How do you manage HSing and tending to babies/toddlers?

[LemonPie]

My older two kids are 5 (in June) and 7, so I'll be homeschooling them this fall. However, I also have an 18 month old who is busy beyond belief and wants to be into everything her older sibs are doing. I'm okay with that, to an extent, after all it's how she learns and she needs to be included. But sometimes it's just. . . to try to include her.

Case in point: Today I was trying to do an art project in the dining room with my ODD. The baby was on the table, dumping things out, uncapping markers and coloring on everything in sight including her sister's project (causing older sister to freak out), smearing glue stick on the floor, etc etc etc. I ended up leaving ODD to finish her project by herself and nursed the baby to distract her

This is a kid that I have to keep a CLOSE eye on. I just can't baby proof enough. . . she's already attempting to climb the gates I do have up, she pushes the furniture around to get up on things. At 14 months old I caught her stacking books in her brother's room to get into something on top of his bookcase. I love her dearly, but some days it feels like a full-time job just keeping her alive!

Sigh. . . I keep having to remind myself that she'll be nearly six months older by the time we really get started (her 2nd birthday is in September). Six months, six months, six months. . .

[SundayCrepes]

My son is 4 and my daughter is 20 months. She has a speech delay (though her sign language vocabulary is stellar) and is constantly seeking oral stimulation. I can't do playdoh, crayons, or anything without it going in her mouth. PLUS when we are at home and in the house she gets bored and wants my constant attention. Otherwise she whines and screams.

I am only just now starting to do at-home activities with my son these last couple weeks. I do the best I can and make the activities short. Mixing baking soda and vinegar one day, oil and water the next day. Today we actually did paper mache (during one of my daughter's rare long naps.)

A friend's daughter is 4 months older. She said the nearer to two the easier it gets. So I am just waiting for 2.

We are unschoolers and my son is not school age, so it's okay that we're in a holding pattern. It will get better as it gets older. You already know that, so I'd say stick by your (and my) mantra, "It will get better..."

[phathui5]

This is a good article, called "The baby is the lesson":
http://www.lovetolearn.net/policies/baby.lasso

For us, there was always a lot of redirecting and distracting. I kept toys in a basket in the living room for the littles while the bigger kids worked in the dining room. I sometimes let my younger two (2yo and 4yo) watch a cartoon to buy us half an hour while I help my olfer two (6yo and 9yo).

[zjande]

Just take it day by day.

Learn to yell above all the noise.

Stock up on mountains of markers, stamps & ink pads, & glue sticks at the back to school sales (for keeping littles busy with).

Playdough, playdough & more playdough.

Once I get my oldest homeschooler all set up with his work, I take the littles in the other room to read or sing or do their school work so my oldest can focus.

Laugh. Know that these chaotic baby juggling days are fleeting & wonderful. All too soon that baby will be sitting at the table studying the multiplication table instead of tossing all the marker lids to hither & yon.

[CariOfOz]

Lone dissenter here saying... it gets better when they hit 2???? My 3.5yo is a holy terror on wheels when we do ANY home school work I've been madly printing out preschool games and such for him, which is helping a little at least

[swellmomma]

I include my youngest in what we are doing since she was boarn. First I held her in my arms or sling while teaching the olders. Then when she was about 6 months old I used to stick her in her high chair with a few cheerios, or a toy etc and rotate things, do finger plays etc while the older 3 worked. Now at 2.5 she sits up at the big table with the other kids and has her own school activities to work on. Once we do all of her activities she is happy to go and play for a while in the next room becuase she doesn't feel the need to cause a problem for attention kwim.

She colours and cuts and glues. We count and sing. She knows her abc's, most shapes, many colours and tons of songs and poems. She used the peg board, or lacing boards, or pattern blocks. She calls it baby school and loves that time. WHile I amd doing baby school with her, I get my older 2 started on independant work and then work with ds6. She listens in to teh stories I am reading him, or the phonics lesson etc but mostly focuses on her own stuff. Usually both he and she are done at the same time and off they go to play while I turn my focus onto the older kids.

When there is times I am working with my 6yr old longer and dd does not want to play alone I set her up with a new activity like "washing" the dishes at the kitchen sink, or spraying the windows with a spray bottle and squeegee, or in the sensory table.

Next year when she turns 3 we are starting with oak meadow preschool curriculum because she is ready for it along with sonlight P3/4 books. A nice gentle way to keep going with school and keeping my sanity. She loves school time, and I think it is because she has always been a part of it.

In the situation you described OP, I would have pulled a chair up to the kitchen sink and filled it half way with soap and water, tossed in a couple cups, measuring spoons etc and a cloth so dd could "wash" them if she wanted. Filling and pouring activity like that can easily keep her busy for nearly an hour. Or toss in some toy animals, dolls or whatever else to change it up a bit.

(And don't tell anyone but when nothing else helps and dd is intent on driving me nuts and even nursing won't distract her, I turn on dora and give her some cheezies. Those are her 2 favorite things in the whole wide world, and guarantee 30 minutes of peace )

[meetoo]

My youngest is a little younger then your DD. She turns 2 in Dec. So far I'm trying to A) include her and B) make sure i spend enough time with her doing toddler stuff. I also try to save really messy art things for her nap

This summer I'm attempting to make her a bunch of toy bins(using tag sale finds) I can store in my basement and bring up everyday during school time. I'm thinking between doing on table activity with us, the toy bin, and a snack, that should cover most of the morning. I'm also trying to have my oldest DD do some school outside. Tada baby problem solved .