Somebody talk me down--Can homeschooling be successful with a baby in the house?!?!?

[Kidlit]

I actually feel silly posting this because obviously, homeschooling can be done successfully with a baby in the house. :001_huh: Too many of you have multiple children of differing ages to make it an impossibility. :tongue_smilie:

 

I suppose what I should ask is "Can I homeschool my girls successfully with a newborn in the house?" (The girls will be 1st and K-ish next school year). Baby brother is ONLY 2 weeks old, and yes, I know things will get better. I'm just wondering realistically how much better they will get in another month or so. He's really a good baby, but we do have our periods of crying (I mean HE has HIS periods of crying!), etc. I find myself being unneccessarily snappy with the girls over infractions, etc. Yes, I know I'm still dealing with postpartum hormones, etc.

 

I guess what I'm looking for is consolation, a hug, a pat on the back, and some btdt advice. Please?!?!?:D

[Guest]

I'll give you a pat on the back because I haven't been brave enough to find out yet . . . although my day will come! You can do it! Just think how nice it will be in a few months when he'll be taking two naps a day . . . :grouphug:

[kmacnchs]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

Snapping comes with a newborn...I have learned to not be so hard on myself b/c it has happened w/every single one. :glare:

 

Do school during baby's morning nap(s). The good news is K and 1st only really NEED Reading and Math which should be doable. Just do those until you feel you are ready to tackle more - the baby is on a better schedule.

 

Oh, and read read-alouds while you nurse!

 

You can do it! And if you need to start the school year "late", your children will not suffer!

[Aoife]

it can be hectic but totally doable. Personally I think babies are much easier then HSing with toddlers running around :D I just keep a steady supply of interesting things to do so that the wee ones are occupied and I can focus (somewhat) on the olders LOL

[Soror]

We did very easy "K" last yr and a ton of reading while nursing, especially in that first 6 wks. After that we started to get some structure back slowly, but nothing too intense as it was just K. Baby is now 7 m.o. and it is all going pretty well and we are slowly adding things in and refining what we were doing.

[Mosaicmind]

You can do it and be successful. First off, remember that a k and 1st only need to learn phonics, math, and maybe do some handwriting. I would think that you could find a couple of hours a day to do this. You don't have to do it all in one stretch. As another poster said, do it when your baby is sleeping or nursing. I found that reading to my kids while nursing the baby helped them to get some of mommy's attention when they were feeling a little left out. You could even have them read to you during this time; tell them that their little brother would love to hear a story.

 

Stress is just part of having a new baby in the house and I did alot of apologizing to my older kids when a new baby came along. Sometimes at night I would sit with the olders on their beds and explain how things were a little hard for me now and I sometimes got angry when I shouldn't. Surprisingly, those little minds knew exactly what I was saying and were very forgiving of me. It did get better and we got in a good schedule that wasn't perfect but it worked for us.

 

I also agree that babyhood is definitely easier than toddlerhood. Praying for you as you navigate these next weeks. Praying for you.

[my2boysteacher]

Do you have a baby carrier/sling? My DD spent her first 9 mos in one of those. ;) I found it very easy to homeschool my olders with a baby, however, homeschooling with a toddler is a totally different experience. :D

[mommyagain]

I don't have a lot of advice, but I can commiserate!!

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

I'll be schooling this year with a 1st, K'er, 2 1/2 yo , 1 1/1 yo, and a newborn currently 2 weeks old! We'll have to cry on each other's shoulders! I know women do it all the time, so it must be possible :)!

 

Hang in there!! It helps that K and 1st aren't labor intensive!

[Celia]

Remember, it's common for babies to increase in fussiness up to 6 weeks, then start to settle. So don't despair now! I found going from 2 to 3 kids really tricky for the first 2 months, by the 3rd month I felt like a normal person again! You'll do fine, just be patient with yourself and your kids right now. It's easy to feel overwhelmed in the first few months, and hey, even if you take it easy this year, remember your kiddos are still young and have plenty of time to learn ahead of them!

[Nakia]

Our first year when Anna was in K and Emma was 2.5, Cora was born. It can be done. :D

[Kidlit]

Thanks, everyone. I knew I could count on you. :grouphug:

 

I am SUCH a task-oriented, driven-to-get-it-done person that it DRIVES ME CRAZY (almost literally) to feel like I'm spinning my wheels. It has been 4 years, too, since we've had a baby in the house, so we're essentially starting over.

 

I try not to think about the toddler years, especially since EVERYONE I've met since the day back in January that I found out our new babe would be a boy has told me "boys are different." :glare::tongue_smilie:

 

I appreciate the prayers, too. It helps now that I'm not exactly in a position to find quiet time very easily to know that someone else is praying for me!

[twoxcell]

Well I have a ds6(almost 7) dd(4.5) dd2.5) and ds(7 months). My youngest was born last November. We took two weeks off and then did about 3-4 weeks of covering the basics, and then had a 2 week break for Christmas. In January we were back to a full schedule. My youngest ds was a pretty clingy baby, but I took advantage of nap times, or we did school while I was holding or nursing him. Right now he either plays, naps or nurses while we are doing school. I think the baby stage is easier than the 2-3 age really. You can do it. 1st and K do not take that long to cover.

