Some 2 under 2 questions.

[KittyVentura]

Hello my darlings.

So Fin will be 19 1/2 - 20 months when this nugget arrives and it poses a few questions.

Firstly, what age can yove move a baby to a bed? I want Fin done really around Christmas - Feb time. He'll be 15-17 months. Is that too soon?

Do I REALLY need a double buggy? We LOVE our Quinny. I know a buggy board I can get which will fit and also I LOVE baby wearing. I still wear in now in the Ergo a lot and plan to wear the next baby from birth (in a moby initially) so with that in mind is a double REALLY required?

When do I need to stop baby wearing in the Ergo? Is it safe to baby wear until it becomes uncomfortable? Should I be stopping altogether now?

Breastfeeding with 2 under 2? How hard is it? I didn't last as long as I wanted breast feeding Fin but hope to have more luck with teh next baby. Are there things I can buy or do to help breastfeed with an actve toddler on the rampage?

As an add-on - what can I do when pregnant to help ensure I suceed better at breastfeeding the next. A lot of my problems were due to a poor latch. I know this now. I coped ok though with the massive cluster feeding and teh sore nipples until I got tonsilitis so hope to have better luck, not get ill, get latch sorted and EBF this next babe.

I might add more when I think of them. Yes, I need to be prepared lol xx

 

[emme]

Sorry no advice just wanted to say congrats xx

 

[skydragonfly]

Congratulations sweetheart. Try not to worry so, I had my first 2 12 months apart. I carried my first in his carrier till I was just too uncomfortable, he was around 10 months and about 26lb in weight and I was 7 months pregnant, I was walking huge distances too but my midwife told me to only do what my body could handle. I needed a double buggy because my eldest didn't even walk till nearly 19 months but I often used a single and a sling for the littlun too.
I've always found breastfeeding easier with the older ones around as there were no bottles to prepare, nothing to make up. I used to sit Jack down and read to him at the same time as I fed Mahalia. Then when Mahalia was 21 months, Harrison came along and I used to set up activities for J & M to do whilst I fed Harrison, a table with colouring things or paints, play dough, jigsaws, musical instruments and books so they were amused. In the evenings we used to snuggle up and read whilst I fed the baby.
The subsequent babies have always slotted into family life easily, I worried myself sick whilst carrying them but it has been relatively easy. As easy as it gets with 5 lol. Just enjoy it darling. My eldest babies turn 10 and 11 next month. xxxx

 

[kerrie24]

I havent had 2 under 2 but I have 3 kids so Im sure I can answer your q's.

None of my 3 have been in a cot,they didnt like it.Nathan went into his single bed(with bed guard) at 8 months,Aimee about a year and Owen is still in my bed
Just make it exciting for him to have a big boys bed and teach him how to get on/off safely.

If you plan on baby wearing I think a double buggy will be a waste of money,you can carry baby most of the time,pushing Fin in the buggy,then if Fin wants to walk you have the option of putting baby in to rest your back.
Owen would happily walk most of the time now(16 months) unless he is tired.

Breastfeeding-As mine were older when I was bf they were more able to occupy themselves for a bit,but I was also lucky to have short 5-10 minute feeders.Just make feeding times when you sit with Fin and read or watch tv,play I spy etc,things that you can do whilst sitting.Give Fin a snack to eat whilst you bf?Might keep him quiet for a while
Bf leaves you with one spare hand which ff doesnt,so it shouldnt be any harder,just that nobody else can take over.
The only way you can prepare yourself is to talk to people,talk about problems you might encounter and how they can be solved,go into it with confidence that you can do it,and dont be afraid to ask for help!

 

[KittyVentura]

Thanks guys. Really appreciate the advice xxx

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Ruby is still in a cot at nearly 2.5, she would just get out of a bed x 342439487474747 at the moment, we're leaving it until she is 3ish as she is happy in her cot. It's a cotbed so no problems with it being too small and never expected for no2 to be in it or anything. Mind you we intend to co sleep anyway. However lots of people move their LOs to a bed before they are 2 and some find they get out loads, and some don't.

We're not getting a double buggy, we're going to wear no2 and Ruby can go in the buggy or walk. We hope she will be mostly done with the buggy by the time LO comes (she'll be 2 yrs 9 months) but you never know. We're also getting a buggy board but to be honest with you, I wouldn't have used one if Ruby was 19 months. I would have stuck with wearing no2 and got maybe a cheap double for any time you don't want to babywear.

BF - I've seen mums at groups walking around BFing so I expect I'll do that sometimes but Ruby is very good at playing, she likes books, drawing etc, and the odd bit of telly, so I think we'll be fine. In my area we have a 'breast buddies' group that I will go along to before no2 is here so I can chat through the problems that caused us to fail last time around (no latch at all basically) and come up with a plan in case it happens again. I think most places have a BF support group, and/or a La Leche League group for support.

I wore Ruby the other week and it was fine, I really have no idea if it's advised or not but I am sure lots of women babywear while pregnant.

