Guess which little sweetie is the big 0-3… months. Ok, that saying doesn’t work very well here, but it’s Kaitlyn!
Following the same format as my other updates, let’s dive right in.
EAT
Kaitlyn eats about 5 times a day, though WHEN that happens is a bit all over the place. It’s typically about every 3 hours, once during the middle of the night. She generally takes about 15 minutes to eat, though the 2ish pm feeding can sometimes be a leisurely one, taking 45 minutes if we are just hanging out at home.
The bottle is a disaster. She hates it. Well she hated it the ONE time I tried it two days ago. Shame on me for being lazy and not attempting the bottle more often. I’m going to start trying it once a day, when she’s not starving I read. I just hate pouring pumped milk down the drain. Still, I really need to be more consistent with attempting the bottle or some upcoming events might be challenging for me to get to!
SLEEP
Sigh. This is where I’m most frustrated, though NOT with Kaitlyn. She’s a little rock star. The poor girl has no semblance of a daily routine because she gets toted around with big sis. Still she manages to go to sleep by 7:30 pm and only wake up once a night, usually around 3:00 am, and goes right back down until about 7:00 am. The funny thing is, she doesn’t always even eat that much in her mid-night wake up, which leads me to believe it’s comfort, not a meal she is after. On her 3 month birthday she slept all the way THROUGH THE NIGHT. 7:30 pm- 6:30 am. It was an amazing tease, as it was a one time deal.
I feel guilty she has no routine. At three months old, Hailey had a pretty set routine and was sleeping 7:30 pm- 6:30 am pretty regularly. Let me clarify that I’m not upset Kaitlyn isn’t sleeping 11 hour stretches, but I feel bad that she doesn’t have a routine of predictable nap times. Does anyone have any suggestions on scheduling for a second child?
She still sleeps swaddled and loves it. She will sometimes take a paci, but isn’t a big fan. She still sleeps in our room, though I’m ready to move her to the nursery. I’m just waiting for summer to cool off a bit, as our AC sometimes has trouble keeping the nursery cool.
PLAY
Oh this girl.
She’s a happy one!
Besides fussing when she’s tired, she is a very content little girl. I’m starting to be able to see some Kaitlyn-specific character traits. First of all, she likes to be UP. She likes us to help her stand or be sitting up, but don’t you dare hold her like a typical baby.
She has her hands either in her mouth or clasped together 98% of the time. If you talk to her, she chatters away right back to you and looks so sincere about whatever she is ‘talking’ about.
She rolled over at 2.5 months from back to front and started rolling both ways a week later. Sometimes she still gets ‘stuck’ on her belly, but usually she just rolls herself around and off of any play mat I try to keep her on.
She isn’t a fan of the Ergo yet, but will stay happy forever in the Bjorn.
I know, I know, the Bjorn is not supposed to be good for their hips, but she’s not in it for long stretches of time, and it’s a life saver sometimes.
Overall Kaitlyn likes to be up- sitting or standing. She likes to be looking out and seeing what is going on. She likes to be moving. She is not a fan of her carseat (so that’s a lot of fun). I really think she’s going to be a busy one, so when she falls asleep on me with a full belly I sit and soak it up for a while.
SISTERS
Some have asked for an update on how the girls are doing together. It’s like a scene out of Pleasantville. They love each other.
Hailey loves to ‘teach’ her sister things like how to ‘hold a cup’ by forcing a play teacup into her hands. She lays on her back right beside her to point out the butterflies on the play mat. When she talks to her, quite often saying aw, you so cute baby Kay-lin, Kaitlyn busts out some serious smiles. I know they will have their moments down the road, but for now it’s incredibly heartwarming to watch them together.
Hailey hasn’t had any noticeable jealousy issues. She has, however, turned into a mini-mom. She imitates everything I do with Kaitlyn and I get the biggest kick out of it.
Golly, I always intend to keep these updates succinct, but end up jabbering on. I guess you can tell, I really love this mom gig, even with it’s messy parts.
But I really would love your input on second child scheduling.
Should I focus on trying to get at least one nap in at home? Which one?
Moms of two kids, how do you manage it?
