When we had our son he was what I like to call hard because we didn’t know what we were doing (and clearly we still don’t). You first child is like an experiment and you are trying to figure things out, but are two kids twice as hard?
I feel like this is a question that we get asked regularly, “How is it with two?” Pretty sure it’s the same. We still have a toddler running around wanting our full attention and wanting us to play with him every second. Then we have a three month old that is sleeping, cuddling or laying on the floor cuing at the different things she is seeing. Is she hard? That depends on what your definition of hard is.
I thought it was hard when my son had a blow out and I was at the mall trying to figure out what I was going to do. But now with my daughter I have experienced this and know exactly where to go that is the easiest for changing. I had no idea how many bathrooms didn’t have changing stations in the men’s bathroom. I thought that we were at the point where they would just put changing stations in every bathroom regardless of sex, but that is not the case. Thankfully, Nordstrom has the best changing station in their restrooms (both male and female). They also provide changing packs for $1.00 that has a diaper, wipes, ointment, etc. These have come in handy when we have been down town, had a blow out and realized we didn’t have any diapers. I run to Nordstrom’s restroom with my baby and purchase a diaper pack to change her. So no, blow outs are not longer hard and don’t worry me as much. In fact, even if their is poop all over an outfit, I have a blowout bag ready and treat the clothes as soon as I get home.
Maybe it’s the stroller now that I have two kids. That has to be harder, right? Well, fortunately I worked for a baby store when our son was born and I learned about all the strollers out there. We had a BOB (still do and love it), but knew that we were going to need something that would work better for when we had two kids. We chose the City Select by Baby Jogger because it was easy to break down, get in your trunk and was great for two kids close together. Yes, sometimes it’s hard to get around stores with this stroller because it is longer with two kids in it, but it’s not as wide as those side-by-sides can be. It does take time to load everyone up but you only have to go stroller-less once to know the benefit. Also, I can pull my daughter’s carseat right out of the car and put it in the adaptor on the stroller. Simple, and she can stay sleeping. So the stroller isn’t harder either.
Do you have a hard time when you go out to eat with two kids? That must be a nightmare! Well, this is true, but we have learned that because we chose to have children we are going to have to sacrifice some things we like for a while until they get older. We’ve learned to go out early, around 5, restaurants aren’t as crowded and our kids are happier because it’s not bedtime when we finally get our food. If we go to a place that is not kid friendly, we get a sitter.
Places that we have found to be the most kid friendly had been:
- Chik-Fil-A: Great play place because they have the Purell Hand Sanitizer wipes for when you go in and come out. I am the biggest germ-a-phobe, but I know that my son would love to go in the play place to get some wiggles out. Also, the place mats they have that stick right to the table so you don’t have to worry if they put their food right on the table. Genius!
- In-N-Out: Maybe you don’t have one of these where you are from, but what I love about In-N-Out is that they give your child some stickers to play with while waiting for food, they have a secret menu that includes a delicious grilled cheese sandwich that our son loves and your child gets a fun paper hat that they will wear for the rest of the day.
- Cafe Rio: Not only is their food delicious but the restaurant is noisy masking the shrieks or squeals our little ones make. There is something for everyone and it doesn’t have to be covered in grease.
So yeah, maybe it’s harder to eat out, but we have just accommodated to what our kids will enjoy and what environments work great with kids.
At the end of the day, I learned that if you have kids you are going to make sacrifices and they are worth it. Having two kids isn’t harder, it just takes more time to get things done. It takes longer to go to the store, get ready for the day and go to the bathroom in privacy. I can’t tell you how many times I have gone out in public looking like I just got out of bed, but at least my kids were bathed, dressed and looking great.
Being a parent doesn’t get harder, it just gets more rewarding when the end of the day approaches, the kids are in bed and you can look at all the things you accomplished. Even if it was just getting out of the house, that can be a big accomplishment.
