This is too hard...please give me some advise!

koalamummy

Sorry I forgot about the housework. Let it go within bearable levels. A full laundry basket and toys strewn on the floor are not that big a deal. If anybody tells you differently take them up on their kind offer of help! So long as you have the real issues of personal hygiene and food waste under control the rest really doesn't matter. How many happy childhood memories do you have of a sparklingly clean house? I have none and neither do any of my friends despite us all having mothers verging on neurosis over order and cleanliness. Give yourself a break.

MrsExcited

Have you tried wearing the baby in a sling? I sometimes wear my baby round the house when he won't settle so I can get things done. Maybe you could try that?

verysillyguy06

Tea-and-Cake wrote: »

I have 3 kids under 6 the eldest has aspergers, the baby is 8 months and sleeps in our bed...I actually have to go to bed with him at 8.30pm every night so he will settle and not roll out the bed. He naps in his cot in the day but he is so whingy, he moans and cries all the time, my arms ache from carrying him so much during the day. The toddler (middle one) is so jealous and gets too much tv. I'm exhausted from chasing my tail all day with the housework, cooking, cleaning and laundry and trying to settle baby to sleep. The 2 older ones share a bedroom so although bedtime is 7pm, they rarely stop mucking about til 9pm or later and I'm up and down during the night with the baby or toddler. I'm so burnt out. The reason I'm so "attentive" to the baby is beacuse I'm terrified that the strict routine and controlled crying I did with my first contributed to her aspergers (I know that's not the case but I do worry).

Any advise appreciated x

http://www.sleepscotland.org/


Works wonders !!!! Dont be put off by the name! It is now everywhere and some HV are trained in it

mrcow

I had 3 under 5.

I agree with the staggered bedtimes. And just turn the tv off. There are plenty of other ways your children can amuse themselves - especially if they have each other to play with. Get them involved in the cooking and cleaning. You don't have to do everything one handed.

The whole tiptoeing around your 8 month old needs to stop too. You are not going to cause aspergers. Perhaps he moans all the time because he's never learned how to settle down because you're always fussing? Just a thought.

grey_lady

No caffeine, sugar or alcohol? :rotfl:

Frith

Is there someone you could ask to come round and do bedtimes for you for 2 or 3 days? Just wondering because mine used to settle much easier for other people!

My first son was a terrible sleeper, was 18 months before he even began to sleep through the night. So I did absolutely everything I could to keep my smaller son quiet in the evenings and to make him go to sleep - carrying him around, going to bed at the same time as him (in the same bed) etc. And he has Aspergers so please don't worry that you have caused that.

Lara44

I don't have any kids but I find my slow cooker to be a wonderful invention. I just fry off all the ingredients in the morning and dinner cooks itself. If you bought a bigger one you could bulk cook and freeze half, so you're only cooking half the week. Also good for big pots of soup for kids lunches.

Agree with others on the housework, if the kitchen's in a reasonable state it's all good