 

[Babyoh]

I've got 2 under 2....we do have a double buggy which is really handy for me but if baby wearing works for you perhaps it's not a necessity? The only thing is it's really difficult lifting up a toddler when you've got a baby in a sling...sometimes you might find you need to do this..

Breastfeeding while having a toddler is pretty good, I find - and really saves the hassle of preparing bottles. My daughter often wants a book read to her at the exact moment I start to feed - and at only 18 months is heavy enough to squash my son but not old enough really to understand she's hurting him - so I will try and read to her with an extra hand ready to try and push her off if she squashes my son...not always easy!! Sometimes she just doesn't want to be left out so I'll talk to her when I'm feeding or ask her to get me something to keep her distracted and this tends to work.

But...all in all it's great (depending on which day you ask!!!!!)

xx

 

[Lara310809]

I am having 2 under 2 aswell, but mine will be 21 months apart.

My daughter is currently 17 months, and she's still way too young to be moved into a cot. She jumps around in her cot and she would fall off. We put her on our bed in the mornings and she jumps so close to the edge that she would fall if we didn't stop her. She has height perception, but when she's excited she forgets all about it, and forgets she could get hurt. And in her sleep she wriggles about so much. I would say buy a travel cot and use that for a few months until LO is older. We will be moving our daughter into a bed when she's about 2y2m old, because that's the age she will be when the baby grows out of the glider we have, and will therefore need to go into the cot. If we think she's still too little for a regular bed, we will put her in the travel cot for a few months.

You don't need a double buggy, but I think you're going to have a hard job without one. If your son will be 15m he may be able to walk, but certainly not for long distances. My daughter started walking at 13m and she can now manage about 15 mins walking; but not much more than that. The age she is now (17m) she's still too young to put on a buggy board; she would jump off all the time, and actually she still naps during the day, so she will need a proper place to lie down for that while we're out. I think baby wearing is great, but remember that your oldest will still be in nappies, and if you need to change him, or tend to him, you have to first negotiate the fact that you have a baby on your front.

 

[special_kala]

Congrats!

We moved river into a bed at 18 months with no problems.

No double buggy in all honesty i think id chuck it under a bus (minus te kids of course) i struggled with my single buggy in shops etc no way would i use a double. I wear willow in the ergo and river in the zia. If need be later oni will just switch between wearing them and zia. We go out alotand ive no once thought i need a double.

Bf is very easy with river around too, much easier then bottles woud have been. You can do it one handed which you cant with abottle and if we fancy going out there is no planning ahead milk wise. We co sleep as wel which i recommend, more sleep all round.

I think youcan wear as long as you feel comfortable doing so, your body is used to it so no reason to stop

 

[LeannieB]

Hi Toby was 22 months when Sam arrived. We did get a double buggy as Toby was quite lazy and still used his buggy a lot. I can honestly say I have probably used the double buggy twice but my OH uses it on a sunday if he takes them out for a walk.
I always used the buggy board if I was on my own or I go out with my mum a lot so we have a buggy each. I found BF sam so much easier not having too make up bottles etc and Toby has always been very chilled and always been happy too play by himself from an early age so I never had any issues with BF. Sam was in our room until he was around 6 months and then we moved Toby into his new room so Sam could go into the cot so Toby was around 2.5 when he went into a big bed.
Congratulations, its lovely having them close together and now Sam is older (nearly 15months) they play together lots and Sam adores his big brother xxxx

 

[TennisGal]

Lizzie is not in her bed yet, but will be very soon...we keep putting it off, but the percussion sounds coming from the cot have prompted us to decide it could well be time!

We had a Quinny, sold it and bought a Phil and Teds. And I looooove it! It's soooo easy to use, just a dream. I wore Lizzie pretty much all the time, til she refused...and I wear Ally lots, too. However, there are times where I have found it just doesn't work - primarily when we are in the park (Lizzie runs up the big slide, then wants me to go down with her, not ideal with a baby in a sling...) Also, sometimes L does get tired. Sooooo, we alternate between wearing and pushing!

Bfing is fine...Lizzie tends to grab the spare boob protectively, but then gets more interested in the box of tricks I've put together for her...books, stickers and aqua draw being very popular.

I had to stop wearing relatively early on, pelvis decided not to play ball with wearing.

Happy and healthy nine months!

 

[oliviarose]

Hi, congratulations on your pregnancy

I don't have two under two.

But I moved my daughter into her bed at 18 months and she was fine.

We could like to try for another after our wedding next year and I plan to baby wear a lot with the next one, so I would not get a double. I struggle with a single, haha.

Just see how you go on with BF. If you cab get past those hard first few weeks it is a breeze after. So much more convenient than bottles. I would not bottle feed out of choice again. Bf is so much easier if you can do it and cheaper too. You could feed baby in the carrier too.

 

[littlestar85]

Congratulations!

I don't have any advice re: double buggy as I only have one LO, although my SIL has 2 under 2 and hated 2 double buggies she got as she couldn't get them on the bus. Alternating LOs between the buggy and babywearing sounds good if you're used to babywearing - if it were me I'd go for that option.

