Brand New Baby!

[TurtIe]

So, we brought home our second little munchkin on Saturday (first munchkinette). Our little boy is now 20 months and quite the mischievous handful, so far (a few days in) it's not quite as overwhelming as the first time around but still pretty full on. I've got the entire week off work but after that it's back to the grind. My wife is being awesome about it all but labour was pretty brutal and required stitches that is slowing her down- and probably will for the next few weeks.

So... Any multiple child parents out there with some good advice on managing a young family- or at least surviving the outset long enough to find a routine?

[Jittersthe.Clown]

Find ways to involve the older one with the day to day light duty chores.  Every child is different, but my son loved being involved with helping out, both around the house and with the baby (okay, my youngest is 3 and a half now, but still...)  Congrats on the newest and I hope you and your family finds your swing soon enough.  Just remember, the time will pass.  

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Congrats! We are a 1 child household (almost 5 months), so I have nothing to offer that you don't already know.

[Silo]

We are a one child household too. The majority of my friends have more kids, though, and something I've heard them recommend is when you are faced with two crying kids, tend to the older child first because that is the kid who's going to remember what's going on. Obviously you'd use your best judgment as far as if the crying is real or not ( ) but I think it makes a certain amount of sense.

[Roldanis]

Dad of two girls, 3 and 18mo.  Agreed with advice of having the older sibling involved with daily tasks like throwing away diapers, getting blanket, pacifier etc.  Take lots of pictures of them together!

[SpiralGalaxy]

I've got an 8 month old and a 3 year old, both boys. I'm with the "tend to the older child first" crowd. Baby can still be contained in a crib/playpen/jumper etc. The older one can get into all manner of trouble. 

 

Also, be as gentle and patient as you can with everyone. It's a huge adjustment, and everyone's sleep deprived. Those first few months are tough but they get easier! 

[JazzieH]

i do try to involve my older one (2.5 years), and give her little tasks, like removing the cutlery from the dishwasher (remove sharp knives first!) and she loves to "help" sweep. She often doesn't complete the tasks the way I would want, but as long as it's something that doesn't need to be done perfectly, at least she's been occupied! She also loves to help with the little one (11 month) like get his diapers, throw the dirty ones away. Know that he's crawling she likes to bring him toys and "play" with him. 

 

I also learned to lower my standards, especially in the beginning!

 

Good luck and congrats!!

[Terah]

Congratulations!

I've two boys: a 4 year old and a 2 year old. I carried the youngest one in a wrap or a carrier. That way he felt save and didn't cry and I had my hands free to attend to my eldest son.

[PositiveBlue]

My two have a larger age gap (16 months and 7 years) but in addition to involving the oldest, communication seems to help us the best.  Having my husband take one of the kids off my hands during the weekend or when bedtime nears is a big help.  This keeps me from feeling overwhelmed, especially if its been a long day/week whatever.  It takes me asking for help as much as him just jumping into the fray.

Also, making things easier for my oldest.  He has a couple of healthy snacks within arms reach (like pre-cut apples), so if he wants a snack and I'm doing a diaper change, I can tell him to go get something.  He's pretty independent and I try to enable that for him.

Not sure with a younger child how well that would work but you could probably do some age appropriate modifications.

[Haikoo]

Lots of good advice here. Another thing to remember is it's not unusual for the older one to regress a little and want to be a baby sometimes. (Why  not?! Look how much ATTENTION that new baby is getting!) I handled this by expecting her to be a 3 year old most of the time--but playing games with her at other times when SHE got to be my baby. I'd rock her a while, or hold her like a baby, or pretend to feed her, or swaddle her in a big blanket. This helped ease some of that jealousy and also let her explore/remember what it was like to be a baby and also left her more willing to do some of those things for her brothers. (We had twins, btw. She was about 3 and it ROCKED her world big time.)  

[Alex85]

Congrats TurtleRunner!!