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Newborn and 2 year old-please share your coping tips

6 replies

BaldHedgehog · 08/07/2014 23:00

We were blessed with arrival of DS2 last week.DS1 is besotted with "the baby",comes to cuddle him when I bf and strokes him.So far so good.I must say that it's more than I expected as he was going bonkers at me attempting to pick up my friend's DS.

DS1 wants the attention.He gets as much as I can give but I'm a bit restricted when he wants me to keep him the company playing when I'm bf DS2.He's also getting lots of attention from DH as he's on the paternity leave at the moment.

DH is back to work next week and I'm cringing about how the hell I'm going to handle them both at the same time.What can I do with DS1 so he doesn't feel pushed away by me or his wee brother?I don't want to leave him to his own devices aka tv all the time.

Have you got any tips?If so please share them,not only how to handle DS1 but what activities can I do with him/show him.

I have already said to DH that the house will be messy and cooking sloppy,I don't care.I just want to keep the boys happy and find the balance between them.

Please help.

Thank you :)

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Rumandcokeplease · 08/07/2014 23:08

There are 18 months between my two, my youngest is now 11 months old so the newborn days are a long and distant memory (thank god!!). I spent a lot of time going to local parks, having picnics, going for walks etc. you're lucky as the weather's nice so you can spend some time outdoors. I also made sure I went to playgroups of some description as often as I could to stop myself from going crazy.
I can't really remember what else I did, the baby slept a lot for three months so I had a lot of time to spend with dd1 and by the time dd2 wanted more attention dd1 was well and truly used to her being there!
You could do some painting/messy play outside? Or colouring/sticker books?
It's really hard work to start off with but looking back now it doesn't seem like any time at all, there were days when we all cried at some point but you just have to move on and hope the next day will be easier!

Diryan · 09/07/2014 06:49

Mine are 2.8 years & 12 weeks, so just getting out of the newborn phase. It's been really tough! My tips would be to get help from wherever you can - parents, inlaws, friends. Don't be proud, if someone offers to help, say yes! I've also found a Moby sling to be really useful as can carry baby in it whilst playing with toddler.

HalleLouja · 09/07/2014 06:56

I put baby in a sling and spent time with ds. Cbeebies was my friend. Especially during feeding. Though mine was 3 when dc2 was born.

I think we did puzzles together and went to parks. Is there a friend who you can go out with who can help if needed. I had a friend who encouraged me to be more adventurous and helped out if needed. Well we helped each other

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WeGotThere · 09/07/2014 22:59

I posted a very similar post a while ago. I was panicking about my first day alone with my 2yr old daughter and new son. They are now 2.4 and 3 months and already it is loads easier. In fact she's great at entertaining him and helping out.
I make sure changing bag is fully stocked ready to go at a moments notice and get out every morning. We often just go to park, library, soft play as I can easily feed him if needed while she plays. We have also gone from an average of 30 mins TV a day pre-baby to a full Disney film(usually Tangled) at least once a day. She also likes bf her doll and reading doll and little bro stories. Food is also a good distraction I.e. "No DS you are too little to have strawberries for your snack, they are for DD". She grins and says "you can have boobie, I'm having strawberries"
When he does sleep I go full throttle on fun activities baking, painting etc... She still has a nap so am lucky enough to get 45 mins to recharge after lunch.

It's not easy and very tiring but good.

blushingmare · 09/07/2014 23:32

Congratulations! My DD is just 2 and DS is 9 weeks, so similar gap to you. It's hard at times, I won't lie to you, but it is survivable and even at times enjoyable. My main coping tips are:

  • try to get up and get yourself showered before one or both of them wake up or you'll never do it! This won't last for long, but saved my sanity for the first few weeks
  • get out every morning - playgroups, park, shopping, library, just taking the toddler "for coffee". The baby is more likely to sleep on the move and the toddler will be occupied
  • give toddler their main cooked meal at lunchtime (with any luck baby will still be asleep after car trip back from your morning's outing) and then just a very quick to prepare sandwich or something in the evening when your baby's more likely to be unsettled and cluster feeding
  • use a stretchy wrap sling at every opportunity. This has been a particular godsend for me in the evenings - I've had him in it to do DD's bedtime and make dinner and it's meant I can actually get stuff done and also settles the evening fussiness
  • things to do whilst feeding - books, play dough, drawing, TV, playing with my phone, chatting, singing, tea parties, eating a snack. And actually, you know, in the past week or so she's actually started properly playing on her own - I mean like proper little role plays and stuff with her teddies! So heartwarming to watch and I think something she's learnt from having to be a bit more independent and imaginative since DS has come along.
  • get the toddler to help as much as possible - fetching nappies, putting things in the bin/washing basket, choosing baby's clothes
  • do their bath together as soon as you feel able. It keeps them both quiet and amused together for a bit and breaks up the cluster feeding
  • if you have friends and family who are prepared to help, take them up on their offers as much as possible!
  • people thought I was mad, but I had loads of visitors - daytime ones and people to stay, just because it was so much better to have an extra pair of hands and a bit of company (obviously you need visitors that don't mind the chaos and will pull their weight though!)
  • just keep remembering that this really is a short time that it's going to be like this. You will survive it and even get semi-competent at some of it and the rest you'll just muddle through!
  • bedtime with two - I'm not sure - this is the new thing I'm facing now that DS is going down in the evenings. Ask me again in two weeks and hopefully I'll be a bit better at it by then!

Good luck and try to enjoy some of it. These are precious moments that you never get back, even though they're tough it times Smile

Misty9 · 10/07/2014 07:02

I think my top tip would be, lower your expectations! I've got ds, 2.10, and his 12 week old sister. It feels like we're just coming out of basic survival mode, but we survived!

In my experience, a lot depends on what sort of baby you have. Mine won't sleep anywhere except on someone, so a sling has been vital. She's a big baby though so our stretchy wrap only suited for the first weeks and I've now hired a soft structured wrap from my local sling library. Def worth checking out.

As for how to occupy the toddler, unfortunately the telly holds ds attention for about 2 minutes, so things like reading, playing with train stuff, and generally pottering seem to work. Out and about is a bit more challenging and I've had to leave ds strapped into the buggy whilst feeding before. He wasn't impressed, but he was safe.

Get a cleaner if you can afford it, get someone to batch cook for you, or get ready meals for a while. Marks do great toddler ready meals I've found :) take any offers of help, you're still recovering from the birth and need to rest, even if you don't feel you do!

In our family dh has basically taken over the majority of toddler care while I'm doing all night feeds etc. He does the 6am stint and does bedtime, but we're lucky in that he works from home.

Finally, in a couple of weeks, try to get out the. House at least once a day. Going to other people houses in similar situations is a life saver and much easier than traipsing into town or whatever. And get a double buggy even though I'm usually found pushing it whilst wearing the baby! as they're invaluable for toddler dumping!

Congratulations :) even at 12 weeks her brother is already trying to involve her in his play, and it's heart meltingly sweet to watch and almost makes up for all the tantrums

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