thanks for this, that's a really reassuring message. can I ask you how you handled the bedtime/bathtime routine? who got in and out of bath first? who got milk and bed first? etc!!

hi heidi, my two are 2o months apart and i too begin to panic just before the birth of my second. i was really worried about my eldest and how the new baby would affect her and i wondered how i would cope with all the added responsibilities. what was very surprising to me was how very resilient both children were. i was very careful not to disrupt my older child's routine. i think that is very important because flo is so young and may not fully understand what is going on. it is important that she feel as secure as possible. i was also very careful to put aside time each day for my older child where we did something special together. she loved doing laundry and eventually i put her in charge of folding the baby muslins. i also was careful not to always ask her to wait sometimes i let the baby cry to deal with her needs first although eventually she started to say, quiet him first please. i think one of the most important things is to not to loose sight of how young flo is. it is easy to do when an infant comes on the scene, she will probably regress a bit at first just to remind you of this. you may find the adjustment to two children easier then you would have imagined. going from childless to motherhood is such a shock but as you are already in the baby-zone and in fact still in the baby stage you wont have the same lifestyle upset. i wish you all the luck in the world, regards jj p.s. just wanted to say that although it was so hectic to start my kids are now the best of friends and i am so pleased we had them so close together!! julianaj

hi heidi, my two are 2o months apart and i too begin to panic just before the birth of my second. i was really worried about my eldest and how the new baby would affect her and i wondered how i would cope with all the added responsibilities. what was very surprising to me was how very resilient both children were. i was very careful not to disrupt my older child's routine. i think that is very important because flo is so young and may not fully understand what is going on. it is important that she feel as secure as possible. i was also very careful to put aside time each day for my older child where we did something special together. she loved doing laundry and eventually i put her in charge of folding the baby muslins. i also was careful not to always ask her to wait sometimes i let the baby cry to deal with her needs first although eventually she started to say, quiet him first please. i think one of the most important things is to not to loose sight of how young flo is. it is easy to do when an infant comes on the scene, she will probably regress a bit at first just to remind you of this. you may find the adjustment to two children easier then you would have imagined. going from childless to motherhood is such a shock but as you are already in the baby-zone and in fact still in the baby stage you wont have the same lifestyle upset. i wish you all the luck in the world, regards jj p.s. just wanted to say that although it was so hectic to start my kids are now the best of friends and i am so pleased we had them so close together!!

Hi I'm new on here. My little girl Flo is 14 months and I'm expecting number 2 next month. Anyone got any tips on coping. flo isn't walking yet. what is best way to deal with routines, mealtimes etc? without taking too much attention off Flo but giving enough to newborn... I'm starting to panic!!! xxxx