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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It does get easier.  Focus on making sure the bedtime routine for the baby is regular and that he/ she goes down pretty easy and that gives you more flexibility.

Observe what parts of the evening work for you and what parts don't.  I remember once the baby could sit up, I had one of those seats in the bathtub and would bathe both at the same time.  They loved it so I sat by the bathtub reading a book while they splashed and had fun.  It was super relaxing for me and a bit of a rejuvenating boost.  I wasn't more than an arm's reach away but it made the evenings better for all of us.

I also told my husband that if he wasn't home by 5 or 5:30, we weren't waiting on him for dinner.  If I pushed out dinner time, things just went south fast and it wasn't worth it for a while.

And be careful about always putting the baby's needs first.  If you put the baby down and you are in the middle of reading a book to your toddler and the baby fusses, maybe you just finish the book and let the baby fuss for a few minutes.  I found my toddler had a harder time going down if I couldn't focus on her, too.

But seriously, this all gets WAY easier!!  We had four under five and it was crazy at times but even we got all four in a good rhythm eventually.[/quote]

This is good advice. I have 3 kids now and the absolute hardest period was when I only had 2 and the oldest was a new three and I had a baby. I was usually solo and it was tough. It's not the time to have a Norman Rockwell evening at home. My babies have always been wiped by 6 or 6:30, sometimes not even able to make it through dinner, so I would wind up taking baby upstairs and doing an accelerated bedtime while the older kid (later, kids) finished eating. Many times there were tears, there's no great way to avoid them. I found it got easier once baby hit 12-16 months and was not so exhausted by the end of every day. The overarching goal has to be to get the kids fed and to bed, together if possible but separately if needed. This too shall pass! [/quote]

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