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FionaS 
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 Topic: Two or more & sleep...a hermit life?
Posted: 24 October 2009 at 7:07pm |
I have a couple of questions for the wise & seasoned mums of 2 or more kids...
1. When number 2 or more comes along, do you keep household noise totally normal when they nap (i.e. let the toddler run rampant) or try to keep the other kids noise down a bit?
2. How do you balance the needs / wants of your kids when the baby doesn't sleep when out??
We love outings as a family but sadly our second has become like our first was and will only nap 20mins when out so gets very very very overtired. She wasn't this way until about 9 weeks...she used to sleep anywhere.
Today we stayed home until 1 to give her 2 good naps then went to the beach. She did 20mins sleep and was ok while out. However, when we get home she is beside herself with exhaustion and just cries and cries (haha at the first 6 weeks being the easiest as she barely cried back then!).
What did you do? Go about life as per usual and let the second adapt or become hermits LOL! 
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Bel
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 10:14am |
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I have been wondering about the hermit life thing too - with DS we didn't go to morning activites (music etc) until he was on one sleep a day. But now we do activites 4 mornings and Amy just has to cope. She has a sleep before we leave (8-9.15ish) and then they both have a big 2hr sleep when we get home. It works well for us at the moment, don't know what will happen if she decides she needs to go down at 10ish rather than 8 but hopefully she will just stay in the routine we have at the moment.
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Luke (09.11.2007)
Amy (01.04.2009)
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Bizzy
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 11:00am |
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to answer your first question i didnt let the kids yell and scream around the baby, that would surely have woken her up, but normal noise was ok. I know that i could vacuum when all the kids were asleep as babies so a bit of normal background noise never hurt.
i think that some kids cope better if they get less sleep in the morning as opposed to afternoon so maybe try and see if that makes a difference. Otherwise i know that with eden she has just had to fit in. I would wear her a lot when doing things like kindy runs and sometimes at playgroup too. Being closer to mum is a bit less unsettling than out in the big wide world i think.
oh and i suppose too what they sleep in when out might make a difference as well. i suppose if you were out a lot then a portacot might be helpful.
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Rachael21
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 11:46am |
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I wouldn't let Jack make heaps of noise but as he was so young I didn't expect him to be quiet either. I would shut her door and let Jack play away from her room.
Caprece had to fit in with our lives I needed to get out of the house or I would have gone insane, I'd let her sleep on me or in the pram. I would aim for at least one decent sleep at home but sometimes it didn't happen. As a result I think she is a lot more laid back than Jack.
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HippyMama
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 12:32pm |
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I can't help you on the not sleeping when out thing as K just fits in with us and usually does a couple of 2-3hr stretches during the day.
However when we are at home noise is usually at normal levels, though I do draw the line at shouting or having the TV / music at high volume etc. So vacuuming, DVDs, having visitors etc doesn't really bother her nor does her big sister creating her usual havoc.
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Mama to two earth walkers & two angels.
Remember, you are not managing an inconvenience; You are raising a human being. ~ Kittie Franz
Next Slingbabies! Meet - Friday 4th May !!
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SMoody
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 12:41pm |
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Normal rules for McKayla. Inside voices inside so I dont allow her to shout and scream but she dances around him while sleeping, singing ect. Did that from Day one.
As for Andrew he cat naps most days and I dont change my plans around it as such. We still go out for stuff. What I do found however is that he doesnt get overtired if I have him in the front pack facing me. So perhaps a sling is the way to go if you go out? That way there isnt much that can overstimulate them and Andrew sleeps really well that way.
I think I told McKayla twice or so to quiet down a bit due to her brother and both times he was a bit under the weather. Just explained to her and she was okay with it.
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arohanui
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 12:41pm |
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Do you have a wrap/sling and does she like being in it? If so maybe you could try that with a bit of jiggling to get her to sleep while you're out - even Daddy can wear her. I know that Harry only used to sleep for a shorter period of time when we were out if he was in the pram, but would sleep for ages in the sling.
My other thought is, does she take a dummy and would that help her sleep while out and about?
Is she still wrapped?
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Mama to DS1 (5 years), DS2 (3 years) and... 
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FionaS
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 2:54pm |
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Ashley has continued her short naps this weekend and is now beside herself with tiredness. She is happy to watch the world when out but the minute you try to block it out so she can sleep she gets so upset.