[AppleGreen]

More :grouphug: Your little one is so, so new and everything is so overwhelming right now for all. It will take a while before your new normal sets in (and it always took me a long while!), be gentle w/ yourself. Spend time playing games, reading stories and letting yourself adjust. Slowly your little one will become more predictable and you will be able to structure life and school a bit more. I think by the time fall rolls around you will pleasantly surprised at how do-able school will be w/ your little one. Really. Then next fall when you are facing school w/ a toddler you'll think back to those "easy" newborn days. ;) At least that's how I feel! LOL

 

HTH

[Guest]

 

I try not to think about the toddler years, especially since EVERYONE I've met since the day back in January that I found out our new babe would be a boy has told me "boys are different." :glare::tongue_smilie:

 

 

My boy was way easier than my girl is. Way more laid back, easy going.

[Kidlit]

My dear MIL points out that the "difference" might have more to do with parental expectations and dscipline than anything else. :D

 

Thanks for that comforting thought, Monica!

[MamaBear]

I have a 2 and 10 year old and somedays go smoothly and some do not. IMO it depends on how flexible you are and what your expectations are. I put alot of pressure on myself because I am a get it done and all done kind of girl - but I have learned to be more flexible and I have to remind myself that no one is standing over our shoulders to see what we have done. Bottom line - it can be done, just take it easy and as your baby grows you adapt.

[flobee76]

You can do this!!!

 

Granted, we just finished Kindergarten, we had a toddler and little baby when we started out the year. It was a little difficult to balance it all out, but it worked! I didn't have to have a special schedule to do school when the other kids were napping. I usually wore the baby while "teaching". There a lot of "nursing while teaching" sessions and it was fine. Sometimes, the baby would SCREAM, and so, I would simply take a break or have my Learners do a puzzle, draw, or read.

 

That's the beauty of all of this. You are a family in your own loving home. Learning is going to happen no matter what!! You can do what works for you and your family.

[Kidlit]

Thanks!:grouphug: I'm having such a hard time now convincing myself that my girls really ARE better off at home than at school. The record in my brain tells me, "Teachers don't have a baby vying for their attention. Teachers have way more patience. Teachers aren't sleep deprived." Etc. Of course, many of those things aren't necessarily true, but that doesn't make the record any less guilt-inducing.

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

it can be hectic but totally doable. Personally I think babies are much easier then HSing with toddlers running around :D I just keep a steady supply of interesting things to do so that the wee ones are occupied and I can focus (somewhat) on the olders LOL

 

:iagree::iagree: Babies are so easy compared to toddlers. I highly recommend a sling, I just stood and read to the boys with the baby in the sling.

[8filltheheart]

Babies are so snuggly and wonderful. Enjoy every minute of that precious time! Do not stress over primary school! School shouldn't consume more than 1-2 hrs for both of your kids combined!

 

So, the simple answer is yes. The more complicated answer is that you need to keep k and 1st in perspective. ;)

 

This is of course coming from a momma that is stressing about how she is going to manage AP biology, anatomy & physiology, American history, American lit, high school (hs) world geography, hs chemistry, 9th grade English, hs astronomy, French 2 and 3, Further Up Further In, MUS alg/geo, 6th grade English, on top of 3rd grade and K with an infant in tow while dealing with the Dept of Rehabilitative services for vocational and social skills training for 18 yr old Aspie. (all while praising the Lord that I do have a teacher for AP psychology and 2 students worth of pre-call!!)

 

Does that help K and 1st in perspective??:lol:

[Kidlit]

8filltheheart--Yep. That just about does it. :D I'll just blame it on the ol' hormones. :tongue_smilie:

[FO4UR]

I can't talk about HSing with a baby, but I can talk about simplifying K and 1st.

 

Teach them to play games together since they are so close. Make a few of those games a review of phonics and math.(Happy Phonics & Rightstart Math Games are good resources).

 

Utilize the LeapFrog DVD's.

 

Utilize audiobooks....lots and lots of audiobooks. When baby goes down for a nap, put in an audiobook for a quiet time and NAP yourself!

 

:grouphug: I had my 3rd when my other 2 were 3.5yo and 14mo. It was CRAZY and I didn't have schooling to worry about!!! Give yourself lots of grace! Your girls are better off at home, playing with each other and loving on the new baby. There is a huge difference between 2 wo and 3mo too...so what things seem like now will not be in September. You CAN do it!!!

[Pata]

Just wanted to comiserate with you! My little guy is alittle over 7 weeks old and it's been 8 years since I've had a little one in the house. We are trying to do a full third grade schedule, because I'm crazy and my dd wants to do it. It's getting done, but my house is not clean and we've been eating alot of take out :).

[NanceXToo]

Congrats on the new baby! If you wait til after Labor Day to begin homeschooling "officially" for the school year, which is what I tend to do, you have nearly 3 months to see how things are going with your baby.

