Getting Rest with Toddler and Newborn

I have a similar morning routine with my son. So I got good at nursing while lying down in bed. So I would lay on my side, nurse the baby, and still reach over with my other hand to rub my son's back. I kept the morning routine as much as possible and we all kind-of cuddled together, which was really nice.

Sleep is a lot harder with two. Make sure you nap any chance you get. I admit I actually kept my older child in preschool while I was home on maternity leave so that I could sleep when the baby slept. If you need to, find a neighborhood teen to be a mother's help and take the toddler for an hour every now and then when you know the baby is going to nap so that you can nap too.

As for the last issue - for me it was a non-issue. My older child NEVER woke up because of the baby crying. He slept through it all, and their bedrooms are right next to each other.

Congrat, and good luck!

My two oldest are 19 months apart. Once the baby comes, you kind of settle into a routine that works for all of you. Kind of like you did with the first one. I remember feeling overwhelmed thinking about having a new baby when I still had a "baby" at home. But once baby comes, you kind of figure out what works best for everyone. My toddlers rarely woke up when baby did even though they shared a room. I have two other kids that are two years apart. It just kind of works out and then the next thing you know, they're in high school. I had a little bit of jealousy issues but nothing out of the ordinary and nothing that lasted too long. In the beginning, the baby sleeps so much and by the time she cries and demands more attention, everyone is used to having her around. =) Congratulations to you!! I wish you the best!!

My oldest was 20 months old when I had the twins. the twins are now 10 months old and my oldest is 2 1/2. Our house is just tiny so we had to put the crib in the living room for the twins. We moved our oldest son to a toddler bed when he was about 15 or 16 months old, and he took to it from minute one, loves his bed. we put the baby gate up in front of his door just in case he wakes up in the middle of the night to keep him from getting into stuff or walking into a wall or something in the dark. luckily, he sleeps like a rock and never woke up during the nightly feedings. and luckily for us the twins started sleeping through the night at 3 months, which was super awesome for us seeing as big brother was 7 or 8 months old before he started sleeping through the night. if your toddler takes a nap during the day try to get the new baby down at the same time and then you nap too. anytime you can get a nap in take it. trust me, the dishes and laundry can wait, if you dont take advantage of the naps, even if they are only 10 or 20 minute power naps, you will be just exhausted. I took the chance to nap anytime I could. if people came over to visit I would even catnap off and on during the visit. I was so tired with having twins it was crazy. my husband took on an extra job so I could stay home to take care of them so I felt bad to wake him overnight but I would occasionally. are you going to keep the new baby in the room with you? that would help since you could get to him/her faster. I was so worried my toddler would wake up and when he didnt I was so suprised because he used to be such a light sleeper when he was a baby. good luck!

My daughter slept right thru new baby's cries. Just change your morning ritual up some by snuggling with both her and the new baby as you nurse in a side-lying position. Do you fear she will be jealous? I was worried about that too but my 3 year old daughter loves that snuggle time with both me and the baby. If she gets antsy, set her up with a simple toy she can play with on her own or some books--you could read to her while nursing. Talk about the new routine before the baby comes so she'll look forward to it. Have her help burp the baby. Talk about when she was your little nurser--my daughter loves hearing stories when she was a baby. If she wakes up, have your husband prepared to go and settle her back down. Tell her about this change happening and have him do it now before the baby comes if she does happen to wake up. If he can't do that then be prepared to take little one to her room and nurse her there while settling your older one. A lifesaver for me is a ring sling. With some practice I nurse my newborn in it hands free while caring for my daughter and 3 daycare kids. Makes life so much easier when I know I can tend to the baby likes she needs to be and still keep things moving for the other kids. Just relax and make sure to mentally prepare your daughter for the changes ahead and she'll be fine!

Mine are 17 months apart, when the next baby comes my current youngest will be just shy of 30 months, so 2.5 years.

You will want to sleep any chance you can, trust me. Taking a shower, laundry, dishes, bottles, it all can wait. Sure for the first week or two the Mommy adrenaline will kick in, but after 2-3 months of never getting a nap, you will crash.

My son was 17 months when my daughter was born, l never once remember him waking up when she would wake at night. I breastfed her also. I suggest keeping the baby in your room for a while, that way there is no chance of your toddler hearing the baby if they need to share a room or something.

My twins are almost three and my daughter is three months old. In the mornings I tend to whomever is awake first, and my husband will help with the other(s) if needed. This will be a good time to teach your daughter patience. Have her snuggle with you and the baby while you breastfeed. I've found my boys don't always need to eat first thing, so once done feeding the baby I'll get them breakfast. You will get sleep. Try to get the baby to nap at the same time as the toddler. I put my daughter in her crib nice and swaddled when the boys nap. I was actually able to get plenty of sleep the first month she was home. My boys have yet to wake up when my daughter cries. Yours may not even notice. Congrats and good luck!

My first was 25 months old when my second arrived. It takes a while to figure it all out and it is an adjustment for everyone. It is hard and no one will get enough sleep for the first month.
I was amazed however at how quickly my oldest daughter adjusted to hearing the baby cry in the middle of the night. After about a month it no longer woke her up. It might have even been just three weeks. Soon after we got home with her new little sister she learned that the baby cries in the middle of the night but the baby is OK just hungry, so it would not upset her. When it woke her she would just play for a bit in her crib and then go back to sleep. Then she got to the point where she could just ignore it and then sleep through it.
If you have family that is available see if you can have someone help you for the first two weeks to give you time to recover from delivery. My mother helped out, doing special things with my 2 year old, and I basically stayed in bed for the first two weeks. It was a huge help.