Come & talk to me about how 2 under 2 will be fabulous!

[Bellepink]

Have DD aged 12m who is lovely. Currently expecting no. 2.

Have started panicking slightly about how the heck I will manage. On the plus side I have lots of family back-up and DH is excellent at pulling his weight, but on the down side we have a small house which has absolutely no "dumping ground" for things like double buggies!

I'm looking for a bit of reassurance really as I'm feeling pretty nervous and it's spoiling the pregnancy a bit. Every time I have a happy thought I have a "how the heck do people do it?!" thought and that makes me sad as I obviously only want to feel positive things about a new baby.

Hand holding welcome...

Great thread! Thanks so much! I have a 19 month old and due anyday with my second. I keep worrying about how difficult its going to be and this thread has answered some of my questions. Thanks girls

mommymeggie the only time i found it really really hard was bathtime. DD2 was tired and crying (colicky) and DD1 wanted attention and couldn't be left in the bath alone. I got a TV upstairs and used to put DD2 in her bouncer chair with teletubbies or something on and let her cry, nothing much else i could do. (and DD1 only got bathed once in the week and once at weekend - then dh was there to help. but i still remember it being stressful.)

as soon as i could bath them together - with DD2 in a bath seat (6 months +) it all became much easier.

The other thing I found helpful was... letting the baby cry. It's not nice, but leaving the baby for a minute and attending to your toddler first will make your life easier. Your toddler is likely to get jealous if you always go to baby first.

DD watched more TV than she should have the first few months. But now, even though DS isn't even 2 yet, they play so well together and it's so wonderful to see.

Congratulations those of you with no. 2 on the way. Enjoy it!

Some really good advice here - thanks very much to you all! It is reassuring to hear of those who have come out the other side

Amidaiwish- thanks for the advice. That is def the 1 thing that has got my brain going...how the heck do I do bath time?!! Another is what do I do if I have to run to the toilet upstairs or go and make tea while Ive got my toddler running around and lil one in the bouncer?? I'm sure I will find a routine at some point but its good listening to you all and taking notes. So keep them coming!!

DS was 2.3 when DD was born. They are 2.10 and nearly 7mths, and things have just got easier and easier as they grow!

Get your toddler used to walking while you are still pregnant, so you won't need a double buggy. Ds walks everywhere, or if he is really tired then I pop Dd in a sling and he goes in the pushchair. Otherwise, I sit him on my shoulders or hip and push the buggy one handed.

Getting out in the mornings - I get up and feed everyone, then shower quickly while Dd is still in her highchair playing and Ds plays on his own. Milkshake cartoons also help here! I dress both kids and get them in coats, with all bags packed the night before with change stuff etc. Then hang bags on shoulder, put Dd on my hip, tuck Ds under my arm and carry the whole lot out to the car/pushchair. When they were younger, Dd's car seat always came in the house so we could just stick her in it and she could sit next to the car while we got Ds strapped in.

You will get used to occupying your toddler with games/jobs to do etc while you deal with the baby, and I've found that Ds loves to help and play with Dd, which makes things a lot easier as he keeps her entertained.

As amidaiwish said, potty training and crawling will be the hardest thing to get through, although it's quite amusing watching Ds shuffling round the floor on his potty trying to escape a curious Dd!

Good luck, and I'm sure you'll be fine.

Just for a slightly different persepective, I am a "2 under "- my sister is only 15 months younger than me and we were consecutive school years.

My mum said the first few years were tough but one of the big upsides is that we entertained each other so limited need for "play dates" etc, could share a lot of toys,and because we were close in age she didnt have to do separate bed times/ rules so much.

It will be fabulous. Flipping busy yes, but fabulous nonetheless. I had 21 months between the first two and it was fun and busy in equal measures.

I have friends with 3 yr old twins and 1 yr old triplets, if you need a little perspective! The parents are still functioning!

Congratulations btw. A little apprehension is perfectly normal.

Great thread, thanks

also expecting no 2 any day now. Dd 22 months.

Am going to see how I manage without a double buggy. Encouraged to see the sling/push chair/buggy board combo can work.

Two under two is wonderful.
Hard work at times, but wonderful.

Brilliant gap IME. 17 months between my 2. They're now 3.3 and 1.10. Some things that worked for me:

NAPS: as soon as older one naps, get straight into bed with the younger one, and bf to sleep if possible (both of you).

CONTAINMENT: keep playpen/travel cot downstairs so that you can put one of them in it so you can go to loo, answer door etc. without risk of toddler giving baby very tight hugs.

It was hard at first but it's brilliant now (and has been since the younger one could interact). They're great friends and keep each other amused for long stretches. (I expect to see you becoming prolific on mn.) My favourite sibling is 12mo older than me and perhaps because of that we've been close all our lives, and I'm hoping my dc are the same.

i can only emphasise everything arctic fox said. for me "playdates" are a PITA and don't help me at all! I do them because i think it is good for their friendships but life is much easier just the two of them rubbing along happily together at home. For most of my friends playdates are a lifesaver a their dd is occupied for a few hours.

both mine go to bed at the same time and share a room. i went through a phase of having to buy two of everything as dd2 just wanted whatever dd1 had, but this has now passed and they have different interests.

ALso don't underestimate the benefit of them being in the same group in holiday clubs/activities, makes it much easier to get them to go, and at the same time.