Cot/bed... Not sure as LO sleeps in his cot from 8-12pm then comes in with us till the morning. Not planning to switch to a bed until he has learnt to escape the cot LOL or outgrows co-sleeping.

I do have some advice re: BFing with poor latch though as my LO was severely tongue-tied for 10 weeks which basically causes the worst kind of latch there is.. I also got mastitis so we had a really hard time for nearly 3 months. A combination of breast compression/manipulation, expressing and syringe feeding and trying every tactic under the sun till his tongue was snipped meant I got the hang of it and he's still going strong at nearly 12 months now.I could write an essay on how to get around it so I think I'll pm you if you're interested as I've done huge amount of research on breastfeeding problems and am actually writing a book on it now!

X

 

[KittyVentura]

Thanks all

Congratulations!

I don't have any advice re: double buggy as I only have one LO, although my SIL has 2 under 2 and hated 2 double buggies she got as she couldn't get them on the bus. Alternating LOs between the buggy and babywearing sounds good if you're used to babywearing - if it were me I'd go for that option.

Cot/bed... Not sure as LO sleeps in his cot from 8-12pm then comes in with us till the morning. Not planning to switch to a bed until he has learnt to escape the cot LOL or outgrows co-sleeping.

I do have some advice re: BFing with poor latch though as my LO was severely tongue-tied for 10 weeks which basically causes the worst kind of latch there is.. I also got mastitis so we had a really hard time for nearly 3 months. A combination of breast compression/manipulation, expressing and syringe feeding and trying every tactic under the sun till his tongue was snipped meant I got the hang of it and he's still going strong at nearly 12 months now.I could write an essay on how to get around it so I think I'll pm you if you're interested as I've done huge amount of research on breastfeeding problems and am actually writing a book on it now!

X

Yes please love, when you have time I;d really appreciate that xxx

 

[Aunty E]

Baby wearing got difficult for me when I was pregnant, I mostly used a hip carry as I couldn't bear anything on my bump. We moved Imogen into a bed at 18 months. She gets out when we first put her to bed, has a little play in her room (she can't open the door) and puts herself back to bed after ten minutes or so. Works well for us.

You might find you want a double, as another poster said, sometimes it's impractical to carry one. It's also good if you go out for an entire day, both kids have somewhere to sleep. We've had a number of doubles now. Do not buy a cheap one, it will be hell to push (we have one for the CM and it's a mare). Buy second hand if budgets are an issue, and keep a single pram too. We have the Donkey which is a total indulgence, but works brilliantly for us, but we also have a P&T Vibe, which is handy for places that you can't fit a side by side into. The verve looks great, I would much prefer a four wheeler! The icandy peach was great, until Teddy refused to go in the bottom any more. I hear good things about the BJ City Mini double.

BFing was much easier the second time round - the cluster feeding didn't last long, and my milk came in much quicker and stronger so Ted slept better too.

 

[hinkybinky]

Massive congrats!! We've recently found out we're expecting again, will be 18 month gap for us, eek! Not exactly what we planned but mother nature clearly had other ideas. Stalking this thread with interest

 

[stacie-leigh]

My little lady will be 14 months when our baby arrives and I plan to move her in to the big bedroom in a bed when she is 20 months (baby will be going in cot at 6 months). We are getting a double pram but our age gap is slightly smaller than yours, I guess it is personal choice really.

Congratulations x

 

[MrsBandEgglet]

Hey, congratulations! mine are 14 and a 1/2 months apart and it's getting easier and easier, although I have just finished BF and now finding bottle feeding to be a complete pain tbh. All the prep for it whenever we go out seriously stresses me. We did buy a double pram; a gorgeous fancy Baby Jogger City Select but then I found it was easier to baby wear so Vi went in the moby and I used my pram as a single. Then I bought a Quinny Zapp Xtra because my pram as a single is quite heavy. I've gone back to using my double now because a month or so ago I had a bruised rib and found babywearing quite uncomfy. I'm now trying to get Arf to walk more because we are going for #3 in January and so he'll be going on a buggyboard and the other two in the pram (hopefully). You really do just adapt tbh You just get on with it. Preparation is key though; I try to prepare Arf's lunch in the morning because you can guarantee if I do it at lunch time Violet will be wanting something too. When I was BF I sat on the floor on Arf's play area and fed whilst reading a book or doing a jigsaw with Arf or something. 2 under 2 is a doddle once you get into it. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it's haaaaaaard! Way hard! especially bathtime and bedtime but when it's good it's absolutely wonderful. Congratulations again and good luck

 

[kelly29]

awwwwwwwwwwwwwww congrats darling dear how marvellous your such a trooper kitty i'm pretty sure it will be amazing whatever you do x

 

[minties]

awwuh kelly yuo are so fab and lush darling, what a gorgeous thing to say, and my arent you positively glowing. you cant possibly be the mum of 4, you look younger than anyone on this thread. love love love xxxx