What does a typical day with a toddler and a baby look like?

[Itsagirllllll]

How does it tend to work? Do you still manage to get out and about or do you stay at home more? Do you still manage to do some activities/playtime together with your toddler? Is it always hectic or does it get easier? Who do you go to if they are both crying? Do you have any general tips for a mum who has just had her second baby? Thanks in advance!

Another couple of questions. Routines - does a strict routine help? Or is it better to stay flexible? How on earth do u get them out of the house?

Mine are now 3 and 1, but we tended to stick to the older one's routine. Playgroup, meet with friends, playground, walk etc in the morning, home for lunch, nap for youngest one after lunch. DS2 just fitted in to be honest. When he was really young he would just fall asleep at the playgroup or in the pram. A bit older, he would have his first nap on the way to morning activity - we used to walk so it would take about half an hour. He sometimes continued to sleep when we got there too. A bit older again, and we would come home for 11am to have a quick snack and nap at 11.30am. He did drop to just one nap a lot earlier that DS1 did because it worked for us as a family.

Tips - go easy on yourself. Use the telly when you need to. Shower if you can before your partner goes to work. Think about dinners that can be prepared at nap time and then bunged into the oven later. Think about toilet training the older one before the little one can crawl!

So I have at 2.3yo and 5mo. 2yo is still in nursery whixh has helped him keep a bit if normality and gives me time with the baby. I find getting out and about at least once a day is best fir me as it breaks thinks up and keeps the toddler occupied. Baby will just sleep in his pram after normally. Park, farm, some groups and soft plays are all good options.

When at home, the baby sleeps quite well during the day so the toddler and I can bake, paint, use play doh etc. But these activities can only last so long so something out of the house helps to burn a but more energy.

It is quite hectic but you just need to relax if you can, remember that being 'good enough' is all you need and make sure they both have lots of cuddles and love. Housework can wait.

When they're both crying I either deal with the one who's most upset or the one who is quicker to sort out. Cbeebies is great for 20 minutes when you need to get yourself or baby dressed.

And if the toddler is still napping, try to coordinate baby's nap so that you have a few peaceful hours to yourself.

I have a just gone gone two year old and a six month old. It's been much easier than expected. We have a rough routine in terms of when we eat and bed time but everything else is flexible. I haven't signed up to any expensive classes but know all of the local playgroups so we can pop in one in the morning or the afternoon, depending on how the day is going. I find being out is much easier than staying in. I manage to play with the toddler while baby snoozes on my lap!

Thanks everyone! This is making me feel that there is hope and we will get some sort of structure/life back in a few weeks. A little walk/trip to the park/playgroup each day is enough to make me feel sane!

I have a 6yo, 2.5yo and just 1y0.

It takes me so long to get all three out the house in the morning to take 6yo to school that I refuse to just go home afterwards. I haven't gone through two hours of stress just to do a five minute school run!

I'll stay out for 2 hours in the morning, by this time they're hungry so home and lunch.

Hopefully they both want a nap at the same time if not just the baby goes down and I'll but the tv on for toddler, she'll lay on the sofa with a blanket.

Then I have to prepare for the next school pickup which takes time, so nappies change, snacks clean clothes usually then off I go to do the 3.30 pickup.

Once I've done the last school run I never go out, I don't mind if it's sunny but in this cold weather and this time in the afternoon I'm tired!

3.45/4.00 I get all the toys out and they just all play with each other, while I make dinner hide in the kitchen with my 10th coffee, and wait for there dad to get home from work.

If it's a rainy day instead of going for a walk or shopping for two hours I'll go to my mums or a friend. I hate the rain. I hate winter can you tell?

I'm not that strict on routine because everyday is different t they could be more tired and want an early nap or more hungry and I'll lay a blanket down on the floor and do a huge picnic.

I have DD 23 months and DS 10 weeks. It's non-stop but it hasn't been as overwhelming as I expected.

We stick to DD's routine at the moment so out in the mornings (playgroups or class) then home for lunch and nap. I take DS upstairs and we have a nap then too! Then we have a quiet afternoon but always get out of the house (park, shop, bike or scooter for DD).