Sarah@creatingbettertomorrow says
I had no idea what having 2 at the same time would mean (first time mamma here!) it is NUTSO…I don’t have specific advice since I have 2 at the same age and whatnot..but I will say they are TOTALLY different (different feeding needs, different personalities)…I try to tell myself treat each as if they were totally separate babies, I keep comparing them to each other and thinkgin I need to treat them the same (nurse both the same, hold both the same amt of time)…BUT THEY ARE DIFFERENT…good luck as I am sure the different ages is just as complicated as twins!
erin says
She is growing up so fast and super cute!
When my second was this age we tried to do at least one nap at home. That usually worked out to be the second nap because if I timed it right I could get him to nap at the same time as my older child and two kids napping at the same time is quite nice:) I wouldn’t stress about it too much though, she is still young and seems to be doing really well with sleep, there is a reason everyone says their second kids are so much more adaptable; because we all force them to just go with the flow more than we did with the first.
Good luck!
Christy says
Good morning! What a lovely update…looks like you are doing great. I have two girls, 1.5 years apart. My younger daughter is almost 1. (Where does the time go??). Anyways, she wasn’t as solid of a sleeper as my first, so we had to crack down on some things. First order of business: no napping on the go. It was (and still is) SO hard because I’m chained to the house half the day. But she naps twice daily for two hours each. These heathy naps set her up for a smooth nighttime sleep as well. Sleep begets sleep! Also, as the girls get older you will appreciate the one on one time while the other naps. Now that my younger daughter is in the thick of things, playing and crawling and stealing toys, it’s not always pleasantville! And I can have my hands free to do more involved activities with my oldest, instead of running around chasing after the baby the whole time. Good luck!
Brittany Dixon says
Two 2 hours naps sounds lovely!! Can you send that my way please? 😉 And you bring up a great point. I do love having the one-on-one time with each girl while the other is sleeping and I know Hailey loves it too!
Stacey@BingeFreeMe says
She is precious!!
With my second who is now 1.5 years old I def had to let go of napping at the exact times everyday. I did do one nap a day at home but it varied which one it was. I found that for me the flexibility allowed her to become a very flexible 1.5 year old:) As you know, every child is different and you’ll figure out what works best!
lindsay says
My second two were actually much better sleepers than my first, and much more portable which was nice. My little ones sleeps 845-8, 945-11 and 145-5 with a catnap sometimes at 1230 and 630. This is when we are actually home. I try and preserve one of her two naps in a day, preferably the afternoon one so I can homeschool my older daughter then. And if we can, I try and plan around both but that doesn’t happen often. Sometimes that means she doesn’t nap as well, like yesterday, but its worth it to me. I just try and keep her on schedule napping even if we aren’t home. Like this morning I will be at a church meeting for her morning nap but I will put her in a wrap and get her to sleep on my at 945. Or I will plan when I leave the house so she will fall asleep in the car at her naptime.
And none of my kids took a bottle but I pump one side every morning so I am not horribly lopsided or get mastitis. so like 6 oz a day. What I don’t use in baby food, my two older girls drink. My middle one, same age as hailey, looooves “boobie milk” and requested it for her birthday breakfast drink last week. I mean they drink cows breastmilk, why not mine which is fresh and tailored for them, not a baby calf. My allergist actually thinks it helped my older one outgrow her severe tree nut allergy because of the awesome immune boost (from back when she drank breastmilk again when I was nursing my middle child). I just cant pour it down the sink either!
Brittany Dixon says
How old is your older daughter that you homeschool? That is something we are looking into for the future! And thanks so much for the info- it sounds like preserving one nap at home at least is the way to go!
Lindsay@Fuel My Family says
She will be 6 next month. She missed the cut off date and she couldn’t wait the extra year to start. she would have been too bored and gotten herself in trouble chatting too much, I know my child :). We just started 2nd grade last week. And I don’t use a program with my middle one but am currently teaching her to read and do simple math (actually my 5 year old teaches her to read more than I do even, makes my job easier :)).
Kristin P says
I love that your daughter requested mommy’s boobie milk for her birthday breakfast drink! I don’t know why but that just made me smile reading that. So sweet!
