Part of calming the chaos is accepting it!
Well, whoever said, “One to two is hard – anything after is a breeze,” was seriously mistaken. We have now moved from man-to-man to zone defense, and We. Are. Tired.
I am extremely lucky to have the best husband and family to step in and help where needed. But no one can be here all the time, and I just know I’m going to have to figure out some tricks to help me when it’s just me and the three babies. The amount of chaos that ensues when I’m tied up feeding the baby, rocking her, or changing her is mind-blowing.
I’m typically the one that follows the kids around and cleaning up as the day goes on because I can’t stand the mess. The dogs will inevitably chew something, or a kid will slip and fall on the cards they decided to toss all over the floor. I like as little to no mess as possible when they go to bed, so we’re not stuck cleaning up instead of finally relaxing.
But these past few weeks have really taught me to breathe and let go. Remind myself that it’s OK that it’s a disaster. It’s OK that their lunch plates ended up in the sink instead of the dishwasher, and it’s OK that there are snack crumbs all over the floor. Reminding myself that I can’t do it all has been tough.
Then there is the fact that I am unable to give my older two the attention they want all of the time. My husband and I are trying our best to explain why we can’t give them our full attention without blaming the baby. But they’re kids, and they just don’t care. So, with my middle of the night feedings, I’ve been searching through Pinterest for ideas and came across “morning activity boxes.”
Basically, you fill a box with toys you already have or new ones / crafts to keep your kiddos busy. You have a special box for each day of the week. I really liked the idea but decided to put my own twist on it.
I went to Dollar Tree and grabbed a bunch of toys and arts and crafts supplies, along with two plastic storage boxes. Instead of making a box for each kid for each morning, I’m just going to have these ready to go when I need a minute. A minute to feed the baby, pack lunch, make dinner, or just a minute to breathe when it’s been a day.
I’ll bring each kid a busy box of one thing new mixed with toys we already have that they haven’t seen in a while. Once they empty the box, I’ll refill it for the next time.
This way, it’s something new and exciting to keep their attention just long enough & hopefully longer!
Do you have any tricks to keep your toddlers busy when you’re tied up? Share them below!
