Anyone with toddlers?

I have 2 sons - one who is almost 5 and a 2 1/2 year old. My younger son is really struggling right now since I went on bedrest. We tried to find someone to come and stay here at first to help out and just couldn't. He went into daycare for the first time in his life a couple weeks ago and today we took him out. He has been so sad and pitiful. He is such a fun and sociable little boy, but I think he didn't understand why he had to go somewhere even though I was at home with his older brother. In the mornings, he would hide in his playhouse and sit and cry. He said he would be lost at daycare. It broke my heart. With my work, I have not needed to use babysitters or daycare before and everything has been so chaotic with my preterm labor, I think he just got totally disoriented. So, I have someone in mind that I am going to call to see if she can come and stay here with me in the mornings until my mom gets off work and comes over to help. I am praying it works.

For those of you with small children, how are you handling being on bedrest? The first time I was on bedrest was with my oldest and of course, I didn't have any other children. This is so hard. I just want to get his little heart happy again and get his life normal before the babies come because that will be a big huge adjustment for him.

 

Hi,
I have a 14 year old girl in my neighborhood who my daughter loves. I pay her to come by a bit during the week and on weekends to give my daughter one on one time. The girl is too young to babysit but is a great mothers helper, and I am there if there is a problem. My little one is 5 but she is very high maintainence!!

 

I am sorry your little boy is having a hard time adjusting to you being on bed rest. I know it doesn't make things any easier for you too, it's awful to know you child is so sad like that. My DD was 5 when I went on bed rest with the twins and even that was hard, so I can only imagine how hard it is for/with a 2 year old. Do you have any family around that can come and help out or play with him? Or an older friend neighbor who could come and give him some special attention?

 

Hi There,

I've got a 2 year old at home and am also on bedrest. It's been a really hard adjustment for us as well and I feel so sad that he's not having fun with me anymore. I hired a nanny to help out and she started the day I was put on bedrest. He's signed up for various programs every morning and then comes home with the nanny for lunch and nap. The first week was hard... he got really whiny and clingy to me, but he's doing better now. In the afternoon i've been trying to do things like read or colour with him. It can get hard though, because he wants to climb all over me. My relatives have also been coming by during the afternoons occassionally to play with him.

I've noticed lately that he goes to his daddy all the time for comfort or anything for that matter, and I've kind of faded away into the background. It's really awful! Hopefully they will forgive us down the road when we can spend more time with them.

 

This was really hard for me too with my 19 month old. Thankfully, he was too young to really understand that mommy had to be gone from home for a month (hospital bedrest) but he'd want to climb all over me and play with me like before whenever he'd come and visit, and obviously that couldn't happen. Even now that I'm home, I'm still not as active with him since I'm recovering from a c-section so he relies on daddy for most things. But he's so happy to have me home.

Keep in mind, a 2 year old will not remember this as he gets older. While it's really hard now, obviously it's for the best. Hang in there.

 

I have to agree with it being difficult to manage the other kids and be on bedrest. My 3 year old is pretty good about drawing, playing or watching tv in my room, but my 22 month old is extremely active and doesn't get the whole I'm not picking you up thing. The kids are now enrolled in preschool 5 mornings a week and I'm trying to get a nanny or decent babysitter to deal with them in the afternoon. If I can't find someone for the afternoons, I might try to find a daycare to take them in because having my youngest at home unsupervised is not an option (an example of her behavior is sneaking away, climbing into a bathroom sink and eating pepto bismo, of course I called poison control and all this happened in a 3 minutes timespan. She's just not to be trusted away from your sight.)

Fiona

 

Its been really hard on me and my 16 month old - all she wants to do is climb on Mommy's lap (as if there was one to climb on!), roll around on Mommy, etc. She is an angel, and does spend a lot of time playing on the floor with books and toys, but I just watch her wander around and my heart breaks. I have company most days, but only for an hour or so, and DH comes home around 6, so its just us. For the most part, I let her rip up the house as much as is safe, and figure that she'll not remember me just perched on the couch. Its a really helpless feeling, but I take comfort knowing that she most likely will NOT remember this at all.

and if she does, I'll pay for the therapy out of pocket.

 

I have a 5 year old and he has regressed a lot since I have been put on BR. My MIL moved in with us to help (dont ever do that) but I spend a lot of time coloring, playing Candy Land, and reading books. The small activities (that can be done in bed or sitting) really have helped him to have special mommy time. I know it is hard it break my hear too, but just remember those babies in your belly and how important it is to keep them safe too. I don't know about you but I always feel guilty about something. Anyway, I am rambling now.

Shannon

 

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I wrote that first post. We ended up having my 2 year old stay here with me and I get help from my Mom at 2 everyday. It's worked out okay. Sometimes I have to get up a couple of extra times for sippy cups, put in a DVD or whatever, but it's not been too bad. I feel sorry for my kids being shut in so much, but I'm glad they can be here with me at least. My oldest got the Whac A Mole Tower game for his birthday, so maybe they can take out their frustrations on that! Hopefully the next month will go as fast as the previous one!