Christina says
I have no advice to give since I just have one, but I wanted to say that your girls are darling and you look so happy! I love the honesty of your blog – thanks for keeping it real! 🙂
Paulina says
We try and plan our days so we’re home for lunch and afternoon naps. My oldest is Hailey’s age and still (usually) takes a nap after lunch. The baby usually gets a nap during that time too. On the days when we can’t be home, she naps on the go (stroller, ergo, car seat) and I notice a difference in her sleep at night. She has a harder time falling and staying asleep at bedtime when she has had a busy day on the go.
Her naps aren’t on a schedule yet and she’s almost 7 months old! She usually takes 2 naps but they might be 30 minutes long or 2 hours long.
Oh, and my kids NEVER took a bottle from me in the beginning. And my husband, bless him, but he didn’t have the patience to get the baby to take a bottle either. He tried and the baby would cry and he’d get stressed and that would just escalate the baby’s crying. The only thing that worked for us was having my mom do it. It was a looong process. We’d wait til the baby is kinda hungry but not starving, make a bottle with 2 ounces, give the baby and bottle to my mom and I’d leave the house. My mom is a saint and she’d rock and bounce and sing and soothe for up to an hour and after two or three days (we only tried once a day) the baby latched on and got it! But it was tough and I couldn’t have done it myself. I know you’re family lives far away so this probably doesn’t help you. Maybe one of you’re mom friends could? LOL you could swap babies for an afternoon and both work on bottles for the others baby.
Brittany Dixon says
AH, I’ve heard babies have a tough time taking bottles from their moms, but since I don’t have much consistent help, I’m now trying once a day by myself. Wish me luck with that 😉 I love your tip about not having the baby be starving. I certainly don’t want to tick her off!
Paulina says
Lots of luck!
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
Oh friend… can I come snuggle your girls??? The only thing I did to keep Baby D napping was to keep him on a schedule. However, that HAS to be harder with 2. I’ll need YOUR advice one day.
Tiffany says
I have no advice on naps with two kids as I only have that issue on the weekends since I’m at work during the week. At 5 months old, my youngest also still wakes up once a night even though she naps ok at daycare so yeahhh…
However, wanted to throw in there that my youngest had an issue with bottles when we weren’t consistent with it when I was on maternity leave. I got lazy since it was just easier to feed her…then she started refusing bottles! For us, what worked was 1) switching bottle brands and 2) consistently feeding her bottles (we did 1 bottle every other night). She did not like the same bottles that her older sister did so we switched to a “breastfeeding friendly” one – Lansinoh mOmma. After that, she did really well. Other advice from my pediatrician was have dad give the bottle, change positions to feed a bottle from your normal breastfeeding position, have mom leave the house when giving a bottle, have dad (or someone else) hold something that smells like mom. Every baby is different so it’s funny that the advice I was given actually contradicts itself! Good luck!
Brittany Dixon says
I’m going to try the try-different-positions tip and hope it helps! I also bought another bottle to try. Thanks for the tips!
Heather says
I don’t know how much help I’ll be since our kiddos are in day care, but that in itself as been a lifesaver as far as schedules go because I know our toddler has his afternoon nap and generally our little girl as her morning and afternoon nap. On the weekends, though, I can see where it’s easy to run into problems. We do really try to make time for our 9 month old to hae her morning nap, though, which she usually starts around 9:00-9:30am. She’s a really easy baby, so if we know we need to go somewhere we can often try and plan our outing so that she has time to nap in the car (when she was younger she’d stay asleep in her infant carseat usually without problem even when I stopped to shop). Our 2 year old still takes a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon, so that can also be tricky and means we have a small window of time to get out of the house on weekends. Sometimes we might push the toddler’s nap back a tad and it might be shorter than usual, but overall… I do think our 9 month old started sleeping through the night so much better because we were able to keep her on a similar routine that her brother had. We also started teaching her self-soothing a lot sooner than we did with her brother – mostly out of necessity in the evening because bedtime routines clashed and there wasn’t always time for me to sit and rock her to sleep. So, since she was pretty small, we’ve often laid her down in bed with a pacifier, lovey, sleep sheep and a soft light (not anymore-too distracting) and she learned to fall asleep on her own. I think it’s because of this that even if she stirs a lot in the night, she can find her lovey and soothe herself back to sleep.
Granted, even though she’s in day care there are days where the little miss decides to only take one morning nap for an hour and that throws things off, but if you can find a way to keep to a schedule and find a way to keep activities between naps for at least a couple days out of the week, it might help.
