Two scenario questions...

[Vickster]

My daughter still has a bottle in her room before she goes for her nap. Hopefully I will have a 9 month baby to look after for 2 days per week in Jan. What do you do with one when you are settling the other for their sleep? Experienced opinions needed.

Also my duaghter (18 months) has a slight temp is very grumpy and teething today. I would be happy to mind on days like this but she will be more time demanding, is it ok to mind and do you just scale down the activities planned for the other children?

[sarah707]

It's all about juggling really and putting the needs of the child who needs you most first.

Sometimes your child will come second, that's just the way it goes, because someone else is making more demands on your time.

It's good for children to learn to wait on occasion so don't feel you are doing the wrong thing.

Your daughter's routine will change before January anyway - she might even be weaned off the bottle by then they do say to stop bottles around the age of 1 nowadays don't they?

Just relax and go with the flow you will find your own ways of doing things.

Hth

[IndigoMoon]

What Sarah says makes perfect sense.

I 'train' (wrong word but can't think of the right one!) my charges that they have their milk downstairs then get taken upstairs, kissed goodnight and popped in the cot to settle themselves, just as I did with my own children.

Having them all sleep in the same room has never worked for me but others have managed perfectly.

Perhaps now would be a good time to work towards your dd having a beaker of milk downstairs and self settling in the cot? Would that make things easier for you do you think?

[Vickster]

She does self settle in the cot mostly but uses the milk as a sleep cue, I think I will try the milk downsatirs then upstairs for sleep.

DD def needs to learn how to wait as her older brother gives into that is another reason why minding is good for us

Thanks

[smartie]

It's all about juggling really and putting the needs of the child who needs you most first.

Sometimes your child will come second, that's just the way it goes, because someone else is making more demands on your time.

It's good for children to learn to wait on occasion so don't feel you are doing the wrong thing.

Just relax and go with the flow you will find your own ways of doing things.

Hth

Ditto. Spot on.