new sibling daily life tips/tiny place

[Mab]

x posted in Life with a babe


Didn't know how to word the title :) The thing is: I'm anxious thinking about some daily life things involving my soon to be born baby (i'm 36 weeks preg)and ds1. Like naps. We live in a very little one bedroom apartment. I am an avid sling user so maybe baby will sleep there a lot..but if he stays asleep say in the bedroom, or in the living room for that matter, I think he would be awaken by ds1. Not because ds1 is going to wake him on purpose, but because of, well, life :lol I can't imagine directing ds1 not playing here or there, it isn't like he has many options in this little place and it breaks my heart the thought of saying him to play/live quietly because baby is sleeping. But I also think that I'll go crazy is baby is awaken every 2 minutes. I guess I'm just asking for others experiences in things like this, and how to balance everyone's needs. Thanks in advance!!

[trmpetplaya]

Well... I gave this a lot of thought and haven't tried my idea yet (obviously :lol), but I will have a 19.5 mo dd when this babe is born. We have a 3-bedroom duplex right now and since we all sleep in the same king-sized futon I was able to make one room into the playroom. I still need to get it all set up...

We have a small futon and most of the toys in the playroom. I'm planning on spending some quality time lying on the futon with the new babe while dd plays and reads and is otherwise occupied. The room will be about as safe as it can be so that I will feel comfortable taking short naps while she's playing as well. At the very least I'm hoping to be able to rest if not actually sleep any. When dd is takes her one nap then we will all lie down on the big futon and I'll bring a book - though hopefully I'll definitely be able to sleep at that point!

Thankfully my mom and sister will be in town for a few weeks after the babe is born (at least two weeks after if I don't go until 42 weeks) so I can figure something else out if that plan totally doesn't work...

I would love to hear what mamas who actually have two have done though :loveeyes: I'm also planning on slinging the new babe a LOT. After slinging dd through this pregnancy, slinging a new baby should be a breeze :thumb

love and peace. :love

[adon]

i have been told that the second one usually ends up sleeping thru ANYTHING. i guess they eventually get used to all the craziness or noise. at least that's what i am relying on because DS will be 3.5 by then and he's already crazy rowdy!! i don't think there is ANY way i will be able to keep him quiet:(

i'm keeping my fingers crossed!:lol

[Mumof3Nic]

My second never slept.. so I won't use him as an example. My third on the other hand we were living in cramped quarters and he slept through ANYTHING. He nursed to sleep and wasn't out of my arms too often so maybe that had something to do with it. He was probably placed in the crib three times and that just didn't work for us. I think a lot depends on the baby and it's personality (referring to my second) and how willing you are to lose your arms (I didn't have a sling.. I am hoping to this time) for a few weeks while everybody adjusts to the baby and the baby adjusts to the noise level. Supposedly.. they can hear everything in the womb anyway, which is pretty loud so they are quite able to sleep through noise.

[Mindy70]

You might try a white noise machine for the room where baby is napping. I use that for ds (23 mths) and it drowns out a lot of the household noises like conversations, doors, kids, etc. Plus babies often like the rushing sound.

[pianojazzgirl]

You might try a white noise machine for the room where baby is napping. I use that for ds (23 mths) and it drowns out a lot of the household noises like conversations, doors, kids, etc. Plus babies often like the rushing sound.

We used a air purifier in dd's room that worked as a white noise machine and it really really helped.

[wwisdomskr]

Well... I gave this a lot of thought and haven't tried my idea yet (obviously :lol), but I will have a 19.5 yo dd when this babe is born. We have a 3-bedroom duplex right now and since we all sleep in the same king-sized futon I was able to make one room into the playroom. I still need to get it all set up...

:rotflmao

Is this a typo?

Not that there's anything wrong with co-sleeping with your 19.5 year-old... But I would hope that you could expect her to be quiet at times...even without her own special playroom...

In all seriousness, I think you'll be fine. Friends of ours have an exact same set-up. I think it's a good idea.

Even with a bigger age gap and more space (playroom in the basement) our dd1 still wakes up dd2 all the time. We just ask that she not yell in or near the room where dd2 is sleeping. Dd2 has learned to fall back asleep much faster and we've all kind of adjusted and adapted.

I'm sure it will be harder for us this time! --with dd2 being only 2. But, we'll get through it. It takes a lot of surrender and laughter! :lol

[trmpetplaya]

:rotflmao

Is this a typo?

Not that there's anything wrong with co-sleeping with your 19.5 year-old... But I would hope that you could expect her to be quiet at times...even without her own special playroom...

Hehe, oops! Of course if you look at my sig, it has when my dd was born... and if I had a 19.5 year old dd then I would have been... like 5 years old when I got pregnant :laugh: I was 5 years older than my next sibling and I want to AVOID large age gaps like the plague! I always wished I had a sibling close in age to me... my brother who's 5 years younger than I am just started college last fall :dizzy: My other two siblings are still in middle school!

It's good to know that the playroom idea probably will work :loveeyes: Dd is good about entertaining herself for the most part. She's very independent...

love and peace. :love

[StrawberryFields]

OK-disclaimer-I'm only a mom of one but I do babysit for a 2 year old and a 6 month old in a small cape cod home.