Jaclyn @ Bumpsweat says
Oh wow, your girls together, loving on each other, is the SWEETEST!! My little sister and I are 18 months apart, and we’ve always been close. I hope that stays the same for your two 🙂
Sabrina says
I always made sure that we were home by 12 when Ali was that age. She’d nurse at 12 while R and I ate lunch and then both kids would nap at 1. No matter what we were doing I was pretty strict about being home in time for that good feeding and simultaneous nap. The morning nap was mostly on the go in the sling, but I always tried to time it at the same time.
The good thing about being home by 12 is that it forced us to get out of the house EARLY to go to our morning adventure. I’d pack the bag and make our plans the night before so we could just get out the door.
Good luck figuring it out.
Brittany Dixon says
I really like the sound of your set up. We do the get-out-of-the-house-early routine too and I always keep a bag ready to go. Did Ali just sleep wherever you happened to be in the morning? Did you have to bounce/rock to get her to sleep? That’s my biggest hurdle right now, as we are usually home by 12 too so H can nap at 1.
Sabrina says
If ali was in a sling she would sleep anywhere as long as I walked fast and had her smashed in there really tightly. If we were at a playground r would play while I’d fast walk around, and when ali fell asleep i’d divert all my attention to r.
and make sure you get that double nap in the afternoon! it saved me from a breakdown many a time 🙂
lauren says
Hailey is right, baby kaitlyn is so cute!
No advice on 2 kids, as I only have one, but we ended up falling into a very laid back schedule in the beginning and now at 13 mos, my son is still doing great! I was home with him for the first 4 months. He was never a good napper, only would nap in a car seat on the go or in his swing…til he was 6 or 7 months. I tried being consistent and all that with a nap schedule – which always ended in tears – then I just said “what for?” one day. He’s always been a good night time sleeper, so we decided early on not to stress about things that weren’t a problem.
It makes sense to do what comes naturally for your family. He got into a good nap rhythm eventually and now dropped his half hour am nap and naps 12:30 – 2 or 3. I’d say if Hailey is napping in the afternoon, start with that and don’t worry about the other one. You know your baby, they have such clear signs when they’re tired. A nap in the car, stroller, ergo, etc. still counts in my book!
We get some no nap days on the weekend sometimes. Once in awhile, he powers through, but it usually results in a early bedtime…for allof us 😉
Laura @ FitMamaLove says
With two, the second one does just go along for the ride! Usually we’d do one nap at home because we’d be home for my older one’s nap and the baby would sleep sometime around then. Rarely overlapping for more than 20 min, though!
My son only liked outward facing, so I pretty much always wore him that way in the Beco
Michelle G. says
I asked my pediatrician about the Bjorn hips debate, figuring that she would have seen at least a few kids suffering from hip damage or delayed walking or some other issues as a result of the prevalence of Bjorn-type carriers over the years. She hadn’t. She said the only thing you need to worry about is giving your kid enough stimulation, enough tummy time, and enough opportunity to explore rather than having them in a carrier all the time. (Don’t think you have anything to worry about.)
Brittany Dixon says
Oh that’s interesting! I am going to ask my ped the same on our next visit. Thanks Michelle!
Lauren Brennan says
Miraculously, I have been able to put both Jackson (almost 2!) and Luke (6 weeks) down for naps at the same time. (Around 1-ish) Even though Luke doesn’t nap as long as Jackson, it’s wonderful having them snooze at the same time so I can have at least a few minutes of down time. So, I think making sure you are at home for at least one nap time is key (although I am so new at this too!). Does Hailey still nap?
Hearing how early your kids have slept through the night makes me incredibly jealous! Jackson took 9 MONTHS before he did consistently. And I tried everything! Hoping Luke cuts me a break this time around.
Brittany Dixon says
I’m so impressed!! Hailey does still nap, usually 1-3:30 so I get a good 45 minutes of overlap at some point during that period. How often is Luke napping throughout the day? Do you leave the house in the mornings or find it easier to stay home?
