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Parenting

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Original poster

Can anyone explain how I’m meant to juggle 3mo and 2yo?

28 replies

ShadowPuppets · 22/08/2022 08:10

3mo only contact naps or sleeps in the car. Will wake if transferred to bouncy chair, pram etc. (Goes down in the Next to Me at night but wakes if I try and put him in it during that day). So far I’ve survived by having him in a stretchy sling but I already feel like I’m completely neglecting my just turned 2yo for 3 hours a day while he naps - I can’t play properly or sit down or anything.

We were at my in laws this weekend and I stupidly left the sling at theirs. MIL posting it back first class today but realistically I need to make my peace with the fact I won’t have it back until Tuesday/Wednesday.

I’m looking after the two of them solo and I just can’t actually comprehend how I’m meant to do it? I feel like I need someone to just actually tell me what to do. My brain might not be working due to the fact that 3mo woke up every hour on the hour from 1.30am last night but any advice appreciated. Have stuck the toddler in front of CBeebies for the time being while baby is napping on me but surely I can’t do that all day 😩 how do you juggle a contact napping baby (who might be starting the 4m sleep regression 🙈) and a toddler who can’t really do any sort of independent play…

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Classicblunder · 22/08/2022 12:08

Somuchgoo · 22/08/2022 11:58

Slings, slings and more slings!

The more you do it, the more used it to you'll become and the more you'll just be able to you about life with baby attached.

You could do to the park, out for a walk, have a kickabout with a ball in the garden, soft play, baking, arts and crafts etc, with baby attached. If you breastfeed, then you can learn to feed in the sling, and that makes it even easier. If bottle fed, then you can also fed in the shopping, but you won't get a free hand, so its less of a bonus really.

Some time watching cbeebies is definitely needed, but I found that the sling was essential to parenting at that stage.

Totally agree.

Also, though it feels really hard to get out, it really helps - playground, playgroups etc

Timeturnerplease · 22/08/2022 13:35

I had 2.9 year age gap but neither of my girls have been good nappers so I had the same issue. With DD2 I used to feed her and rock her while DD1 was watching tv, then snuggle her up in the buggy and rock it with my foot while playing with DD1. DD2 eventually got the hang and has happily napped in the buggy since, and DD1 miraculously got a bit better at playing alone (she’s now 3.9 and still not great, but now at least no longer lays on the floor screaming PLAAAAAAY WITH ME MUMMEEEEEEEEE).

Take it hour by hour, OP. I found two hard until about 8 months (crawling + only two naps a day) and it’s now much easier at 12mo (almost walking + one nap a day).

Don’t worry about CBeebies either - DD1 learnt to recognise numbers to 20 from watching Numberblocks in the four months from me starting maternity leave to her starting preschool!

Chocolatetrifle · 22/08/2022 13:52

25 months between mine and ds2 was 16 weeks when lockdown 1 started and dS1 was not yet 2.5.

I used to get both their own toys out on separate blankets plus bouncer and pretend they each had their own areas of the living room, dS2 could play with puzzles, blocks etc and I would shake shakers at ds1 whilst he sat in bouncer.

YouTube for singing nursery rhymes to them both, they can join in making noise with anything.

Bubbles, balloons, both loved at that age.

Lots of books.

Cbeebies definitely.

Remember one day at a time. Buggy board for pram for outings.

You can do it!

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