I had no idea the level of exhaustion I would feel after my first was born. I'm a nurse who worked nights. I know exhaustion. We have a hate-hate relationship and working 3 or 4 nights in a row really does you in. But it was no comparison to the exhaustion I felt after bringing home a baby. I was emotional, nursing took for-e-ver, and for someone who likes to plan things out--it was quite the transition.
Fast forward 2 years and we were getting ready to bring another baby home and I was so incredibly excited to add this guy to our family, but so nervous about how it would go. How would I manage taking care of two children? How would I keep my busy toddler from getting hurt or in trouble when my newborn needed something? How in the world would I go anywhere by myself with two kids??! It was a little overwhelming, to say the least.
We are almost at the year mark of adding this special guy to our family and when I look back, there are a few things that I know helped ease our transition from one to two:
1. K'Tan and Lillebaby Carrier
In the early months, the k'tan was my life saver. Hadley was always on the move and still too young to reason with, so I kept up with her best by following her around. It would have been so much harder to do if I'd had to carry Griff-man in my arms. He fit snugly down in the pouch and the walking around and closeness to me really soothed him.
Griffin eventually got too big for the k'tan/ his weight started to hurt my back, so I started using the chicco carrier. That was not a good fit for me. Griffin hung too low, so my center of gravity was off, he couldn't see anything so he hated it, and if I ever had to bend down to help Hadley do something, I felt like he was going to flip right out. I did some research and narrowed down my carrier to the lillebaby and ergo. Both can move baby 360 degrees, meaning he could face me, he could face out, I can carry him side-saddle, or on my back. The only real difference I ran in to between the two is the lillebaby has a zipper part you can pull down to reveal a mesh material that allows it to be a little more "breathable" during the hot months. Since I needed it mostly during the summer, I was sold. The minute I put that thing on, I knew it was a good purchase. I think I even uttered the statement, "we need to have another baby so I can get full use out of this thing!" I use this especially when we are at the park or playing outside. I can bend down without feeling like G will topple right now, and the lumbar support is phenomenal--no more back ache!
2. Double Jogging Stroller
Hadley is a lot better now about obeying and holding my hand in the street/stores, etc. but she was still quite young when G was born and this BOB double jogging stroller did the trick for us. I wanted a side-by-side to avoid fights as well as something I could exercise with. It has options for click-in carseats, it is easy enough for me to fold and put in our trunk, and it fits through a door frame. It turns easily, the seats recline, and there is a little basket underneath to store my stuff. We have a couple different strollers and this is the one I use most often. This was probably the most expensive purchase, but well worth the money.
3. Diaper Basket
The most genius thing I did was have a diaper basket downstairs. Obviously we had stuff upstairs, but having a place for diapers, wipes, butt cream, nose suction, etc. downstairs saved us a lot of times. All of our toys were downstairs and I couldn't leave Hadley alone to go upstairs and change a poopy diaper. Having a basket of essentials downstairs was honestly a life saver. Hadley loved "helping" change Griffin and would run to the basket to get anything we needed. I was able to keep an eye on her and take care of him. Win-win.
4. Double Monitor
I love the monitor we have. I will probably be watching my kids sleep until they go off to college, haha! But really, this monitor can hook up to 4 video feeds and it "scans" through them, so I get a full picture instead of a small square that I can see absolutely nothing in. It has been perfect for nap time when I'm cleaning the basement or outside playing with Hadley. I have a little more freedom to "do" instead of sit around and listen for crying.
5. Ipad/TV Show
Now don't shoot me here, but one of the things that really helped establish nursing for Griffin, especially in the early days, was a game on the iPad for Hadley or a DVR'ed Mickey Mouse episode. I would get H a snack, pile her up on the couch next to me and turn on an activity for her and that allowed me about 30 minutes to feed Griffin. Establishing nursing is so important in the beginning and you need time to devote to it. There would have been no way I could chase Hadley around while trying to feed Griffin. Some kids may sit and read books quietly or color or whatever, but not my kid. I know I would have been way more stressed about the mess she was making than focusing on feeding my baby, so it was a great set-up for us. It also made Hadley feel like she was still important and "part of" everything.
What products do you find helpful for parenting? Anything not on my list? I'd love to know!
This is good to know for the future. I used the k'tan with Madeline and it was a life saver.
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