The babies and the toddlers DO wake each other up so we have two separate napping spots in case they are napping at the same time (maybe you could do one in the family bed and one in a playpen or cot or sleeping bag in the main living area??). Our bedroom is right off the living room so if ds is sleeping and we are being loud around the house I usually run lullabies on a high volume close to the bedroom door and it helps drown out the noise.

[hipumpkins]

I live in a small 2 bedroom aprtment. In the early months it was stressful b/c I was a new mom of 2 and DD was ...well a 2 year old. some things that help keep quiet:
Arts and crafts during a nap
Play do'h
Books. My DD coined nursing, "read and feed" I would read to her while I nursed her brother
Serve a meal
Play blocks

Try to remember to play with your DS while the baby naps and not jsut get done everything else that is falling apart around you. ;)

[mommajb]

I have no idea how it all works out but it does. My oldest 2 are less than 2 years apart and we had a 1 bedroom for a while. My two youngest are just over 2 years apart and both still need naps. We read together, we read apart, we nurse, we cuddle, and today I am the one that fell asleep. :lol They all know to play quietly when that happens.

You will find what works for you. We do have quiet time in the afternoon but we are not silent when a baby is sleeping. The term we use is respectful because somebody is sleeping. We are no quieter for the baby than we would be for child or an adult. (My current toddler is never quiet, when we ask she shushes us followed by a screech. So much for that.)

[GinaRae]

Sometimes babes will amaze you! And they often sleep through anything. I wouldn't worry! Honestly! My house, though three bedrooms, is VERY small and without carpeting it's very noisy in here. But I am not so worried just yet. It will all work out.

[mommajb]

Sometimes babes will amaze you! And they often sleep through anything. I wouldn't worry! Honestly! My house, though three bedrooms, is VERY small and without carpeting it's very noisy in here. But I am not so worried just yet. It will all work out.


:yeah

My last baby could sleep next to the piano... during lessons!

[Mab]

THANKS A LOT everyone!! you gave me hope :love

[Pastrydemon]

We used a air purifier in dd's room that worked as a white noise machine and it really really helped.


I'm amazed at what DD has been able to sleep through with the tiny Hepa-filter we run in her room. Before we had that we used this little rinky-dink white noise machine from Target that worked just dandy (we travel with that one now). I second (third) that recommendation!

Erin

[momuveight2B]

We make no effort to keep things quiet for a new baby. They sleep in the sling or in the middle of the family room with kids running circles around them, having tantrums, slamming doors, what ever you can imagine. At night they sleep with us and hear snoring, farting and who knows what else. They sleep just fine. The womb is a noisy environment too so that is what they are used to.

People are always amazed that my children sleep anywhere at anytime. They will fall asleep on a chair in the middle of a loud concert, party, anything. I can carry them in and out of stores without them ever waking up. They actually prefer to be near me and will just climb on my lap and fall asleep while I continue whatever I am doing.

The downside is as they get to be teens and you have to pound on their doors for thirty minutes to wake them up for school :lol

[brittneyscott]

Yeah I wouldn't stress over it too badly. I'm expecting #2 anytime now and will have the same issue. DD is only 21 mo old and we have a very small place. When DD was little though we never made any effort to stay quiet for her and I don't plan to for DS when he arrives either. Of course we didn't have a toddler when we had DD so we'll see!

[dubfam]

DS #1 slept through anything for the first year or so.

I remember my MIL brought a sign over to our house that said "Quiet Please, Sweet Baby Inside" and she wanted us to put it on the front door:Puke
I did not hang it up!

We live in a duplex that is about 1400 square feet with a basement. We run a business out of our house. We are due in the end of Nov/beg of Dec and we live in a very rainy city, so I am definitely thinking about space and naps. DS #1 will be indoors a lot more because of the rain and that makes him :dizzy:

I am hoping this baby sleeps through everything like most babes do, but god help us all if it doesn't!!!

[Momma Aimee]

i am hopeing our 2nd is a better sleeper --

but that being said

i do NOT see anything wrong with asking, and helping, a toddler or preschooler to be less loud for a time period as the baby is alsspe.

read books, watch a movie together ... have special nap time quiet toys....

family members learn to respect each other, and while a 2 yo (what my son will be when the new one arrive) can not be sent off for 2 hours of silent time alone -- they CAN and SHOULD learn to be respectful of the needs of others in the house. be it momma sleeping in on her one day Daddy can play iwth you, or the new baby sleeping or whatever..........

i also plan that our afternoon nap -- at least for a long time -- will be a family nap.

Aimee

[mamakima]

We were in a very similar boat, Willa was 21 months when her sister was born, and I was very anxious about the sleeping arrangments...especially during the day. Here's my advice:

1. play music while either one is asleep...we use a native american flute cd that is really soothing and simple. I have found this to be immensely helpful in many ways. It is a sllep cue even if we are away from home or on a long car trip.

2. white noise near the entrance of the room where the sleeper is.

3. A really good sling! Nell took almost all her naps in a wrap style sling for many months. We loved the Hug-a-bub.

4. Get out of the house. Let the little one take naps in the car, sling, stroller (later). It will help make longer days shorter and the babe will sleep.

5. We did buy this neat infant hammock called "Nature Sway". I planned on hanging it in the living room and letting the little take some of her daytime sleep there...out of reach of her big sister but she didn't particularly like it. It looks so cozy! I know some babies would LOVE it.

PM me if you want!:nod