Anyone out there with two under two, having day of chaos

[hazeyjane]

I have two lovely daughters, 18 months and 4 months, some days (like today) it feels as though I'm trying to juggle a hundred things at once, in fact I can't believe that in the rare half an hour that they are asleep at the same time I am on Mumsnet ( I'm a bit of a newbie here ), of course I'm also surrounded by a sea of toys, lunch stuff etc etc. I just thought I'd see if there was anyone out there in the same boat, as sometimes i just want to sit down in the middle of it all and cry. Of course if you have any other combination of children or just the one I know its probably exactly the same. Going to get strong drink now (tea - before anyone throws there hands up in horror)

Just to give you all hope, we had 3 boys in 5 years, but nothing has been as hard work as that intense period of the first two. DS1 and DS2 were 2 years 6 weeks apart, so not v close.

It does get much easier when they are less dependent on you. Our 3 year age gap between DS2 and DS3 has been much easier.

We've got a 15 month gap between our 2 boys ds1 is 16 months and ds2 is 4 weeks, and its nowhere near as tough as i'd imagined it would be. Don't get me wrong its not in the slightest bit easy, but i'm coping well, especially as i had an emergency section and i'm 4 weeks into my 6 weeks recovery. Its been tough not being able to pick up ds1, but we've got round that issue, thank goodness. i'll be glad when i can drive and get us all out the house. Its getting a bit boring being at home all the time now.

I can't wait until my new boy is a bit older and less fragile, then his brother can really play with him.

My lovely, remarkably sane friend had four under five at one point. How she survived, I do not know.

Congatulations diddle. I know what you mean about worrying about no1 squashing no2. DD1 now lies on top of dd2, whilst dd2 giggle uncontrollably, and I'm pretty sure that in a few weeks time dd2 will bE able to belly flop back, she is almost the same size as her sister!

Sprogger, glad your hour of madness is in the past. Dd2 has been in a pretty good pattern up until now, but suddenly we've entered a world of teething and lots and lots of wind-its such a rollercoaster ride.

4 under 5 thing - the very idea gives me the shakes.

I have four children: 15 years, 12 years, nearly two and 3 months. The big ones are very good at entertaining the little ones whilst I am in another room popping mogadon preparing supper.

mine are 11 mths apart and just about to turn 3 and 4 - life gets easier and much more fun!

We have 2 dds 19 months apart. On our first trip out as a family I remember someone telling me that the first year was hell but then things settled!

Im so glad I found this discussion thread because I dont think that I can wait a year!?!

we had our first tantrum free bathtime last night...fingers crossed for tonight.

hello. DD2 slept all night last night !! Allelulia if thats how you spell it.

We had a good day today, with both dd asleep at the same time for 2 hrs. Unpacked the shopping and sat down for an hour.

Dd1 has put on .9 of a kg in a week, so doing very well and feeling much better about her and her eating. She had her first day at nursery on Monday and loved it. We couldn't shut her up when she got home, she was manic.

Anyway hope you are all well.

Thats fantastic,Lulalullabye our dd2 keeps on ending up in bed with us, she just makes so much noise (singing not crying) that it wakes up dd1. Hope you had a good time away, did you have both babies in the same room as you? I am going away with both girls at the end of the month, and am panicking about us all sleeping in the same room, last time we did this dd1 was up nearly all night, it was horrible.

HJ, on the first night I put dd1 with her friend of the same age in the same room, which worked until 02.30 then it all turned wrong. So night 2 and 3 dd1 in travel cot in my room and dd2 in travel cot in bathroom. Sounds bizarre but she didn't care where she slept. It worked really well and they both slept all night.

It's always such a dilemma going away as you break their routine, but I really enjoyed it, and found it very theraputic being with other mothers and kids all the time. DH also had a nice break and got loads of stuff done round the house.

Like the idea of putting dd2 in the bathroom, may try that when we go away. Mind you if dd1 was anything like she was last night - up all evening until 11.30(she has moments like this where she just goes all hyper and wants to play all evening - once it was until 4 in the morning!),that combined with dd2 singing and blowing raspberries for an hour in the middle of the night will make the whole going away experience an interesting one. Dd1 has never travelled well, but like you say lula it it is so lovely to get away, especially when it is with friends with babies that I think it is worth it.

Weaning going appallingly badly, am going to put it off until dd2 old enough to go down the road for fish and chips.

We are currently sitting here waiting for dd2 to stop crying. Have decided that we have to leave her to cry otherwise we will be in there every 5 mins ! Very hard though but investing in our future.

Dd1 whining again but she is going to nursery again tomorrow so have the day with just one.

I think the key to them sleeping hj is to put them in separate rooms. They will just wake each other up. You could even put one of them in the hallway if its big enough, it just separates them.

Given in after 45 mins and gone in to her. The problem being that she tends to poo when she gets upset so then she sleeps in poo if she falls asleep.

Just think, at this point with dd1 we were contemplating another child !! The thought of another child now is scary.

All my sympathies,lula, my dh has just got back from driving dd1 around the village in order to get her to go to sleep! She screamed and screamed when I tried to leave her room tonight, I always know it's going to be a bad one when she throws her comforter out of the cot, its horrible because she just stands in the cot screaming. We tried leaving her, but she just gets hysterical, and I get a bit scared, because she has asthma. We ended up bringing her downstairs, but she just points at the telly, and then when we won't turn it on, wants to get out of her sleeping bag and play. Its wierd because she is normally a really good sleeper, but she just occasionally has these hyper moments, she was really bad just after we moved, so i think it must be when she is unsettled. Sorry to go on, but its been a long couple of nights! Its so hard when you have another one that is still waking in the night, because you end up having 24 hours of solid baby! I think that dd1 was about the age thatdd2 is now when i found out I was pregnant again, my diary entry (I seemed to have time to keep one back then) was basicaly OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!