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Two Under Two ~ A Survivors Guide

Mr. Monster is about to turn two.  His milestone is making me realize that I officially have two toddlers.  No more babies.  And I survived Two under Two.
I guess technically I did that when Little Miss turned Two, but it really didn’t hit me until now.

Two Under Two-Real tips for surviving baby bunching 2 under 2, from someone who's done it.

When I first discovered I was pregnant with baby number two, I was filled with a lot of unknowns.  So I did what we moms do and headed for the internet.  But I never really found what I was looking for.  I found a lot of people telling me to make sure that I put on mascara every day or joking about keeping a stocked wine cabinet.  These are both good tips, but I was looking for logistics….Like how am I supposed to carry around two babies…everywhere.

So I thought I would give you a few of my best tips.

Tips for surviving Two Under Two

~Teach your oldest to walk, holding your hand, as soon as possible.  As soon as Little Miss was walking, I was training her to hold my hand.  She walked into stores, into the house, into school.  All while holding my hand.  So when Mr. Monster came around, I only had to carry an infant carrier and not two babies…at least 75% of the time.

Two Under Two-Real tips for surviving baby bunching, from someone who's done it.

~Find stores that have double shopping carts.  Target and Costco are two good examples.  I don’t want to admit how long it took me to realize that I could utilize a double shopping cart at Target.  Just be careful.  Those carts take practice to drive.  You’ll most certainly run into a clothing rack at least one time, every time you shop.

~Invest in a good double stroller.  I can’t recommend one because this is something that I’m going put in my lesson learned column.  I had a second-hand double stroller that was given to me. Don’t get me wrong, it was a lovely gesture.  But looking back, I should have spent the money.  Do your research.  Be able to open and close it easily.  Make sure that your infant carrier fits properly in it.

~On a similar note, get a good baby sling.  Make sure it’s comfortable and easy for you to use. The model I used is discontinued, but it clipped together in seconds.  Susie used one of those that she wrapped around her body, which she loved…but I could never get them to work right.  Whichever one you choose, practice putting it on and taking it off.

~Shop in the evening.  When the kids go to bed, head out for some quiet shopping.  You might be tired, but it’s worth it.  I did all my Christmas shopping between 8:00pm and 10:00pm.  And it was glorious.

Two Under Two-Real tips for surviving baby bunching, from someone who's done it.

~Make an extra effort to have one on one time with your oldest.  They will need the attention.  Schedule it and make it special.  Which isn’t hard, a one-year-old is very easily entertained.

~Keep your new baby out of reach.  Your oldest won’t completely understand that this is not a more life-like version of her baby doll.  I once had Mr. Monster laying in a Boppie, on the floor; I walked into the room and Little Miss was straddling him.  All I could see was his bald little head and his arms flailing…poor kid.  I can laugh about it now…but at the time, it was terrifying!

Two Under Two-Real tips for surviving baby bunching, from someone who's done it.

With all these tips…keep in mind the following:

~There will be tears.  Yours and theirs.

~Your house will be a mess.

~You will deserve to end every night with either wine or ice cream (some nights both).

~You will survive it.

~It will all be worth it.

Two Under Two-Real tips for surviving baby bunching, from someone who's done it.

If you’re still wanting more tips on 2 under 2, check out the great list at Parenting From The Heart.  Another survivor.

How many of you have survived baby bunching?  Do you have any recommendations?

Please share this with anyone you know that’s expecting their two under two!

 

Chelsea

Wednesday 20th of June 2018

We just found out we are pregnant with #4 our oldest is 8 and our middle is 6 our youngest is 8 months old. It took us a while to conceive our youngest so that’s what I was expecting again. We hadn’t even officially started trying and I was pregnant right away! A very happy surprise! We wanted more kids just not this soon lol we are extremely excited but I don’t think it’s fully hit me yet (I’m only 6 weeks) I came across this post and it’s the only positive one I’ve seen so far. The other I’ve read came across very negative to me. Thank You for your insight!

Kate

Tuesday 26th of June 2018

Congratulations! I'm glad you found this article. Having babies so close together is hard enough without all the added negativity. Enjoy your new babies!

Osha

Wednesday 24th of January 2018

Well actually I had two under two it was really amazing my little girl is still young she is five months old and the older one is 1 1/2 years old and they are amazing together the older one always tries to kiss her and give her her pacifier and give her milk she is so amazing she is like an adult but sometimes she acts jealousy and slaps her .I really enjoyed reading this article thank you. Also what helped me so much is hiring a maid to help me with the cleaning and taking care of the girls.

Kate

Thursday 25th of January 2018

Oh, I would love to hire a maid! :) Even now that they're older!

Jenny

Wednesday 17th of January 2018

I know this is a super old blog post but I just wanted to thank you for these tips! I read this before my second came. Now they are ages 1 and 2. I still don't feel fully out of the two under two, but your tips were the only useful ones I could find on the internet and helped me a ton the last year. Thank you!!

Kate

Thursday 18th of January 2018

I'm so glad that they have helped! My kiddos are now 4 & 5 and I promise it gets easier. :-)

Veronica

Wednesday 22nd of November 2017

My son was born when my daughter was 14 months old. I tought “this will be extremely complecated “ but it wasn’t so bad. I design 4 special boxes fill with safe and interesting stuff for my daughter to Play with only while I was breastfeeding my son and spred them arround the House. This way she would stay close to me but interested in something else than her brother and me

Terra

Friday 20th of January 2017

Thanks for the tips! I just found out I'm pregnant and I have a 5-month-old! We have mix feelings, but it's not like we didn't want more (just not this soon!) Oops! A little terrified...I'm a teacher and I'm nervous my employers and co-workers will not be happy with another maternity leave so soon. Ugh! Need tips on how to tell my co-workers?!?!

Kate

Friday 20th of January 2017

I can totally relate! I was terrified to tell my boss and co-workers. I was very happily surprised. My boss was very happy for us. With the co-workers, friends, and family be prepared for the "you know how to prevent that, don't you" or "you know what causes that" comments. :-) But that was the worst of it. Most people were very excited for us. You'll be surprised how many people have babies close together. You're definitely not alone!

Congratulations!!