I was in a mothers room today and they asked if she was in pain as she was crying so hard :( So sad as she didn't cry much at all for her first 8 weeks.
How do I go about life knowing she'll get so upset and tired????
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FionaS
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 2:54pm |
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Also - she isn't sleep well at home anymore either so I no longer know if her cry is pain or overtiredness! So confusing.
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Bizzy
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 5:00pm |
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maybe you shouldnt try and cover her up when out... just let her look and fall asleep at her own pace. have you been practising with the meitai?
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FionaS
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 5:25pm |
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I've been trying the kozi mostly...now my wrap has arrived in the post...so many options!
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Nikki
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 8:10pm |
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I shut both Morgans door and the hall door, and try not to let Jake scream too much while shes falling asleep (the first few mins) but after that we carry on as usual .... telling a 2 year old boy to be quiet just doesn't work! Morgan just fits in really - she has mainly 30min naps even if we spend 3 days at home in row anyway (and is perfectly happy with that) .... but does the odd 2-3 hour one - it can be in the cot, car or buggy. At playcentre she sleeps in their cots, at coffee group she will just fall asleep sitting in the capsule. Otherwise she'll have a nap in the car or buggy if we're out. Shes definitely way more flexible than Jake was. He couldn't have coped with 30mins naps! (but I could plonk him in the buggy no matter where we were and he'd sleep for hours)
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Maya
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 8:26pm |
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Lil miss just had to fit in with the rest of us - law of the wild and all! She spent most of her first 6 months in the capsule when we were out and about, I think that's why she liked the hammock better than the cot to start with coz it was more secure. Her room is off the lounge so she's always had background noise - the TV, kids yelling and screaming and all (I try to discourage yelling etc. inside the house, but there are three of them - they outnumber me). She's always been more of a catnapper than a long sleeper tho and I wonder if that's biology, or a product of being carted here, there and everywhere. I know a lot of people give up playgroup, music etc for a while when they have their second baby as it mucks up the morning sleep thing, but lil miss just had to deal with it. If she got tired I'd put her in the buggy and rock her to sleep, or put her in the Moby and wear her.
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Maya Grace (28/02/03)
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MrsMojo
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Posted: 25 October 2009 at 8:28pm |
1. When number 2 or more comes along, do you keep household noise totally normal when they nap (i.e. let the toddler run rampant) or try to keep the other kids noise down a bit? We have a split level house with bedrooms upstairs so I discourage Michaela from yelling when she's upstairs (unfortunately something that has had to be actively discouraged) but otherwise there's no restrictions.
2. How do you balance the needs / wants of your kids when the baby doesn't sleep when out??
We love outings as a family but sadly our second has become like our first was and will only nap 20mins when out so gets very very very overtired. She wasn't this way until about 9 weeks...she used to sleep anywhere.
Today we stayed home until 1 to give her 2 good naps then went to the beach. She did 20mins sleep and was ok while out. However, when we get home she is beside herself with exhaustion and just cries and cries (haha at the first 6 weeks being the easiest as she barely cried back then!). Ashley's probably at an age now where she's waking a bit more between sleep cycles which is why she is catnapping. Maybe you could encourage her to sleep for longer while out by putting her to sleep in her pram for one sleep everyday (whether you're home or not) if she's used to the pram as a place to sleep she may find it easier to resettle in it.
What did you do? Go about life as per usual and let the second adapt or become hermits. I need to get out and about for my sanity plus Michaela has kindy, dance, mainly music etc and it's not fair on her to stop those activities (she missed out on MM lots when Andrew was newborn). Andrew's in a good routine now which helps, I know what time he needs to go to sleep and when he's due to wake and I can plan around it.
For eg. Andrew's first morning nap is at 9am - 11am (10:30am at the earliest). On Tuesday's we do mainly music at 9:30am so Andrew goes in the front pack (we're not allowed prams in the hall) and if the weather's fine we meander down leaving home at 9am and getting back around 11am, if it's rainy we drive down and I carefully transfer him to the frontpack to continue his nap. On Saturday's dance is at 10:15-10:45am and DH stays home with Andrew (although if he wakes too early I'll take him with me and let him finish his nap in the pram at dance).
Other days I'll purposely take them both out during Andrew's nap time like today he slept at home for his 9am and 4:30pm sleeps but for his 1pm sleep we took a walk to the park. On Monday we walked to the local library for that sleep.
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Two or more & sleep...a hermit life?