Lauren Brennan says
I always try to get out in the mornings. The days when we don’t are much harder! We go out and do something fun to tire Jackson out, then home around 12 for lunch and naps. After that, we usually play at home, but sometimes we’ll get out again for a walk or to run an errand. Then DAddy comes home- hallelujah! 🙂
Lauren Brennan says
I have Luke on a eat/play/sleep routine, so he typically gets little naps throughout the day, most of which are taken in the car seat, baby carrier, or his bouncy seat at home. He eats 9-10 times a day right now.
april says
Hey there! It’s April (my hubby, Jason, works with David…and we met once at that brewery get together!). I’ve never commented before but I do read your blog and love following along with your family life! Here’s what I found to work for us regarding nap time with a second baby. When Holland was a newborn, she had to tag along with me when I took Jackson to preschool in the morning 2 days a week. She usually just napped in the car or I would put her down for a nap once we got home. Not sure about Kaitlyn but Holland always fell asleep in the car no matter what. When she was a little bit older, around 6 months or so, she would consistently nap in her crib in the morning, and this nap would be her longer one (1.5-2 hours). We would run errands or if it was a school day, I’d pick up Jackson in the afternoon. She would then fall asleep in the car and I’d drive around for about 45 to an hour so she could get a second “nap”. I’m probably just confusing you but the point of my rambling is that I tried to always get one solid nap at home, which usually meant errands were ran in the afternoon. It may seem like her naps right now are all over the place, and they probably are and that is normal for being the second baby! It will likely even out as she gets older and her nap schedule will be more consistent. Holland now has very specific nap times and sleeps like a champ! You are doing great and the girls seem so happy!
Brittany Dixon says
Hi April!! Have you seen the adorable lunch box you gave Hailey pop up on here? She is obsessed with it- thank you again!
It’s so good to hear that Holland has a set sleep schedule now because I think my biggest fear is that I’m screwing up Kaitlyn’s chance of solid sleeping forever (haha, dramatic much? ;)) I’m hoping when H starts preschool a couple mornings a week in September that we can get into a similar routine.
I’d love to see you again sometime- maybe this fall??
Kelly says
I have a 3 month old and a 2 yr old jut like you! I actually find that the morning nap is typically the one that develops first and is the longest. I do try to stay home for most naps because a schedule is important to me and being a working mom I like to be able to tell others what to expect! We usually make quick trips out in between naps for my 2 yr old. But we have a play set and so many things for her to do at home to keep her entertained! I also try to schedule more play dates at my own house. 🙂 maybe try having her nap at home for a week and maybe it will help her night sleep as well! She’s just adorable!
Karen Cassidy says
You are seriously a rockstar MOM!! I only have Keely right now but I’d try for at least one nap at home for little K and see if that helps at all. I am a little scared when we have another with their sleep routine as Keely was sleeping through the night at 4 weeks. Doctor told me, DO NOT wake her to eat and if she’s hungry she’ll let you know. She ate really well during the day then would nurse around 9:30pm and sleep from 9:45pm-6:45am then that went down to 7:30pm-7:00pm around 3 months which was perfect for when I went back to work. Good luck but know you are doing an AMAZING job!!
Joni says
This makes me wonder if my baby is just different! No advice here since I only have one little 11 month old, but I always worried about having her on a nap schedule…but my husband and I love to be out and about (got a little too housebound her first three months) so on weekends as long as she gets a morning-ish and afternoon-ish nap in somewhere (carseat, crib, or pack n play), somehow she’s good. She will still go to bed around the same time and wakes up around the same time no matter what her naps looked like – long, short, late, early, etc. I never thought too much of it since she’s in daycare 5 days a week so I figured they would get her on a good schedule 80% of the time – but nope. She still does whatever she wants there 😉 Mostly two naps a day at random times but she’s always fine! The one nap days are quite fun – she ends up sleeping the whole way home and then some, and we push back bedtime a tad, but otherwise it’s no big deal. My mom had three kids and said she never had a nap schedule for any of us, for what it’s worth 🙂 By the way you totally inspire me that having a second child is doable! And your girls are just too sweet.
Sara Moser says
You are doing a great job! All babies are different, but it is hard not to compare. I am a mother of 7, grandmother to 1 (so far). If your baby is happy and healthy, then don’t worry about schedules. Unless you stay home all the time and live by the clock, it won’t happen. Think more about guidelines, and focus on the important – loving and laughing and living the healthy lifestyle that does require going to market, exercising, taking play breaks. Again, you are doing a great job!
