View Full Version : Whoo Whoo! All aboard....
...the baby train! DH and I are expecting baby #2 in May. That is the real reason I started working less. :-)
For those of you who have multiple children, how was the transition from one child to two? I am especially interested in hearing how you kept things simple. the idea of moving all the baby stuff DD has outgrown--the clothes and the blankets and the swing, etc.--from storage back in the house is making me a little twitchy! :-) Kid stuff can easily get out of control, and the rooms in our house aren't very big.
Congrats Kat! That is so exciting!!!!! I only have the one son so not advice here.
Congratulations! I don't have children so I can't give any advice, but I'm so pleased for you and your family. May it be a safe, healthy, and easy pregnancy and delivery!
SteveinMN
11-1-12, 11:53am
Congratulations!
Simplemind
11-1-12, 11:57am
How exciting! I too have only one so I don't have much advise other than to enjoy this time with your first and relax and dream about your second. Congratulations.
Congratulations! Hope that it is a restful, uneventful pregnancy. :)
When we went from 1 to 2, we were living in a 1000 sqft, 2 bedroom/1.5 bth. And that 2nd bedroom was the size of a small office with a small coat closet. Some things that I evaluated, for need of space:
*Evaluating what toys, equipment, furniture could serve as dual purpose
- for us, we decided for the children to share 1 tall dresser, toddler had lower drawers since she was evolving in helpfulness of grabbing pj's for herself. Infant had upper drawers so I could get to them more easily.
- turning the one small closet in a full organizer with shelving which gave us specific cubbies for each child with a small section to hang special outfits, jackets
- dual service toy bin. the kids eventually ended up interchanging their toys. our toddler had a few specific things that were special to her, that we kept in a bin that stowed under her bed.
- nixing the baby changing station and just having a basket near my bed for infant
*Purchasing clothing that can be layered and be worn at least 3 seasons and even purchased slightly larger
- thought ahead by purchasing light jackets, pants that may have been slightly big but with rolling up pant legs or sleeves, we got a lot more mileage out of them.
- looking for items that could be multi layered, not getting too crazy with the prints, so we could really interchange meant that we didn't need as many clothes for either child
*Feeding time, what do you really need
- when infant got older, we used a sissy? chair that attached to the table vs. a formal high chair. There are also those portable versions that you can bring to restaurants that just strap onto a regular chair. It saved floorspace and never had an issue with using either
*Strollers, carriers
- This was a frustration for us. We had a lightweight stroller, a single, a double, a jogger, carriers. It was really annoying. We bought them gently used but still. Really research the strollers that are on the market today. A good, sturdy lightweight that reclines, has storage, and good tires to get through all terrain would be a blessing if such thing now exists. When we had infant/newborns, they were still cornering that holy grail.. and not to my knowledge did one exist (that at least would have been affordable). There were times that toddler needed to be in a stroller, so I would put baby in carrier. This wasn't all the time, so I think nowadays if they have a stroller like I described above, it would be worth the money. Recline and put baby in it.. and when toddler is cranky or tired, put toddler in it and put baby in a carrier.
Hope that helps.
There's more.. but those are some basic things that pop into my mind, that I recall implementing. Our kids are now upper elementary/middle school, so I'm a little foggy in this department!
:cool::cool:Congratulations!!!!:cool::cool: No kids myself so have no advice but wishing you the best.
Gardenarian
11-1-12, 1:36pm
Yay Kat! I only have the one, so can't advise on #2, but you do hear tell it's easier. The learning curve on that first baby is pretty steep!
Congrats, good health, and all blessings!
Congrats!!
How old is your first?
Mine are 11.5 mts apart, those early years are kind of just a blur in my memory.
Congratulations! The best advise I can give is to involve your daughter as much as she can be. What is the age spread? Our kids are a little under 2 years apart. When I was pregnant with my second (daughter) I told my son that he was my baby, and this (pointing to my stomach) was his baby. It really helped him feel important and involved/needed. As they grew, I never compared one to the other in any respect as they were two totally different people. We never had jealousy problems.
Thank you, everyone, for your kind words and well wishes! I just realized I sounded kind of jerky in my initial post, like only people who had multiple children would have any ideas worth sharing. That is not what I meant at all! There are so many great minds here--I didn't intend to alienate anyone. Sorry if it came across that way. Please do chime in if you have any thoughts regarding organization, need vs. want, reducing material possessions, etc. :)
Float On--DD will be 21 months when the new baby is born. I think that is a good age difference. DD will be able to feed and dress herself and be getting ready to start potty training soon. 11.5 months for your kids! Wow! You're a superstar! I would have loved to have had mine that close together, but it wasn't to be! I imagine it was very difficult when they were small but fabulous as they got older. :)
Gardenarian--steep learning curve is right! As you probably remember, I had a tough time with DD at first. She was colicky and nursed every hour around the clock. She also didn't start sleeping through the night until she was a year old! I have never been so exhausted or such an emotional wreck in my life. I am so grateful for the support and encouragement I got from the folks here during that time--all the "hang in there--it gets better" and "have your tried this" and "you aren't doing anything wrong." I had no idea it could be so challenging. I feel a little more prepared this time going into it.
