We have very sadly said good-bye to DS's daytime sleep. There are some payoffs such as faster night-time settling, less overnight waking and sleeping in till 6:30am ...... but how do you get all that stuff done that needs to be done.

Looking for some tips from experienced mums on organising my day when there is no down time!! Have also got a 6 month old who's currently on 3 naps each day.

TIA.

i dont !

i only get things done that she allows me to! ie helps me hang washing & cook etc

I do let her watch playschool for 20 mins instead of the sleep though so she has a rest and i TRY to do things then but i also have a 4.5mths old so very little is ever being done

My kids have learnt to occupy their own time while I get things done, I bring out puzzles, play lego or Thomas trains, play doh etc... I think it is important for kids to learn to amuse themselves and not need us to do it for them all the time. It gives them a chance to let their imagination run wild.

Failing that stick a dvd on.

Agree with both the PPs. Either do things that your older child can "help" with (or at least be involved in), or encourage her to play by herself while you are doing something, or put the TV on. I tend to do all three, in that order of preference and frequency.

Steph

LouBlou, that could have been totally my post! I indeed think kids need to occupy themselves during your chores. Surely our mums didn't play with us every waking moment?

Even when they were little, I refused to use napping time to do chores - I used it to have a moment for myself instead and taught the kids from early on that home duties are part of daily life...

On the other side: they go through quite clingy phases during which play school or a DVD is an absolute saviour. It gives them a moment to rest too.

My girls are 3 and 8mths. My 3 year old doesn't have day sleeps when she's at home but she does at daycare (2 days a week). We don't let her have a daysleep at home as guaranteed if she does she's not tired at night and doesn't fall asleep until 9.30-10pm. She is still in her room but just mucks around with her books and teddies for ages because she's not tired.

During the day if I really need to get something done and I need her to sit still I'll put a DVD on. Otherwise, she follows me around while I do stuff or plays with her puzzles etc. She's often quite happy playing by herself. Or Playdoh is also a good option as that will keep her amused for a while.

Our 8mth old is happy playing on the floor with me doing stuff nearby. When I need to hang out washing I do it when my 8mth old is asleep and take my 3yo outside with me and she plays under our patio (or on the trampoline) while I hang the washing out.

KD7 - I could have written your post word for word. Even the ages of my children are the same, just replace DD for DS!!

DS1 helps me sort the washing, he passes me pegs to hang it out, puts the vegies in the pots for dinner after I cut them, we take it in turns to vaccum. Yes things take a little longer, but they get done.....

I agree with PP's use of playdough, puzzles, and TV/DVD when you need some much needed time out.

It's funny, I posted this exact same question about a month or so ago when my DS gave up his day sleeps at home (still sleeps at creche), as it was KILLING ME, not getting a couple of hours to myself..... but it's funny how little time it takes you to adapt to the new routine.....

I just use the days he is at creche to get lots of other stuff done around the house, groceries, run errands etc....

DD who is 3 has quiet time in her room, even if she doesn't sleep.

Tmess72 - you do get used to it pretty quickly and it really doesn't bother me anymore that she doesn't sleep during the day. And I'd much rather have her awake all day and asleep at her normal bed time rather than still wide awake at 10pm at night!!

My DD also likes handing me the pegs when I hang washing on the line, lol. Makes it so slow but it's fun for her, lol

ETA: Tmess72 - just saw your sig and my DD#2 was born the day after your 2nd boy. She was Aug 27 last year! My oldest DD was April 05

I have found story cd's or tapes to be wonderful for rest/quiet time for my DS. (3 1/2)
He lays on his bed and listens to them for 30 mins to an hour.
He seems to still need that quiet time each day and I need some time too, especially as I am pregnant with #4 and feeling tired and sick.

For the washing, DS has his own line (string strung up between washing line & swing post) where he hangs undies, socks etc while I hang the bigger stuff. I used to get him to pass pegs but it was too tedious & he loves doing some himself now.
I just try to involve him in some way that isn't going to get annoying. But DS mostly entertains himself anyway, so I'm usually involving him because I want to not because I have to.