Megan says
Naps are so important! You gotta give your 3 mo the chance to take solids naps, which I know is hard having an older one. This is my go-to source for sleep, it’s all backed up by science and they are very supportive when it comes to breastfeeding. Many sleep theories out there aren’t.
http://childsleepscience.wordpress.com/category/sleep-birth-to-4-months/
I learned the hard way with my daughter and didn’t let her nap enough, and as a result, she ended up sleep deprived. Sleep begets sleep.
Ana says
I have 2 girls too! My oldest will be 3 next month and my baby will be 10 months next week. My 2nd was pretty flexible until 3 months old and that’s when I noticed her lack of schedule to keep up with big sister’s was becoming an issue. I aimed for at least one nap at home but could usually get 2. Mine did better with her morning nap at home (9ish-11ish). Then I’d nurse and we’d go picnic for lunch (or we’d go somewhere out to eat and then big sister could play at the park or with friends. Then I’d be home by 2:30 and everyone went down for a nap. Honestly, that’s still what we do. That gives us 3 and half hours out of the house. Except now, if I need to stretch that afternoon nap to 3:30, I usually can. We still have a few days where baby sis has to suck it up because big sis has a play date or doctor appointment and we roll with it. I just try not to make that the normal.
Also, my first slept great 8pm-8am from like 6 weeks old and that her schedule to this day.
My second is great but not consistent. At 10 months, sometimes she sleeps 8pm-7am, but sometimes she still randomly wakes at 5am to nurse and then goes right back down until 7 or 8. I can’t figure it out. I don’t know why she goes back and forth so I just stopped comparing and roll with it.
Your girls are adorable!
Marie says
Your girls are precious! What brand of swaddles do you use? Just curious as the cute apple one in today’s post looked like a SwaddleMe. I use the same brand on my 11 week old boy and he loves them. I also use the Baby Bjorn. My little one doesn’t mind it either. 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
You got it! It’s a swaddleme. We did just use two blankets until she started consistently busting out of them. Now I all the velcro her straight jacket 😉
Rebekah Anderson says
Hey Brittany,
I have a 2 (almost) 3 year old and a 9 month old. At first, I’d stay home in the mornings. But, when he hit about 3 or 4 months, I’d say, I started doing things in the morning again for my 2 yr old’s sake. So, that meant my 9 month old (Joby) got a nap either in the car or in the ergo, on me. It is tough sometimes because that means a shorter nap altogether (and sometimes not at all), and he won’t always nap in the afternoon when big sis has an afternoon nap or rest. But– in some ways, I think it is just part of the multiple children life–the younger ones just have to fit into what’s already going on. With my daughter, I was able to “protect” and create the atmosphere and schedule I wanted… it was only messed up if she was not having it. But, with the 2nd, I think we just have to be more flexible. Not any great advice, except to try not to feel bad (mommy guilt!) and provide your 2nd chances to sleep when you can. I do try to not go out-and-about at least 2 mornings a week, so that I can give him a chance to try to nap on a regular routine. Good luck! You are doing great. 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
You have a great point- baby #2 must learn to be more flexible… just like I’m learning to let go of my dependence on routine too- haha! A little go-with-the-flow is probably good for all of us. Thanks for the comment!
Maria says
Obviously I have no advice on this matter, but I must say that you are doing something right because they both seem like very happy, well-adjusted little (adorable) ladies! As a fellow Type-A’er, I can relate to wanting K to adhere to a set schedule (for her sake and yours), but I think you should really trust your instinct and remind yourself that you are doing the best you can.
H’s mimicking is the cutest!
Jen says
I have no advice, since I just have the one! And I think it’s getting old how I tell you I’m jealous e.v.e.r.y. single time you talk about how Kaitlyn sleeps (I’m still up with my munchkin 6 times a night!!!), so I guess I’ll just say: Yay for babies! You’re doing a great job and I am sure you’ll figure out the whole scheduling thing.
Brittany Dixon says
You clearly are a rock star mom at 6 times a night. You can tell me to shut up with my whining now 😉 Sending you hugs and coffee!! 🙂
Elizabeth says
My daughter has the same blue cherry dress. She is a doll. I feel you on second one having no schedule. I remember with my first we were so on point but like you said second gets taken everywhere anytime.