Simply L--thanks for all the wonderful ideas! We are playing with the idea of putting DD in a big girl bed if she seems ready so that we won't have another crib hanging around that we'll need to store just after a few more months. The clothing thing will definitely be easier if the kiddos are the same gender. If they aren't, it could get a little crazy. For DD, we just got a small high chair that straps on to a dining room chair. It converts into a booster seat and takes up way less space than a high chair. I am thinking a second one for the next kid since DD will probably still need hers. I am going to wait and see, though. Maybe she will be ready for just a standard booster seat. Ugh, the strollers! I SO know what you mean. We already have a stroller that is part of the travel system (the infant car seats just clicks in, which is nice) as well as a smaller umbrella stroller AND a wagon AND a baby carrier. My MIL has a double stroller we can use, but all these strollers are making me crazy! I don't have anywhere to put them, either, as the trunk of my car isn't very big and we don't have a coat closet or anything. So they sit larger than life in my entryway, where I trip over them every.single.day. Gah!
Kat, actually it was fabulous from the get-go. I too had way too many strollers but I did like my double (front/back instead of side/side) and my jogger, but I also kept those light weight fold up ones in the van.
The boys were born July and June so clothing was always easy to pass down and then share. Both were early walkers/talkers and they played so well together. Honestly....they've only had a handful of arguments in their 15/16 years - always best friends.
Congratulations, Kat! Happy pregnancy to you... and I wish you great joy in the new addition to the family.
I know I've said this to you before, but it's worth repeating, Congratulations!!!!!!
You've gotten some great advice already. I do the same thing as Peggy with the "your baby" thing and we have had almost no sibling rivalry issues outside of the first week or so. SimplyL has some great advice too.
I am glad to hear I am not the only one with too many strollers. :) It's a little crazy, really.
It has gotten easier for me each time, with a few hiccups here and there. Most of that is likely because I'm more confident and less stressed out now.
James and Travis are 20 months apart and I thought that was a pretty good age difference. All of my kids are within 13-20 months of another kid. James was ticked like crazy at me for being at the hospital for about two days and then he forgave me and all was well. The biggest issue was him being too interested in loving the baby. 20 month olds love hard. :) For that reason I recommend having a pack n play or something to keep the baby safe for a few minutes when you have to pee or do the dishes.
fidgiegirl
11-1-12, 6:13pm
Kat, how wonderful!
(and for the record, I don't think you could ever be a jerk :) )
try2bfrugal
11-1-12, 11:59pm
Congratulations!
Ditto on the congratulations! How cool!
float on--sounds wonderful! I think being able to have kiddos close together like that is a real blessing. :)
peggy and stella--that "your baby" thing is a great idea! DD is only 14 months right now, and I have been struggling with how to explain it to her. I am going to give that a try. Thank you!
Mighty Frugal
11-2-12, 10:24pm
Congratulations! My boys are 17 months apart. So many others have given you great advice. The only thing I can think of it to have a 'safe' area for your first child. Like a playpen or a secure area of a room. In there she can keep her toys that are not recommended for kids under 3.
I initially had a lot of trouble keeping my eldest son's toys out of the mouth of my youngest son. Rather than forcing my 3/4 year old to play with baby toys, I put all the 'not good for under 3' toys in a playpen and whenever he wanted to play with them, he climbed inside!
He also climbed in when he wanted a break from his baby brother!;)
Congratulations, Kat!
Lots of great posts and ideas!
Transition, IMO, Re: number of children and age between each, depends on ones very own nature to adjust to such. Our oldest two are 16 months apart, then there's a 3 year, 8 month gap between the third, followed by 4 years, 5 months between the forth, 2 years, 7 months between the fifth, and 13 months for the last. (Last two were adopted).
Our last born (forth child), wasn't long out of night-time diapers, when the boys came along, so I was still in full mommy mode. Having two in diapers (same time) was never an issue. (Cloth, pins, rubber pants, so no expense for disposables, and no running out of diapers!).
Small home meant two cribs shared the same room. Not ideal, but I made it work, albeit, storage space was a challenge. Diapers were changed in the crib.
On the simple side of things, with a little organizing, I was able to utilize a linen closet directly outside of the bathroom for extra baby things. (Diapers, rubber pants, washcloths, etc). Important daily needs and necessities, and with the linen closet situated directly across from the bathroom, wetting and wringing washcloths for dirty diaper changes was super convenient. Additionally, the baby room closet shelf served as an ideal spot for more bulkier items such as crib bedding, etc.
Tussiemussies
11-19-12, 5:28pm
Congratulations Kat. Don't have anything to add since we don't have children, just want to wish you the best!
Baby news is a real Whoo Whoo! Take good care of yourself and enjoy the preparation time.
That's exciting. I can't believe I missed it the first time.
I hear -- you know, in the mythology of motherhood -- that if you first one is easy, then your second one will be more challenging, and then vice-versa.
This is why I only want to have one. I had a perfect, easy first pregnancy, birth, and baby. I don't think I can catch lightening in a bottle twice. :)
Congratulations to you!
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