Let me just say something right now, it is NOT going to be easy juggling a sassy toddler and a newborn baby, its just not. Unless you are super rich and have the money to have nannies then it just definitly will not be a walk in the park. However, I have been blessed to be doing this for nine whole months now and I am just going to give you guys a few tips and pointers from what we do in our daily lives. My little girl is two years old and I swear she is the sassiest little thing I have ever met and my baby boy just turned nine months and he is the sweetest, most loving baby ever. Before Noah was born we really focused on getting Luna prepared for the big change. We would always read books to her about being a big sister and how much fun they were going to have together. Another thing that really helped was we would play with her with her toy babies and pretend it was her little brother Noah. We showed her how to rock the baby, change his diaper, sing to him, etc. Luna was very little at the time she had just turned one year old but she is so smart she understood what was going on. Also, make sure to enjoy and savor every single moment you have left with your first little one because believe me, those moments are going to change and you will miss spending more time with just that little one. Once Noah was born the day came for little Luna to meet her baby brother at the hospital and we made sure to have a present ready for her when she came in. It may sound ridiculous, but make sure that anyone that comes to the house to see the new baby brings something for the older sibling, anything at all! Just make sure they bring a gift for the brother/sister so they do not feel left out or jealous. Another really important thing is to make sure that you or your partner are not carrying the new baby when the older sibling comes in for the first time because it could instantly set the tone for jealousy or resentment. Make sure the baby is in the little crib or even a car seat, however you want to go, just do not let them see you holding them as their first memory of their sibling. As soon as I saw my little girl walk through the door it took everything in me not to break down and cry. I missed her SO much and I knew that her young life was about to change forever, OUR lives had changed forever. Her daddy picked her up in his arms and showered her with hugs and kisses and brought her over to me to say hello and I just hugged her with all of my might. Our little baby princess had instantly become a big sister and it was no longer just three of us, there were now four. Her daddy carried her over to where Noah was sleeping in his little glass crib from the hospital and introduced them. It was such a tender, loving moment because she saw him and said “awwww how cute”, and tried to stroke his baby soft cheek. We were so relieved! The moment was over quickly because she soon became more interested in the hospital room and exploring and of course she wanted to go look for some pickles down in the cafeteria because they are one of her favorite snacks. It was not until we came home that the tough stuff began. Luna was so used to it being just her and it took a while for her to get used to sharing her mommy and daddy. There were many nights where we would ALL cry because it was so hard the first month trying to give Luna as much attention as we could while also making sure the baby was ok. To make matters worse my husband ended up getting sick, TWICE. Before we even left the hospital he ended up getting gastritis somehow and I had to go to my moms with my newborn baby and my Luna, it was THE toughest thing I ever had to do. It didn’t end there though. A couple weeks later he ended up getting the FLU!! So there we go, my kids and I, back to my mother’s house to hopefully avoid getting sick as well. Unfortunately, Luna ended up also getting the flu and Noah, being only less than two months old, got bronchiolitis. Craziness! Keep in mind this was all in December, so we spent that Christmas and New Years without him and it was very tough on all of us. Anyway, thankfully we made it through and everybody was ok in the end. Things I did learn were that babies cry, they are going to cry, its normal, DO NOT freak out. When they are both crying and freaking out I just take a deep breath and count to three, then I attend to whatever is the most urgent and then on to the next one. For example, if Luna is screaming because her YouTube Kids is not working and Noah is screaming because he wants a bottle or he had a blowout then I will probably tend to the baby first because his condition is a little more drastic. Also, it will take a while, probably a month or two, but I promise things will get better. You will be able to figure out their little sleeping schedules and try to synchronize them around the same times so you can give yourself some time to do whatever you need to do. SNACKS! I can not stress that enough. If going out with two babies for sure snacks are a necessity. I always pack two or three of Luna’s favorite snacks and a couple Mum Mum cookies for Noah, he LOVES those. When packing the diaper bag make sure that you pack EXTRA, even if you think you aren’t going to need something, you will. I also make sure to carry around some crayons and a little sketchbook for Luna because she loves to draw pictures so if she’s getting crazy in the car I just give her that and she just starts drawing and I would much rather her do that than watch YouTube all day. Now, I told myself that I was not going to let her watch YouTube and all that etc but girls, believe me that it will be necessary every now and then when everyone is losing their minds or for example in the mornings when I need to make breakfast I will put something on the TV for Luna like Blippi or Frozen, whatever and it gives me the time I need while Noah is in his bouncer just watching me. He is happy to be in the bouncer or the Mamaroo as long as he can see me, if he can’t see me then he will start losing it. Since Noah was born he was a little bookworm, his Nana would always give him those little soft books for babies that make crunchy sounds and they can chew on them. He LOVES them. I also make sure to make time in the day, if not every day at least every other day to read to the BOTH of them. Just because they are new babies it does not mean that they do not like to hear you read and it will help them develop their vocabulary quicker. When the pandemic hit, things got harder of course because we can’t really take the kids out anywhere cool so we had to find ways to entertain them at home. Luna really likes hands on things like Play-Doh or water painting, also they have little craft kits like at the dollar store and her and her daddy made a super cool wind chime and Luna got to paint it herself, it was so cute we still have it outside. They also made a really cute bird feeder that Luna keeps outside her window and every day she goes to her room to check if any birds ate the oof and something always does, she gets so happy. We also picked up the sport of lizard hunting. If it’s nighttime we give her a flashlight and she goes exploring the night for bugs and lizards and she has such a blast. Noah is the best baby because he never gets fussy or needs too much attention. As long as he is fed, clean, and not sleepy then he is golden. A bouncer is a must for the newborn stage and as they get a little older I highly recommend a walker or the walkers that stay in place. Get it or you will never get anything done. Do you like to shower? Get it. I also figured out that if I put Noah in the bouncer then I am able to shower with Luna and it is such a big help because that way we both get to shower and she gets a little one on one time with her mommy and that really makes her so happy. Which brings me to my final point, make sure to give the older sibling individual attention every day. Even if it is fifteen minutes a day, make sure to do something with just the older one because believe me they miss their mommy and daddy being only theirs even if they do not show it. That one on one time is gold for them. Last but not least, try not to stress too much and do not let anyone else’s advice get to you. You are a great momma and you are doing amazing. Do not worry! Everything always gets easier I promise. Just enjoy every single moment with your littles, “they will never be this little again.”, as my husband always tells me.
Truths from a Mommy 