Haley says
As challenging as it might seem staying at home a little more will most likely help Kaitlyn nap more! Hailey will probably enjoy being outside in your yard just as much as at the mall, park, etc at least a few days a week! But i’m sure you’re doing a great job-i’m finding every day that being a mom is hard work!!
Brittany Dixon says
You’re so right. Hailey would be fine staying home a bit more. We have plenty for her to play with. It’s me that needs to get comfortable with it! Good point 🙂
Sherry says
So enjoyed the update and pictures. Three precious girls!
Lauren says
Your girls are too cute! My daughter is just a week older than K and we try to do one nap at home, and that’s usually at 1, to coincide with my son. I’ll admit that she sleeps in the swing & swaddled to try to make that nap as long as possible.The other 2 naps are in the ergo usually and somehow we manage to get away with 3 naps and 1.5 hours of awake time between each nap and then get us to bedtime. I think we can try to help them as much as possible, but the fact of the matter is that they don’t get the luxury of staying home as much as our first babies did.
Leah says
It sounds like you are doing great, mama! K is adorable! I’d say around 6 ish months a more predictable nap routine was established. I found they become less portable then–sleeping anywhere becomes tougher. They are more curious about the world, not wanting to miss out. So car seat naps, ergo doesn’t work as well. I aimed for an afternoon nap at home. Oldest napped til baby 9 months and I tried to nap some days. Mine did not sleep as well at night as yours. I was not so lucky! You are doing great though! I found most classes and activities were in the morning so we tried for nap after lunch at home consistently. Good luck!
Al says
My 2nd napped like a champ in the ergo with the infant insert starting at about 12 weeks old. That enabled me to still get in walks (while older was in stroller), park play times, or cooking dinner. I also tried to keep the same TIMES consistent for naps, feedings and bedtime. Although location might not be the same, my times were and that created the consistency and routine we both needed. Also- I think her sleeping in her own room would help. I know you have AC/cooling issues up there but I would be tempted to swaddle her just a diaper and put a big fan in her room and just go for it. It will be another month before it could cool off enough….. ??! Just a thought. Would you consider a window air conditioner for the girls’ rooms?
Brittany Dixon says
I always swaddle her in diaper only and tried a nap up there but she woke up sweaty. I’m going to try again after this insanely hot week passes. Anddddd I might be heading to Target to buy another fan too. I live in the most inefficient house ever haha.
laura says
the clasped hands KILLS ME!!!! i love it so much. my daughter did that for a few weeks, but now she’s discovered she can put her hands in her mouth and that’s where they have been ever since! not as cute……haha
Sarah says
Thanks for the precious baby update! I’m due with my second in a few months and have been considering a Moses basket to haul #2 around in our three story town home. Does kaitlyn nap in hers or just hang out so you can watch her? Any pros or cons you share are appreciated! Sorry no tips on schedules, but I will feel the same way. My daughter was always home in her crib for naps but that’s just not practical the second time around
Emily (The Culinary Couple) says
Let me know when you figure out how to schedule the second child … I’m still working on it, and Nora is almost eight months old! Fortunately, she is very content and happy to tag along with big brother’s activities. However, she no longer sleeps through playdates and often misses her morning nap. When that happens, I’m adamant about being home for a long afternoon nap. I’ve also found that putting her to bed earlier (7pm) really helps prepare her for our busy days.
Kate @KateMovingForward says
No advice! But I’ve sure learned a lot reading these comments!
Paloma says
Our second child is now 6 months. We started baby whisperer right from the get go which was super flexible but then at 3 months moved into a more set routine. She sleeps at night from 7-7 and then naps 9-9:45, 12-2:15 and has a catnap in the afternoon between 4&5 (she’s about to drop this as she is just over 6 months but she definitely needed it up until now). I will let her have her first nap and late afternoon catnap in the car but I try to always be home for her long lunchtime nap. It took some serious bunkering down at home to get her to stretch it to 2 hours but after a week of perseverance it paid off.
There’s a great sleep blog I read:
http://www.mybabysleepguide.com
It has great advice and stats and I’ve turned to it many times when dealing with a particular issue.