New mum to two advice plssss

Congrats on your new addition! I have a 19 month old and a 5 week old and my husband only had a week off! It was an adjustment but honestly I’ve found it easier this time round than with my first. My advice would be follow your toddlers routine, they thrive off it and baby will be fine just following that for a while. I make sure I’ve got something planned so my toddler has plenty stimulation so soft play, going to the park, play date in the garden, he is much more chilled when he’s burnt some energy! I always make sure before my husband leaves for work I’m washed, dressed and fed as it makes my life so much easier and I feel better! Prep meals when you can (even if it’s a sandwich for your lunch) I also make sure babies bottles are all washed and sterilised for the morning so i don’t need to do that when my two are awake. It’s also ok to rely on a bit of screen time here and then when feeding baby or prepping stuff. I also include my son in things like fetching the wipes or

Rubbing his little sisters back. He loves it and it’s made the days so much easier as he doesn’t seem fussed fighting for my attention. You will be fine and find your new rhythm and routine. I’ve started to make sure I have set time alone with them both as I was feeling a little guilty at times. Hope it all goes ok and I’m sure you’ll smash it ✨

If you haven't already then get a sling/carrier for baby. Helps settle them because they're close to you and means you have your hands free for playing with 2yo, or making lunch or whatever. Also try to have as much as possible prepared the night before, e.g. changing bag ready (even if you're not planning on going out), lunch sorted and in the fridge (I used to put it in a lunch box so we could either eat at home or elsewhere if we decided to go out). Even just having the option of getting out of the house without too much effort (or 3hrs of prep) made me feel much better. I also found it helpful to have the rule that we don't go downstairs until we're dressed. Made me feel like we weren't completely wasting the whole day in jammies, and stopped the days merging into one quite so much.

My top tips for entertaining your eldest are fancy dress outfits (look on Facebook marketplace and Vinted) - my girls play so much more actively when dressed up! Also, putting kids Zumba, BabyBallet, and ‘jump battles’ on the tv on YouTube works wonders for having them being busy and you being able to sit on the sofa watching. Plus you can join in from time to time in a few weeks and it’s lovely to have a little dance together 🥰 My girls are 4.5 and almost 2 now and I was using these dance videos just yesterday. I had been feeling grumpy (hormones) and it cheered me up no end to see them dancing together like little loons! 🥰 I’m not sure how you manage to juggle everything but somehow you just do. Be kind to yourself and lower your expectations ❤️