All of you hands with more than one dc - what do I need to think about/do/organise etc etc before I find myself a mother of two in 6 weeks time and give me your tips on life with two dcs.

[MrsFogi]

When dd1 arrived it was like a car-crash I was woefully unprepared for life with a baby (somehow I thought my life would remain as organised as it was and that I'd get so much done on maternity leave, needlesstosay I got a big shock). Anyway no regrets and 19 months down the line I'm awaiting the arrival of dd2 but this time my eyes are wide open to the fact that babies don't just fit into life. So, what do I need to sort out in my couple of weeks of maternity leave prior to the arrival and what do I need to know about having two babies rather than one?
Also, I'm having a c.s. so any tips on how to deal with recovering from a c.s. whilst looking after a toddler?

Online grocery shopping. Set it up now if you don't already do it.
Don't be afraid to use cbeebies whilst feeding.
Make sure your house is toddler proof,, for the times you are tied up feeding - i had a gate across the kitchen, for example.
If your DH has a packed lunch, ask him to make you one as well.
Sort yourself out first - whether its getting dressed, going to the loo, making a drink - then you won't be uncomfortable/resentful whilst dealing with the children.
Make time for the older one's normal bedtime routine. Bath both together.
Forget about housework; buy a big basket to chuck the toys in at the end of the day.
Don't have visitors for the first few days.
Don't go out unless you want to.
Good luck (mine are close together and i have to say i have no idea how we managed but we survived!)

15mths between mine. DD was too young to be jealous....that started when she hit two! It was hard BUT I was expecting it to be much worse. Became a breeze once DS was mobile (8 or so months)

harrisey, the feeding box idea is a brilliant one. well done! My ds2 is already 6 months old, wish I had known that one.

I was seriously scared about his arrival but I now see I needn't have worried so much. Lots of good tips here, only things I might add are to spend a bit of special time with your elder child now, like having baths and going for walks together, because you will want to remember that time together.

Also, make sure older child brings baby home from hospital -- let dd1 help you carry carseat into house, etc... to help her realise that baby is stating here now.

Lastly, my ds1 would hit our ds2 when feeding. the only way we could stop this was to lavish even more attention on ds2 and ignore ds1 completely, which was totally counter-intuitive, since our normal reaction was to freak out at him completely. turned out he wanted the attention, so when we stopped, he ceased hitting.

Good Luck!

As a mother of 3 (still wondering 5 weeks on what on earth I have done!) nt had time to read what everyone else has said! But - I have found the baby fits into family life pretty easily. The bigest shock came when the baby starts to move.

My advice is prepare to become the UN peace keeper (in fact I'm sure they get the weekends off!)

Good luck and enjoy watching them together - it makes the hardwork worth while (maybe - off to split them up again!)

Some really good tips here. My addition is one for when you do brave the outside world.

Always, always, always leave a set of felt pens / crayons, a colouring book or CBeebies magazine and a couple of books (Mr Men ones are good because they are small) in your bag. That why, if you do need to duck into a cafe to feed the baby, you at least know that you have something to keep the older one safely occupied.

DD1 ended up being quite a connoisiuer of our local cafes by the end of maternity leave!!! Cost me a fortune in lattes, juice and yummy cakes!!

• get them napping together halfway through the day; rest during this time - asleep if possible. Even 15-20 minutes is a great boost to energy levels.

- dunk newborn into bath with toddler, then dry/sleepsuit up nb while toddler is still splashing. if there's room in your bathroom, put a comfy chair in there and get on with nb's bedtime feed. Get toddler out of bath. Let her "hide" under a warm towel for a moment while you quickly put nb to bed. Then your toddler can have your full attention for story, snuggles, warm milk, whatever's her routine. - get them both outside every morning even if it's just a trip to the corner shop.

This is a great thread, thanks. Expecting no 2 next May so will be bookmarking this to refer to later...

"get them napping together"

yep, and find the holy grail while you're at it

Mine have all loved it when another baby came along, sharing the bath with each other is one of the most favourite things.

Let them hold the baby lots, even if it is only for short hugs as they get bored.

Tell everyone to make a fuss of the others.

I have done presents but to be honest it is not really worth it. A packet of sweeties is just as gratefully recieved.

Prepare food in advance is a good idea but im pretty rubbish and never manage to get round to it! Fishfingers and chips work just as well

I sit in the front room too rather than tucking myself away in the bedroom.

Be bossy and tell people to make their own cuppa too, dh can feel like a constant teas maid otherwise and he should be at my beck and call not theirs

Sorry if it has been repeated

I have 6 btw. Twins first then dd when they were 20mths, ds#3 when she was 2, ds#4 when he was 2 and a half and ds#5 when he was 2 and a half too.

So it cant be that bad or we would all stop at 2 Easy really im thinking of 7...