My hubby works from 8am till 10pm now so is gone ALL day nearly and today is his first day working this long shift, he does it friday saturday and sunday. I just want to know if anyone else has had to let thier newborn scream while dealing with your other child/children??
DS2 is fine all day its just the time between 5pm and 8pm when I am trying to cook dinner, bath and feed and bed DS1 that he screams and I have no choice but to leave him and run in every 10 mins to calm him down. Is this what they call the acid hours or something?? DS1 was never like this or perhaps I just had more time to spend with him. I feed DS2 at 4.30 and put him into bed at 5 so I can spend time with DS1 and do the above chores etc. Argh!! Has anyone else been forced to do this? I have to leave DS1 in the bath while i go calm DS2 down which I HATE doing, I know its wrong.
My DH works 6am to 8pm so I kinda know how it feels to be left for such a long time. It must be exhausting with two little ones to look after. How old is your DS2? Young babies often do have an unsettled period at that time of the evening, acid hours as you called it. Maybe wearing DS2 in a sling would help keep him calm, he'll be close to you all snug & you'll be able to cook etc at the same time.
Oh hun, you have a really full on weekend there by yourself ((hugs))
I sometimes leave DD in the bath to check dinner etc... and then run back in too, so don't feel bad about that one.
Can you use a sling like CM has suggested? What about cooking dinner in a slow cooker, that way you start dinner earlier on in the day and just have to serve it at dinner time? Can you bring DS2 in the bathroom / have a bath with DS 1 (sorry not sure how old is DS2)
DP used to leave for work 5:30am and get home almost 7pm before roster change. there was times during that grumpy/witching hour I would have to let DD cry for while I did stuff for safety reasons E.G cooking her dinner because she DETESTS microwaved food. I can't have her in the kitchen because she gets under my feet or if in my arms grabs at stuff on the stove. it was either her starve, burn her or burn myself trying to avoid burning her. Sometimes you do have to let them cry but remember at the end of the day you are only one person and you do the best you can
DS1 is 3. Yes that was my thought, buying a sling but I can't find one in the shops here, they said they wont have some for 3 weeks!! no matter where i put him down either, he screams
have you got a baby swing?? i higly recommend one, or a vibrating chair, we would be lost without ours... also you can buy any type of sling thru internet and get it delivered in days...
not that this helps but at 3 i think its fine for them to have intermittent supervision in the bath.... just don't make it overly deep... i am encouraging our 3 year old to have a bit more alone time in the bath as we also have a newborn (well 11 weeks now) so can sometimes be hard in the evenings...
it definitely gets easier as your newborn gets more settled though, hang in there....
My Dh works 4 days on and 4 off.. He doesn't usually get home till after dinner and bath time on his day shifts..
how I coped: I would have very simple meals (roasts were the easiest actually.. Pop in oven and walk away) I made sure baths were done as early as possible.. and moved dinner time to suit the newborn.. So if we ate at 4 when baby was happy then we ate at 4.. and had a snack later..
I used to also put bub in the highchair ( I have a reclining one) and wheeled them around the house as I needed to.. I still had bad days but most of the time it worked. It can be very stressful but it does get better
I would definitely get a sling and a rocker/bouncer with an electronic option like the other girls suggest. It is a bit expensive but definitely worth it. You can get slings online if you can't find one in store. I got a Sleepy Wrap from eBay and my bubs loves it. If you don't like eBay, you can buy them direct from the company on their official website.
I have started making baked things a lot and it is so much easier. You can put together a lasagne or a shepherds pie etc in the morning or even piece by piece throughout the day whenever you get a spare minute. Just leave it in the fridge and then at dinner time all you have to do is chuck it in the oven, then serve up with some salad veg.
I feel you, my partner is still at work most evenings. Can I suggest a slow cooker, you prepare in the morning or afternoon depending on the recipe and ready by dinner time. I always prepare as much as I can in the afternoon if I am not using it, you know vegies cut up ready to go in the steamer trays in the fridge. I also use either a sling when DD2 is really upset (reflux bub) or I have a portable basinette/rocker that I can carry around with me like when I am bathing DD1. Having a shower with both bubs seems to work for us to, DD2 finds it very soothing and its a bit of fun for DD1, when I step out to dry and dress DD2, I can safely leave DD1 playing in there while I stand in our room dressing bubs on the bed, but I really suggest one of those non slip mats, it can get slippery for little feet.
Unfortunetly it is the witching hours for alot of babies, its been a big day with lots of new stimulation for them and it can be hard for them to wind down, so they demand the extra comfort and attention from mum, until the stimulation ends with the start of night time and quiet, hang in there it doesnt last forever.
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am I the only one?
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