Mommies with less than 2 year age gap

Hi Dinky,

Yes what a great list Huggles! I really really could have done with help like that the 4 months that I was on maternity leave...

My two are 19 months apart, and it is tough!! Especially when your first is a difficult toddler and your baby is not and easy baby like the first one was...anyway, remind your friend also that it does get easier. Promise! The older they both get the easier it gets, not less busy, but it is less stressful and less emotionally draining.

Good luck to you and your friend! You are a very good friend to have Dinky.

Hi ladies,

Just to comment on this topic. My girls are very close together. ma oldest was born 23 December 2008 and my second on 19 April 2010. they are less then a year and 6 months apart. I can very much relate to your friend Dinky. It is extremely hard to have a small baby and be pregnant at the same time. When I found out I was pregnant with my second child, I was in total denial for the entire first trimester, I did not tell anyone even the baby daddy, I was literally on my own, my family is in Durban and I am in Johannesburg, am Not Married. It was the hardest time of my life, but I got through it and I am so grateful to have both my kids. I like all the suggestions that Huggles has given. All the help and assistance would greatly help.

Thanks a mil!

Huggles, that list sounds awesome! I wish I could have had someone to help me even with my first one with any of those ideas on the list. Really great list.

I don't have 2 kids yet but my thoughts for the early days would be this:

take her some homemade meals for her freezer. Stuff so she doesn't feel pressured to eat it right away, but can easily grab it out her freezer and stick it in the microwave when needed. Could be as simple as a cottage pie or two, or some bolognaise so all she has to do is make the spagghetti. Or any other easy to freeze and reheat meals.

When you go and visit stand and wash dishes, or offer to pack her laundry away. Or maybe say "can I come over for an hour to help you with housework" or something like that.

Not sure how confident the toddler is but maybe offer to take the toddler out to the park for an hour, or even for 30 min, so she can have some time alone at home with the new baby.

Actually, even when she's pregnant that could help, give her some resting time.

Even offer to watch her kids at her house so she can go and have a relaxing bath.

When you go and visit call beforehand and ask if there's anything she needs from the shops. Or even just rock up with a few bags of basic groceries - longlife milk, a loaf of bread, some tea/coffee etc. Chances are she'll be fairly housebound the first few weeks and so won't be able to get the shops as needed. Also maybe make sure she has things like cookies and tea and coffee etc to offer to other guests that might pop around so she doesn't feel embarrassed by not having anything.

I figure laundry, housework (cleaning kitchen and bathrooms), grocery shopping and cooking will be the main areas where she could use the most help. Those things can't be neglected but when you have a new baby they often are. When you then also have a toddler under 2 they are even more neglected. So any way you could help out with any of them would be good.

Hi Mommies,

A good friend just found out she is pregnant with no 2.

She is due in June. Her LG turns 2 in mid-Aug (a month after my LG)

She battled with PND and had a threatened miscarriage last week. She has no family in JHB - they are all down in PE.

I would like to offer her as much support as I can - especially since we aren't planning no. 2 just yet.

Any suggestions of how I can help her through the pregnancy and early days will be appreciated!