Photo by Jess at Hopefully Creative.
So I have been mothering two little ones for about two months now.
And what I have I learned?
Here, in no particular order, are a few tips.
Always restrain your older one in first and release them last.
If you are heading out in the car, get your older child all buckled in and then set about getting your younger child sorted
Likewise, when you are getting out the the car, get the baby out first and then unbuckle the older one.
This saves you having to choose between chasing a toddler around a parking lot and leaving a baby in the car.
Same goes with a double pram.
Eat.
If you find yourself with two relatively happy children and it is anywhere near a mealtime, eat.
I find that when I am breast feeding, mealtime is about every two hours…so it is just about always mealtime! And whenever I have an opportunity to eat, I do.
You just don’t know when you might next get a chance to inhale a few bites of food…one instant they are both happy, the next instant one is crying because his Lego “isn’t cooperating” and the other one decides she wants to be breastfeed for four hours!
Along the same lines, keep the pantry stocked with foods that are easy to snack on. Some of my favourite quick meals are peanut butter on toast, miso soup, pretzels dipped in hummus, and hearty smoothies with nuts, oats, and a few handfuls of spinach thrown in.
Always keep the toilet in toddler mode.
We have one of those step up to a seat apparatuses and while Charlie can set it up himself, it is just easier if it is in place and ready to go. Because inevitably, as soon as I sit down to feed Lyddie, he realises he has to go to the bathroom.
Stickers are your friend. Or at least they are my friend.
Find out what activities or toys inspire your child to engage in quiet play and stock up!
For us, sticker books do the trick…Charlie will sit quietly next to me while I am feeding Lyddie and will flip through the book, or talk about the stickers, or ask me to read it, or we will put the stickers on the correct pages together.
Do you have two? Or more?
What tricks of the trade have you learned?