As many of you know, I have severe SPD when pregnant. That means I can only walk very short distances, can't bend but more worryingly, can't lift/carry. Which means I would not be able to lift/carry DD2 while pregnant. To give you an idea, lifting a 2 litre carton of milk is excruciating let alone lifting a toddler.
I honestly can't remember when I stopped having to lift DD1. She was very independent and was climbing into her car seat on her own very early but I remember lifting her quite a bit to move her away from things she shouldn't have been doing.
So how old is your toddler and how often d'you lift them? I know one of my friends was still having to lift her 3-year-old into her car seat and that scares the bejesus out of me.
Dd1 is 3 in august and we still lift her up from time to time. She can climb into her car seat however if I'm in a hurry and can't wait the 10 minutes it takes for her to stop mucking around and just climb into her seat - I pick her up and put her in it.
She mainly wants DH to pick her up anyway, he is her favourite, but I usually have my hands full with the other little ones.
If it helps though - my SPD was nearly nonexistent in my 4th pregnancy, compared to how it was in my 2nd and 3rd so it might be better next time round? I did have weekly chiro treatments after dd2 and during the pregnancy though.
I still lift DS2 a reasonable amount at times. We have a 4WD so he has to be lifted in and out of the car then if i don't lift him into his seat he jumps over the other side of the car and thinks it's a game LOL At times he get whingy and just wants to be picked up, lifting him into his cot which i could possibly get around.
I still lift DS2 quite a bit, but could avoid it if I needed to.
I would just start encouraging your youngest to climb and do things for herself from as early as possible if you see lifting being a problem while you are pregnant. Generally they can do things for themselves, they just don't because we help them.
Dd2 is 2 and I don't have to lift her much, she is in a toddler bed, she gets dressed on the couch or floor and gets herself into the car, as others have said I will put her in her seat if she is on a go slow moment, same with dd1. She will let me know if she wants cuddles. You can do that on the couch though if you are unable to lift her.
I am in this situation right now! I'm coming up to 30 weeks pregnant and have a 22 month old DS. And I have just developed SPD
I do lift him a fair bit, my main prob is he's at that age where if he doesn't want to do something he will do the stop drop and roll, and I have to pick him up. Especially if we're at the shops etc. Pretty soon I think I'll start changing him on the floor (he's not TT) although the getting up and down off the floor is just as hard at the moment. And also, DH is working 7 days a week at the moment and sees DS for about 10 mins a day so I can't defer any of the heavy stuff to him.
So yeah, in my case lift him a fair bit. I'm wondering the same thing now - could I even handle a third pregnancy if this happens again...
Can't answer your question, but have you tried acupuncture? My acupuncturist told me to come back after the baby was born and she'd be able to prevent it for next time. I didnt go back for various reasons and am now seeing a new guy who's said the same thing. It's easier to prevent it before pregnancy. I think you need to start treatment at least 3 months before conception, but you'd need to talk to someone about your own case.
my DS is 22 months & i still lift him fairly often. he's just getting to the stage that he can climb in & out of the car seat but if i want him to hurry then i'll lift him. he also loves cuddles & will ask to be picked up (which you don't have to do, of course). i think some of it might be personality - i.e. my DS is fairly affectionate & wary of new situations so he seems the sort who will want to be picked up maybe a bit more often than some others? i notice at playgroup it's kind of half & half - some of the kids never seem to want to be picked up really.
I still lift 2 and a half yr old DD into the car, into the trolley when shopping and in/out of the bath. she can climb into the car but I don't have that sort of patience
My DS1 I still used to lift and carry a lot. DS2 is 22 months and I hardly lify him - I think as Sloane said itis more personality driven.. (and maybe you can condition to want to be lifted less)
28 months, 16kg and severe rheumatoid arthritis and I'm STILL lifting him several times per day. He's only just started to climb into the car on his own (subaru forester, so it's a bit higher up than most, but not as much as a 4WD). I also still use a change table for him, because it's easier than getting myself to the floor and up again... and because it's what we've always done, he knows to stay still when he's up there. Baths, DH does... Or I just bring him into the shower with me - that way I don't have to lift him in or out. Still need to lift him in/out of shopping trolleys and the pram when we go out... if he's on foot, he'll do the flop and drop passive resistance thing, so it's just easier to avoid it. I suspect there will still be quite some lifting for quite some time, even though he's usually pretty good. He seems to know when I'm having a bad day and will often be super helpful and pick things up for me and all that, too.
I still carry my 2yo much of the time, but that's my choice most of the time. When DD was this old I was pregnant and was conditioning her not to be lifted so much. I had to sit on the lounge and her climb up if she wanted a cuddle, stuff like that. She had to transition to showers or if she wanted a bath I had to wait for DH to be home.
I will have to do that same should I be graced with another due to a rupture last time.
I still carry DD2 a lot! She loves to be carried and be on me a lot. I lift her into the car seat, the trolley, swings, monkey bars etc. She is going through a clingy phase at the moment too so she likes Mummy lifting her.
My DS is 2 I still carry him heaps, in the car, out of the bath, when he wants a cuddle, if hes walking but has had enough, in to the trolley etc pretty much the same as Nai
I still carry my 3 year old very often! lol
So yep, I carried her a lot at 2, even throughout the pregnancy...(No SPD thankfully) Even now, I would carry her more I think if I didn't have bubs to carry.
Having said that, it isn't necessarily carry, more lift, more often. Like, onto chairs, car, trolley, in and out of bed sometimes, bath etc. She is very independent though, and has always been, so I think that I could have not carried her as much if I had the need not to, like you do when pregnant, itms.
My Moo will be 2 in August & I still lift/carry him quite a bit. We have a 4WD so in & out of the car, very big bath he can't get into on his own etc. He also likes to run or drop on the floor when out so I often end up carrying him as opposed to just holding his hand.
Good question i had never thought about it too much i guess i carry my mr 2 lots and lots he isnt clingy but super careful and cautious= slow. But reading all these has inspired me to let him do more for himself he doesnt even attempt to climb into the bath car or dress himself hehehe
I think it depends on the child - DS is 4 and I still lift him a lot. He wants to be lifted to see what's going on at the oven, sometimes needs help into the car (usually because he's carrying stuff), I pick him up because he runs a lot, he's cuddly, he also loves dancing with me and sometimes that involves lifting him.
Not to scare you - but if your DD is really into being lifted, that isn't going to stop. (I still use my baby carrier on DS when he needs to be constantly held.)
Do You Still Lift Your 2-year-old much?
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