Two Under Two
The nursery is complete, newborn clothes are washed and a very uncomfortable mama is ready to pop! The three-week countdown to baby boy has officially begun! What an adventure I am about to embark on, here goes nothing!
The thought of trying for #2 with a vibrant one year old in tow was equal parts exciting and nerve wracking. We were blessed to get pregnant immediately, but that also meant we would be having two children under the age of TWO! My husband and I started to get that what were we thinking feeling, but that dissipated quickly until it appeared again 8 months later! Thoughts of stress, lack of sleep and the impending circus, kept me up at night.
INSERT NEW MINDSET…
How can I make this transition easiest on my toddler? What can we do to make everyday tasks as seamless as possible? How am I going to lean on my friends and family when I need it? What do I need to make sure to do for myself to keep my sanity? These are some of the questions I truly started to think about.
I reached out to a few friends who offered some advice on their experience with two under two.
- Before baby #2 arrives encourage your toddler to play with a baby doll, feed the baby and change the baby! Start the excitement early so by the time baby is here, your oldest can share in the joy.
- Wear your infant. This is the easiest, hands free way of being able to get things done around the house and help manage things for your toddler.
- Establish daily “quiet time” for your toddler. This is an opportunity to decompress by having your child read quietly, color or even resort to the good ol’ iPad. While the iPad is less than ideal, giving yourself 15 minutes of silence can provide a small break in the circus.
- The first few weeks will inevitably be chaos with lots of tears (from your toddler, yourself and your newborn), so try to let some of the little things go. Things will correct itself once the new “normal” is established and you find your groove as a mother of two.
- Find special things to do solo with your toddler like an ice cream date, movie, or just a quick trip to the park. The solo time shows them that even though the new baby takes a lot of mom’s time, mom still has enough time for them too.
Post mental prep and talks with my husband I have come to terms with the fact that it will be a tough transition, but the difficult times will quickly be forgotten and overshadowed by the love of this beautiful new baby. Life will start to become routine at some point and my daughter will have a best friend to grow up with. Win win.
Two under two? Double the trouble….but also double the love!
Photo credit: Sasha G Photography
Since this post was written we have welcomed our son, Nash into the world. Here we go… two under two!
