It seems like only yesterday I was staring at my son’s big brown eyes through a haze of sleepless nights. Amnesia has set in and I’ve been throwing the “I want another baby” look at hubbie. To be honest, my emotions vacillate between excitement and anticipation to sheer fear.
Three awesome mommy bloggers, Her Bad Mother, Mrs. Chicky, and Mrs. Chicken, are expecting their second child and Kristen, Liz, and Julie are celebrating with a virtual baby shower. The theme is “share your favorite advice (either your own or someone else’s) when it comes to having two kids.” Since I am still learning about how to prevent a crawling baby from getting into something forbidden, work part-time as a nurse, have dinner on the table for my husband, and still manage to have time for myself (any of the following would be nice including a manicure, a massage, a few hours at the mall, or a shower that lasts longer than 5 minutes), I can only speculate on how to manage all of the above with the same amount of time plus another child. With some help from my very BF who does all of this and more with 3 under 3 (yes…3 girls under the age of 3) here is what I have learned!
1. Stick to a routine. My friend is very organized and each of her days are planned out. When we go out she still adheres to her children’s mealtimes and bedtimes and this has been an invaluable example to me.
2. Celebrate the uniqueness of each child. I remember reading an article that emphasized the importance of incorporating each child’s likes and dislikes into daily routines. I love their example of mealtimes that include a favorite food unique to each child.
3. Elicit sibling help. Even if the oldest child is still young, asking him/her to give the baby his/her binky makes the child feel included rather than excluded. This may help prevent jealousy and regression.
4. Get one-on-one. Each child deserves solo time with mom and dad. This is particularly important in the first few weeks when the older child’s routines have been disrupted by the newest member of the family.
5. Always be prepared. Anything that can be done in advanced, should be. That includes meals (I’ve heard dream dinners is fab), grocery shopping, etc. I’ve heard the first few weeks are rough and preparation equals sanity.
Read more advice for staying sane with your second here.
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I’m not looking forward to redoing our already solid schedule but you’re right, a schedule is invaluable!
Thanks!