Since I know a bunch of people who are pregnant with their second kiddo right now (the invasion is coming!!), I thought I'd post a more useful follow-up to my first post about being at home with two kids. Here are some strategies and tools that I've found useful so far.
1. Get shit done before your partner abandons you to the wolves(i.e. leaves for work): I'm not following this one all the time so far, but the days that I've managed to crawl out of bed after Seth nurses and get dressed, wash my face, and eat breakfast before Eric leaves have turned out to be slightly less crazy than other days. It's just not possible to rock a newborn while reading to a toddler while eating eggs. Not gonna happen.
2. Have a routine: While we don't have a "true" routine yet, having my days follow a basic structure is extremely helpful. It gets me out of the house in the morning and the afternoon and I feel like it grounds Leo a little bit as well. As a person I can be a little all over the place, but it helps a lot to know that nap is at 12:15 no matter what.
3. Carrier: I used the carrier quite a bit with Leo, but I'm finding that I'm using it even more with Seth. Eric bought a glider that attaches to the stroller for Leo to stand on so that Seth could go in the car seat adapter, but (SURPRISE) Leo doesn't always like to stay on the glider. I like my toddlers strapped and immobile. I've also found that sometimes if Seth needs to eat while Leo is doing something else, it's super easy to nurse him in the carrier and only requires one hand(as opposed to a couch, pillow, both hands, and a Xanax).
4. Electronic Toys/TV: Leo's speech development has been slow, so I had put away all of his electronic toys and limited TV as I figured that they weren't really helping him any(flashing lights...droooool). However, with a new baby, all bets are off and the toys have been magically resurrected from the toy graveyard we call the storage room. These are great for when I do want to sit and nurse, straighten up, make dinner, or go to the bathroom without a toddler standing next to me in the sink. Go figure, Leo's speech has really taken off in the last month or so.
5. Playdates: Not gonna lie, some days the fact that I have a playdate scheduled is the only thing holding me together. Playdates are great because I get to hang out with people over the age of 2, Leo gets some social interaction practice, and sometimes people offer to hold the baby!!
6. Singing and Reading: In my quest to find activities that are appropriate for kids that are 22 months and 2 months, I have found that, aside from the caterwauling that sometimes occurs, singing and reading are great for both Leo and Seth. Both of these also require no prep work and allow me to really feel like I am "making it work". Until a poopslosion happens. Because it always does.
7. Movable Baby Holders: When Leo wants to be doing something other than singing or reading, it helps to be able to have Seth close by. We have a bouncy chair and an activity mat that are both super easy to move to wherever Leo happens to be playing. Downside: Leo now thinks these toys are the BEST THING EVER. I need to redirect him away from them quite a bit, but it's worth it to have a place where Seth can hang out and work on his baby skillz.
8. Immersive Sensory Experiences: While Leo loves himself some TV and other electronica, he can also be very engaged in sensory play. Although these activities can take a little longer to set up, they usually buy me some decent time to run to the bathroom, or let's be honest, take some deep breaths and eat a cookie.
9. Being Decisive about Who Needs Me More: By far, the worst part of being alone with two is that there are times when both kids are IN CRISIS and you can't attend to both at once. Usually this happens when Seth is hungry and Leo is hungry/not getting what he wants/poopsploded/et al. In these moments, it is almost always Leo who gets my attention first because, let's face it, that baby ain't going anywhere. I've found that it is much better to settle one kid entirely and then move on to the next instead of trying to do both at once. So, if they both start crying, I'll look at the clock, then tend to Leo, and try to be on to Seth within 10 minutes. There's no crying in baseball, but there is in this house. And that's okay.
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