Are you wondering if building a routine with two young children is impossible? I'm here to tell you it CAN be done. My name is Evelyn, I'm co-owner of Kaspiland and at the beginning of this year I became a mom for the second time and even though it was such a beautiful and joyous event it has come with challenges and adjustments.
I'm excited to share with you 5 things that I learned in transitioning to a mother of two.
1. Creating a Routine
I mapped out how my schedule needed to go during the day and I wrote down at what times my newborn would take a nap so I can focus on my toddler. As well I would schedule a small window for tv time so I can work on lunch, dinner or the business. Having an agenda made my day go by smoother. My day was less stressful and the kids knew what to expect next. Make sure to revisit your schedule every day because what works one week might not work another, or might need to be adjusted for the following week.
2. Involve Your Toddler
Something that helped me a lot was involving my toddler in caring for his little brother by bringing me a diaper, wipes, his bottle etc and not only was he learning to be independent but also to get used to his new little brother. He liked when I gave him a responsibility because he was feeling part of it all and not feeling like mommy wasn't there like before. It made the transition less difficult.
3. One-on-One Activities
I started to plan little dates with my oldest son to have one on one time with him. So we can reconnect and I can focus 100% on him and on the things we like to do. Even if we didn't leave the house I would just sit with him on the floor and build legos or puzzles which are his favorite things to do and I was able to spend some quality time with him to let him know that even though things have changed I'm still there for him.
4. Self care is twice as difficult, but twice as important.
I learned and I'm still learning how easy it is to forget about yourself in the midst of a busy life, so the lesson I have learned is to stop and ask myself "what have I done to take care of myself today"? And make a conscious effort to enjoy either a meal, check social media, chat with a friend or call my mom while my baby is napping and my toddler is reading a book or playing a game on the tablet. I also try to have a girls night out with my mommy friends once a month and plan date nights with my husband to recharge, otherwise I pay for it. I get short-tempered, I get negative and irritable cause I feel I'm drowning. Even though it can be extremely difficult to find the time, MAKE time for yourself to do at least one thing you love and enjoy doing.
4. Enjoy the good and hard times
Motherhood has taught me that it comes with amazing but challenging times. It had been almost 4 years since I had to wake up during the night and now that I have a baby it was hard to go back to that but something that has always helped me is saying to myself that this is only a phase and that time flies and soon my baby won't be a baby anymore so I take it all in, even the hard times, and enjoy every second I get with my kids.
5. PS. Husband here! Don't forget we exist! 😭😉
Oh ya..I knew I was forgetting something😉 DON'T forget about your marriage. I think this goes hand in hand with self care! Make sure to give time to your spouse by watching your favorite movie or show together once the kids are in bed and have the grandparents babysit so you two can escape and have a fun date night together to reconnect and strengthen the relationship.
I can't say being a mom of two is a piece of cake because it is definitely a lot of work and exhausting, but if you can have a routine/plan it's a smoother ride.
This transition taught me that moms can do tough things that sometimes seem impossible but somehow we figure out how.
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