It’s fair to say that life with a toddler and a newborn is very different to life with just a newborn. Here are a few of our ‘highlights’ so far…
1 // Getting up in the mornings on maternity leave
First baby: Sure he might have an early feed but then pop him down and keep on sleeping. Perhaps potter downstairs for a cup of tea late morning but then head back to bed to snuggle your newborn.
Second baby: Feed the baby and start to drift back off to sleep only to hear, “I done poo-poo” at 6am. Spend the next hour either attempting to get the toddler to wait for the sun to come up on his gro-clock, or listen to husband attempt the same process. Think about going back to sleep only to have the baby wake and want to feed again!
2 // First bowel movement after labour
First baby: Take it at your own ‘leisure’…dimmed lights, magazine to read, music to listen to…
Second baby: Have many attempts interrupted by the toddler. Finally, a successful attempt accompanied by a loud rendition of jingle bells played on the triangle and a toddler shouting, “You got to push. You done a poo? Well done Mummy. Good job.”
3 // First outing
First baby: Fancy some fresh air on day five and potter out just to the local park for a ten-minute walk.
Second baby: Toddler needs fresh air, leave the house ASAP so as not to all go stir crazy. Pick a relaxing activity like going to the supermarket where they don’t have a trolley for a toddler and baby and you spend your time breastfeeding whilst walking and wrangling the toddler. (In fact, there was no midwife available to check over Little brother prior to us leaving the hospital so we had to pop back the next day. Big brother was very nervous that we might be returning the baby so was very pleased when we brought him back!)
4 // Breastfeeding
First baby: Choose a lovely comfy chair, create a place for snacks, drinks and entertainment and settle in for a leisurely feed followed by some baby gazing.
Second baby: Start sitting down (sometimes) but run upstairs whilst feeding when you hear your toddler shouting, “I done a poo!” then carry on feeding whilst attempting to clean and dress your wriggly toddler.
5 // Physical activity
First baby: Ease yourself in, take gentle walks as and when you please and stop to drink coffee and eat pastries.
Second baby: Run as fast you can (four days after labour) to catch your toddler as he attempts to leave the church and head towards a busy road.
As different as it is this time around I’m actually loving getting up and about much more quickly. What’s your experience been of going from one to two kids? Any comparisons?
8 Comments
Jelena · June 4, 2018 at 10:40 pm
Oh my experience was just the opposite: Newborn #1 was a million times harder than Toddler + Newborn #2. Guess just a very high maintenance baby versus very easy going baby:) really enjoyed reading your observations:)
Annie · June 4, 2018 at 11:47 pm
Yeah it must be so baby dependent. We’re feeling very grateful for a more chilled number two.
Amber · June 6, 2018 at 7:38 pm
My boys are 14 months apart. They get along great. Only thing that I find a struggle is that when my oldest gets out of a phase the youngest starts. I love it though.
Annie · June 7, 2018 at 12:02 pm
Ha ha. It’s definitely fun and games! I have friends who have much smaller age gaps so I’m enjoying 2 and a half years.
mummuddlingthrough · June 7, 2018 at 8:30 pm
Oh yes – second baby is much like second pregnancy…SO different! I remember being at toddler groups when Mouse was days old… the show must go on!
Hope it’s all going well, thanks for taking the time to link to #coolmumclub
Rachael | Pingel Sisters · June 8, 2018 at 2:44 am
Yes, this is so true. My kids are all 2 years apart, so I’ve experienced this a number of times.
Rachael · June 14, 2018 at 11:55 am
Oh my goodness me, did you really have to run after your toddler 4 days after labour? That terrifies me, in both the parental and the pain side of things. This will be my life in a few weeks! #coolmumclub
Annie · June 14, 2018 at 2:27 pm
Yeah, I needed quite a long sit down afterwards 😂 This time around I knew my stitches had healed because it stopped being painful to crouch down to my toddler. Such a different experience this time!