I think it's going to get harder once DS is in more of a pattern for naps. At the moment he just sleeps on the go.

DD is also in nursery for 2 days which does take the pressure off. Because of that, I have a 6 week meal planner and have worked it so I cook at the weekend and on nursery days but use food from the freezer on the other 3 days.

And I'd definitely recommend potty training if your older one is 2. I've just done DD (age refused nappies, DS was 6 weeks ) but it's actually so much easier than 2 lots of nappies!

Good luck!

I have a 23m age gap. Our days run like this which is actually pretty similar to before DD was born. They are 2.9 and 10mo now. Keep routines flexible especially for the baby as they will just start to slot into toddlers day. A good sling is your best friend.

Breakfast
Dressed
Out to toddler group/rhyme time/shops/park/play date/beach/woods/walk/whatever you like really
Home for lunch
Toddler nap and hopefully baby napping
Spend afternoon at home playing/chores/pottering
Dinner
Bath
Bed

Do you manage to eat your evening meal as a family? DH gets home quite late (6:30 on average) so I'm wondering if we can realistically all eat together. I struggle to get the food ready on my own so often he gets back and looks after DC so I can finish cooking so then it's 7pm before we eat. I'm wondering if I should be trying to get DC ready for bed before DH gets home so bath, pjs on, dinner together with DH, bedtime. It'd be a bit of an odd bedtime routine for the DC though

I only have one(expecting another so watching with interest) but we've never eaten as a family in the evening except at the weekends: I feed and do bath and bedtime for DS, and often eat with him, and then leave something for husband to heat up when he gets in.

It works for us, one factor is that husband gets home at very variable times so it's not like if we eat at x time he will definitely be back.

Also, I have to get DS up at 6.10am on work days so he has to be in bed on time otherwise he just wouldn't get enough sleep. I can't keep him up until husband gets home or he would get even more overtired and grumpy than he already does! Not planning to change this when baby arrives, though I may more often be giving DS something simple for his dinner and eating after he's in bed.

I do dinner for me and DD at half past 5 and plate DH's up for when he comes home (normally about half 6).

I never cook from scratch in the evening though. It's either something I've cooked earlier in the day (if it's a nursery day for DD) or it's something that I've batch cooked and frozen so it just needs to be heated up and I can put on a pan of rice/veg/pasta whilst it's heating up. DD gets her half hour of tv and DS sits in his bouncy chair whilst I'm getting it ready.

You will make it work somehow, I used to give the older one a bottle before I breast fed the youngest so they both got fed at the same time, got out of the house to friends as often as possible, get the older one to do little jobs so they feel involved and important. It is really hard work but really, really rewarding.

I moved dinner forward to 5pm. DS1 dropped his nap early (sob!) at just over 2 yrs old. DH also gets in at 6.30pm and for a while we had dinner with him, but when he dropped his nap, it was way too late for DS1. I prepare everything in DS2's lunch time nap, usually with DS1 'helping' and just shove things in the oven as needed. We eat a lot of fish pie, lasagne kind of stuff. I also have a baby gate across the kitchen door so I can shut them out if needed. 4-5pm is my least favorite hour as I have grumpy hungry kids arguing outside the kitchen for at least some of it!

I tend to eat with DCs at around 5-5.30 depending on whether toddler has napped or not. I leave DH's on the side to heat up when he gets in. Not ideal but it works for us and we make a special effort to all sit round a table for every meal at the weekend.

My kids eat at about 5 and I eat with dh either at about 6.30 or after the kids are in bed.
We try and eat as a family at weekends but during the week it's impossible. I rarely actually cook during the week though, mostly heat stuff up!

6.30 isn't late. Mine are a bit older now. But when DC2 was a baby they all had dinner at 6.30 and bath at 7, once she passed the no routine stage. Your oldest isn't at school yet so there is no reason sleep can't start at 7 and morning start later is there. I found it easier to do just one dinner for everyone. It's dinner if the other parent doesn't come home till 8 or 9pm.