Want to know what others do with a baby that naps in the afternoon and toddlers that want to play outside?

[sweetkitty]

I am finding this quite hard, I have 4 yo DD1, 3yo DD2 and 8mo DD3, during the week theres only me at home with them.

In the afternoons after nursery the older DDs are wanting to play in the garden and go out in the street on their bikes, we live in v quiet cul de sac and they want to go up and down the road but I still need to be watching them all the time. Or they want to go a walk with their prams and dollies.

DD3 needs an afternoon nap and I cannot take the other two out with her upstairs asleep IYSWIM. I also struggle if I put her in her buggy and let her watch us she doesn't really like it and gets upset.

Is this just part and parcel of having three of them and one of me?

I would personally sling the baby in to the buggy and have her laying down flat from the moment you leave the house to encourage the sleeping. otherwise you will just have to time going out with when she's awake.

I ususally put DS2 8months in pushchair and DS1 pushes his doll in the pram and we go for a walk either around the block or to the local park. This way DS2 either falls asleep in the pushchair or as soon as we get back and it means DS1 gets to go for his walk with his "baby". Otherwise would have to do what previous poster said and time it well. HTH

I take it they're not happy staying in the garden whilst B naps?

Can't you use a monitor to be in the garden?

DD3 is a little madam though she will only have a tiny nap in the buggy, then get overtired and there will be hell to pay. Hates the buggy flat as she cannot see whats going on.

I think I will have to get a monitor and just tell the DDs they cannot go out on their bikes if she is sleeping.

Our childminder trained ds to have his naps in the buggy- it was wonderful! Could you not have her nap downstairs somewhere where you can be within easy reach of the older children?

I sometimes put DS2 to sleep upstairs and take monitor outside, sit on my front wall and watch DS1 go up and down my cul de sac on his bike from there.

Leave the baby sleeping and watch from the end of the drive, with a chair and a book.

Tried the napping downstairs thing other two would wake her and my house isn't big enough to shut her away. She sleeps the best in our bed (cosleeping). I think baby monitor is the way to go.

Can't believe I am on baby number 3 and I am getting round to buying a monitor.

Soupdragon love the chair and book idea

Echo the monitor approach - going to dig mine out so that DS2(1) can nap and DS1(2) can play in the garden.
not got the front road issue as we aren't in a cul de sac/he doesn't ride a bike yet.
DS2 naps for Britain in his cot so we can feel trapped sometimes.

other things include lots of baking (bad for my diet!), lots of tv and lots of other indoor activities we can't do with ds2 around (puzzles, building towers, etc.).
Then as soon as ds2 wakes, we're off out, anywhere, lol

Now just to get her to nap IN her cot

I didn't have this problem when DD2 was a baby as DD1 still had a nap and they use to nap at the same time (bliss emoticon)

I think it's just a case of balancing everything and getting used to having 3. We do something like baking or drawing/painting and the odd Disney DVD when she is sleeping just now it's just I am getting bugged constantly to let them out on their bikes.