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Congratulations on lo's! I just went through this with a newborn and 2 yo. I have no advice, it was very difficult for me. I was not able to get any naps during the day but I think that depends on your toddler. My lo is not big on entertaining herself and had a hard time adjusting. Sorry I am no help, good luck, I hope it goes better for you than it did for me. I just kept telling myself "this too shall pass" lol.

Thank you for your help. I guess we all can't have a new born like my daughter was.LOL. She slept all day and 6 or more hours every night. I have a feeling that this one will be the one to give me trouble. But I wouldn't trade motherhood for anything in the world.

Ds1 was 15 months old when ds2 was born, so thankfully I didn't have those dreaful 2 year old tantrums to deal with. But it is something you are going to have to adjust to, and eventually it becomes second-nature juggling two kids. My advice:

1) Give your dd as much one-on-one time as possible in the beginning. That way she still feels important. It's also a good time because your newborn will be extra sleepy for the first month or so. I took my ds1 to "The Little Gym" while his little brother snoozed in his car seat on the sidelines.

2) Start a routine with your 2nd lo as soon as possible and maintain your routine with your dd. Try not to change anything too much. With my ds2 I started a routine when he was 7-8 weeks old. I would have done it sooner but he was in and out the hospital before that.

3) You will make use of the TV more than you like while your newest addition is BF every 1-2 hrs in the beginning. The only jealousy issues ds1 had was while I was BF ds2. He didn't like the fact that I was tied down every feeding. My ds2 took 45-60mins to feed every time...so ds1 wasn't happy and would come up to me and smack me on the leg yelling, "No baby!" I ended up stopping BF when ds2 was about 2.5-3 months old, so I never had to live with this jealousy...not sure how I would have solved it.

4) Luckily for me ds2 was an easier baby than ds1 had been. He didn't mind being plonked down somewhere when I had to deal with ds1. Obviously the second child doesn't get as much attention as the first child did, but they learn a lot from their older siblings. I would suggest having several "safe" places to put new baby if you get busy with your dd. I had a Bumbo in the bathroom, a swing in the living room, a high chair in the dining room, a bouncy chair in our bedroom, and a exersaucer in their room (yes, they share a room...which presents entirely new issues!).

Ds1 is now 25 months and ds2 is 10 months. They are becoming closer and even playing together sometimes. They make each other laugh and giggle. They have a blast in the tub. For me I had the hardest time during the first 3 months...and then things started getting easier. Try to organize a routine where both kids are taking a nap at the same time in the afternoon...that way you get some "you" time. Congrats & good luck!

I honestly don't know what I would do if I didn't find this web site. I can't ask my mom, because I was an only child, and my mother in law always tells me to deal with it. I don't ask for help very often and I can't count on my husband to help too much. He comes home and spends his time online searching ebay. I was ordered to bed rest and my house is a disaster. I can't bend over and I can't pick up my daughter.
As for the TV, I only let her watch NOGIN. She usually sits there and watches the shows and doesn't get too worried about what I do. I hate the "Electronic Babysitter" all day long, but it's my only option.
Thank you for your help.

I agree with DDT, the first 3 months was the worst. I think it was harder for my dd b/c I am a working mom and her schedule totally changed while I was home on maternity leave. It got better once I went back to work and she had her familiarity back. Unfortunately my ds (5 months) does end up plunked in front of the tv, much as I hate it & feel guilty. It is hard and tiring but totally worth it!

Thanks a lot DDT for your input (and everyone else too!) This will happen to me in October, as my dd will be 16-17 months old when baby is born. Dd is going to start going to day care within the next 2 weeks (at 11 months) because I'm going back to work. I'm planning on keeping her to daycare (which is litterally my next door neighbour) until about Christmas... I hope that doesn't sound awful. Hopefully, I can pick her up early most of the days when baby comes.