Today was my first day on my own with two kids. Sam returned to work. I decided to take the day head on and get out of the house. For our first outing I did take it easy though, no running errands at Target or anything like that. I went to Janna's house so Katherine could play with Robert and Laurie Jane. That was easy enough and other than Katherine scratching Robert and refusing to clean up toys the day was uneventful. Caroline slept a little, ate a little and was awake and happy a little.
When we got home it was time for a nap. Yikes, how do I get Katherine down for a nap and take care of Caroline? With Sam home we would typically divide and conquer. Caroline was happy so I read to Katherine and snuggled up with her. She seemed to be headed toward sleep when I heard Caroline crying so I went to feed her. A few minutes later Katherine was out of her room and finding me. So, I put Caroline down (she was not happy about this) and went back to Katherine's room to try to get her asleep. Needless to say, it did not go well. Caroline fell asleep in her crib for almost 3 hours but Katherine never did fall asleep. The rest of the afternoon went downhill. Katherine was whiny, clingy and grumpy. She was not the only grumpy one by the time dad got home from work.
So, today the newborn was the easy one and the toddler kicked my tail.
So, for those of you with 2 kids, any suggestions on how to get that toddler to take their nap when you are caring for your baby? Katherine is in a big girl bed so there is no leaving her there. She can get out.
8 comments:
oh friend, it will get easier. you are all adjusting.
oliver can't get out of his room from the inside b/c it has a childproof knob on it. it may sound cruel, but we have to do it b/c he is capable of getting into the garage and out the garage door so it's a safety issue. we have a video monitor so we can see what he's doing during naptime. he can thankfully entertain himself for long periods of time by reading books and playing quietly. he listens to music and books on CD. i can already predict that little brother will NOT do that. totally different personality.
hang in there. looking forward to seeing you on wed.
chrys
We have one of those knob covers but our foundation has shifted so that the door won't even close so it does no good right now.
Hey, Christy-
What do I know (yet) but I'm thinking that maybe you could put Caroline in a swing or bouncer while getting Katherine down for a nap? Amelia loved the rainforest bouncer...it put her to sleep in the early days and entertained her later on...
I was at my girlfriend's house today and she constantly had to leave her newborn for a min or two to go tend to her toddler. The swing gives her a few extra minutes...
Promise me that you'll be answering my questions about how to deal with two when I have them! :)
I was going to suggest the doorknob cover as well, and we also have the gate on Andrew's door. Andrew would respond well to us explaining that we couldn't stay with him b/c Corinne needed us ("hear her crying?") and that I needed him to be the big brother and stay put. It seemed like if I didn't jump up the moment Corinne screamed but stayed laying down for a few seconds to explain that I needed to leave, he did better - sometimes. But your other friend is right - it will get easier, you guys are all adjusting. I've had to learn that ignoring Andrew sometimes is the best thing b/c responding to every little thing he does is still getting my attention, which is what he wants now that its split. It's very anti-instinct to ignore bad behavior, but its necessary sometimes. Hang in there! And don't be afraid to ask for help! :)
Hi! I was going to email and ask how your first day went now that Sam is back at work, but you beat me to it. I still haven't really figured out the nap/rest time deal. But most days Bear (almost 2) gets 3 stories and then put in bed for a nap. Some days she stays in her crib and falls asleep; some days she doesn't. If she's grumpy from not getting a nap, we make it through the rest of the day as well as we can and she goes to bed early.
These days can be really tough. They do get easier as you figure out what techniques work well for your family. But they are hard days right now. Hang in there.
Does Katherine usually fall asleep before you leave the room? Or does she do that on her own now? I use to read to both kids at the same time and then lay Ava on the floor for a minute while I tucked JG in. Sometimes I would also nurse Ava during story time. Things will get easier soon as Caroline is growing up so quickly.
my two oldest are spoiled rotten and still nap in my bed. It has helped me with two because I could nurse Paul to sleep and snuggle with Abbie. Now that Abboe is two, oh my can this age be fun, I get the itty bitty down first then tackle Abbie and Paul. Sometimes I just have to throw in the towel and let one or the other go nap less. It makes for a fussy afternoon but that means bedtime gets moved up. Girl with two or more you have to learn how to pick your battles. Hang in there! The first six weeks can be brutal but once you hit three months life will be so much easier!!!
Once you get over how hard it can be to let them cry, it gets easier. Remember to flush mommie guilt down the toilet and that those girls totally know you love them!!
We did the door knob cover in combination with the video monitor, as well. Once Campbell figured out how to remove the doorknob cover, we resorted to tying the outside handle of his door to a doorknob nearby. May be a fire safety issue, but we kept a pair of scissors nearby (out of kids' reach, of course), so we could easily cut through that if we needed to get him out of his room quickly.
That all sounds horrible, as I read it. But we would read to him, calm him down, do the whole naptime routine first. But he liked to get up and wander and the only safe thing to do and the only way to get him to eventually sleep so he wasn't grumpy the rest of the day was to lock him in there and give him no options.
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