 

And at that point- it's just going to depend on the baby lol. If it were my son at that age- I would have found it next to impossible to do just about anything, he was pretty difficult/fussy. If it had been either one of my daughters, no problem- they were the most easy-going content babies ever.

 

ETA: I shouldn't have ended my post there! I got sidetracked by something going on at my house, I think. I meant to say something alone the lines of so if it's one of those easy-going babies, you should be able to do what you need to do pretty easily. But if it's not, that doesn't mean you can't homeschool, just that you might need to do a lighter load for a while, be willing to play things by ear and get things done at odd times, or with breaks in between, to do the basics and try to keep things fun but don't feel like you aren't being successful if you aren't piling on hours and hours worth of work- do the basics, let the kids do "fun" educational things on their own (reading, music, board games, crafts, whatever). Let them help with the house and the baby too, that's also educational :D Good luck!

Edited June 19, 2010 by NanceXToo

[Snowfall]

Well....I'll be completely honest here. My new baby is almost 12.5 weeks old now. We completely took off school for the first 6 weeks of her life, doing nothing but reading aloud, a little Time 4 Learning (done totally unsupervised) and educational shows like Magic School Bus and different Discovery Channel shows as they came on. Then we eased back into regular stuff very, very, very slowly. It's only been in the last month that we've really started our normal routine again. I will say that my baby is VERY fussy - much fussier than your average baby. All that snuggling on the couch for read alouds while nursing the baby stuff that everyone talks about - totally not happening in my house. This baby had to be rocked, swayed or bounced all.the.time. for several weeks and does not comfort nurse. She nurses and is finished within about 10 minutes, and doesn't nurse again for 4 hours (that's the schedule she decided on - not me!). Not much time for reading.

 

Fortunately, she finally got to the point that I could at least put her down for naps (rather than crying unless I held her while she slept). Of course, her naps aren't entirely regular, so that causes a whole 'nother problem, because then I have to just grab DD1 for school whenever DD2 falls asleep, and DD1 does not transition well, so she's not happy to drop whatever she's doing and do school work at whatever random time we can. She's getting better, though.

 

So I guess what I'm saying is that my experience is that it was not doable for several weeks, but as the baby became less and less fussy (as in at least allowing me to put her down for naps, lol), it did become possible to get a little done. I'm okay with where we are right now. It will get easier when the new babe can sit down with a toy and entertain herself for a few minutes, I think. Of course, then she'll start crawling and getting into everything, which will be an all new drama. The fun never ends. :lol:

Edited June 19, 2010 by Snowfall

[Mama Anna]

I am SUCH a task-oriented, driven-to-get-it-done person that it DRIVES ME CRAZY (almost literally) to feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

 

Um. Join the club!! :)

 

I've found this last year (dd6 has done a combo of 1st/2nd grade work) that if I focus on the difference between actual wheel-spinning and incremental progress, my goal-oriented personality doesn't get as crazy. For example:

 

Wheel-spinning: dd6 can't concentrate on her one page of math because she's too busy interacting with dd 4mos in my sling, I get frustrated with her because she's known how to add 7 + 7 for over a year now and everything blows up in a sharp tone from me and tears of drama from her. Things are worse than when we began. (Grrrr . . .)

 

Incremental progress: Dd6 gets out her manipulatives even for review problems so she'll have something to distract her from her beloved sister, I keep dd 4mos in the other room as much as possible (not saying this is best, just what I need to do for dd6's sake), only approaching the table to check specific problems. I cut her assignment in half or more and we go really slow. But at the end of math time, dd6 has usually completed at least one of the problems on her own and feels the joy of accomplishment. Vocal tones are upbeat, and nobody's crying. (Major accomplishment for me!!)

 

Now, we're not finishing our math this year. But we're still moving forward and I think I've finally become okay with not meeting my original goal of "FINISH THE BOOK!"

 

Does that help? :)

 

Mama Anna

 

ETA: I'm at the point everyone warned you about - by next fall dd 9mos will be mobile and . . . challenging!

Edited June 19, 2010 by Mama Anna

[Kidlit]

Thanks to everyone else who's chimed in, especially those of you who currently have infants. It helps to realize that what we're doing isn't too much different than what happens in other homeschoolers' homes.

 

We do utilize audiobooks a lot already--my girls have a 1 hour rest time every day (which I would LOVE to synchronize with the baby's naps, but we're not that predictable yet) and they listen to an audiobook then. They will often listen for as much/as long as I'll allow them to. They are fairly good now at entertaining themselves/each other (whether it's through play or fighting :glare:), too.

 

Things really aren't as bleak as I make them out to be, I know. Thanks for the encouragement!:grouphug::001_smile:

[runmiarun]

Amy, I appreciate your original post and all the replies you've received. We are expecting our 4th in Feb 2010 and will be homeschooling my oldest for K. All the advice has had a much-needed calming effect on me. Thank you!

 

As a side note: from my experience with 2 boys and a girl, boys are much more laid back as babies than my daughter ever was. All that changed when they became toddlers and started climbing the bookcases. Now that my daughter is walking well, she's the laid-back, happy-as-a-clam one while the boys are in constant motion and mischief.