Newborn and preschooler - what does your day look like.

[Lovelybluesky88]

What does your day look like with a newborn and a preschooler? My 3.5yr old is full on and the baby doesn’t want to be put down so we have watched a lot of telly and fitted in a walk a day. Books when I can balance the baby without him waking up and crying. Currently it’s one day a week that I’m alone with both but will be two days when pre school shuts for summer, and I don’t want to rot everyone’s brains carrying on like this. Just want to hear what other people in this stage do all day! Thanks.

Ah! I had this, exactly 3 years between mine. Lots of walks to the cafe/ library etc. I kept one day pretty low key and on the other had more structured activities for the preschooler so I didn't have to use my brain so much. Things like forest school in the morning, and gymnastics in the afternoon followed by a film.

Pop baby in a sling for much of the day - It'll quickly get easier. Mine are 4.5 and 1.5 now and it's already a different world! X

Currently at this stage as well OP. 2.5 Yr old and 3 month old.

Lots of outside play for the toddler. Becuase l have just started a meditation with strong side effects, l need to keep to the house but we do go to the shops, to my mums. To the park, very close to my house

Some days are spent catching up and doing housework. And then letting the toddler entertain herself

I just accepted that for a couple of months whilst the baby is tiny, my toddler would probably be watching more tv than normal. Sometimes he’d watch a movie, sometimes it would be a load of nursery rhymes. It’s only temporary.
I’d try to get out for a little walk to the local shop or park most days. Then spent a lot of time at home letting the toddler play with toys or his tonie box.
I also had the baby in the sling quite a bit we could do some baking.
It gets alot easier after a few months, when the baby can be left on a playmat or in a bouncy chair for a few minutes and you can play easier with your older child. And going out is easier when the baby is awake for a bit longer as they’ll be entertained by whatever you’re doing. So then going to the park is more fun.

My dc are 18 and 20 now but back when they were nearly 2 and newborn we used to go out a lot to try and wear the toddler out. We went to a lot of baby groups because there is always someone happy to watch or cuddle a tiny one while you give your toddler some attention. We also watched a lot of springwatch, thomas the tank engine and the wiggles while cluster feeding. I found any tv programme that had songs with actions were good as my toddler seemed to have boundless energy.

For the first few months, I basically did stuff with my toddler, whilst having baby in the sling. I fed her in the sling, I did crafts with my turkey etc her in the sing, went on theme park rides with her in the sling. Everything. It was great.

Then when she got older and wanted to be more mobile, I couldn't do that so much and life got trickier. Then she started crawling and walking and this was by far the trickiest time.

The first few months though, like having toddler and a needy pot plant!

I have had a newborn with a 22m old and a newborn with a 3.5yo and both times I tried to keep doing things the toddler enjoyed and just brought baby along for the ride. I am much more of an out and about person though.
So baby either in carrier or pram, whichever was most suitable. I found places all on one level the best because it was easier to keep an eye/help on the toddler rather than be crawling around softplay with a newborn in one arm. So trampoline parks were great, gymnastic stay and play sessions, toddler music classes, village playgroups, library trips, park trips, smallish wildlife parks, bike riding in enclosed park spaces (we have a local cricket ground with a perfect bike riding path around the edge) that sort of thing. My middle is about to finish pre school and I’m really going to miss him when he’s in school full time in September (he does 3 days atm).

Mine have the same age gap and it was easier going out as the comment above said. The worst conflict was when both wanted my attention, so if I could take them somewhere where dc1 was entertained, then I could sit with dc2 feeding him or changing him etc without grief. Soft play, the science museum (the interactive toddler bit), trampolining, petting farm, even just driving to a different playground from usual etc.

Unfortunately my dc2 didn't nap in the pram easily but he would in the car so I'd just time it so we'd drive there and back to coincide with the two naps.

It's when you stay home and the 3yo is bored, that's when it becomes a nightmare.

Thanks everyone. A sling seems to be the way forward :)