was about twelve weeks so that they'd have a nap at the same time, which was a lifesaver. I also stopped bothering with different sized nappies fairly quickly, but I do have large babies.

It's a lot easier going out/activities because they're at a similar stage.

I had two in one minute. It is hard but I know it won't last forever. My sister has 12 months between hers, she is alive just

Thanks neversleepagain!

Thank you everyone else! Spicy salmon sounds amazing :)

So routine routine routine!