So now I’ve had two kids for about a year now and have had a second to breathe, and settle in. It’s been a hot minute, and yep it’s taken me thing long to go from the shock of 1 kid to 2. I have to say 0 to 1 kid was still more work than 1 to 2, but boy was that a shocker. You get into a routine with your toddler, get used to just one nap, going out to parks, get to a point where they can actually communicate with you, eats food, and if you’re lucky is potty trained (and yes, a lot of that is luck) and BAM! Just like that a new human, who naps 3+ times a day, drinks milk, poops and pees constantly, and cries for like…no reason that you can fix. Your (my) toddler gets confused: wait, but I’m the baby? So maybe (like mine) they regress a bit, and you’re like wtf? I thought we had a deal! We already made a routine. Stick to it kid!

Then of course you find yourself in the expected but totally uncharted territory of having two toddlers. One who falls all the time and hits his head, and the other who tries to get on top of the one that has fallen and, “ride him like a unicorn.” And you just look around like — is this a joke? Am I on Jackass? Nope? Ok.

So needless to say, I’ve gotten some things to try to make life a bit easier. Which mostly means, how can I plan ahead to make less stress. I am by no means a parenting expert, just someone who is constantly learning with my toddlers.

• Lunchboxes – initially I would pack up a bunch of separate boxes for Shanta’s lunch for pre-school, and she wouldn’t eat much, and ended up coming home fussy. The typical bento style boxes were pricy, harder to open, and if they had a plastic lining seemed like they needed to be cleaned thoroughly to prevent mold. Bought these and haven’t looked back. Pack 3 at a time, and it makes for easy packing + a little cup with a special treat.

• Detangler and Night Hair – Bought a detangler, a wet brush and started doing Shanta’s hair at night. I don’t care what she wears to school at this point, but I do care that her hair is pulled back. Doesn’t get food in it, doesn’t get too many knots, and easier to nap. So we do her hair at night, a braid, pig tails, whatever she wants. Detangler has helped with tantrums around brushing hair, so did the wet brush.

• Activity Box – filled w/ random stuff that can entertain my toddler since she has dropped her naps at home. Only comes out during those times. Magic model clay, random paper, crayons, WaterWows, stickers.

• Clothes Boxes and planned clothes – Ikea white boxes. One filled w/ shirts, one with pants, one w/ underwear and socks, and one w/ PJs. Saves time on folding, makes it easier for the kid to grab stuff. (Also makes it easier for them to pull it all down and throw it around…but makes clean up easier too soooo, yeah). Pick out clothes for Mon – Wednesday on Sunday, Thurs/Fri on Wednesday night. Saves time in the AM with toddler decisions.