How bad can it get? Homeschooling with a baby or toddler...

[PeterPan]

What for you is the worst stage/age for homeschooling with a baby or toddler and why? Y'all were right that the end of pregnancy, that last month, was WAY WORSE than how I feel post-partum. Even though we're getting less done, I feel so much better, saner, more clear-headed, I'm more level-headed and human at accomplishing what we do attempt. Right now of course ds is easy to just sit on my lap and nurse while we work, but I know people have said the toddler stage is the worst. When for you did that hair-raising stage occur, the one where you lost your mind, sanity, and academics went out the door while trying to blend homeschooling and babies/toddlers? Or did it not happen to you? If it didn't happen and you sailed through the toddlers plus homeschooling stage, how did you do it? What was your strategy?

 

See partly I'm just wanting to learn your tips, but I'm also thinking about starting the BJU dvd's for part of our subjects and wondering at what stage that might be the most helpful, when, what our potential issues are, etc. It seems to me if I start them BEFORE we hit the hairy stage, things will go better once we hit it.

 

Thanks! :)

[Blessedfamily]

My youngest is barely one and has a habit of sitting her big pampered butt on whatever book we're reading-every day. She demands attention (can't blame her) so I have to play her and give her something to do while lessons are in progress. That could actually work, but then my student just wants to play with the toys with her.

 

Miraculously, she started taking long naps when daylight savings changed. We're doing much better.

Much willl depend on whether you have a napper or not in toddlerhood.

[rafiki]

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[Carrie12345]

I've only homeschooled with a little one in tow, so I can't make comparisons. I'll admit I'm a bit worried about the next couple of years (ds is 18 months old right now), but we honestly haven't had a single problem managing school and baby so far, and I can't imagine hitting any glitches with him for at least a few more months.

 

Had it been my girls as babies... I'm not quite sure I'd have any sanity left.

 

Sending good thoughts for an easy toddler!

[Frelle]

for me, homeschooling when the baby/toddler has gone down to one nap is the worst. For that first year, I am used to doing most of our schoolwork when the baby is taking a morning nap. When the only nap is in the afternoon, sometimes I have had to wait until that nap to do school and not school in the morning.

 

There is also the first 6 months or so when some days I was so sleep deprived that I had to pick between schooling during morning nap and taking a nap with the baby. That's hard too.

[pbandpickles]

I have my nephews here 4 days a week. Simon is 1 and Elias is 3. Then there are my 2 little ones Josh, who will be 5 next month and Gabby who will be 3 next month. Gabby is my terror these days. She screams about everything at the drop of a hat.

 

I made a tub just for the little ones for when dd and ds are doing there lesson's. We have a ton of playdough, cookie cutters and I put in the extra math manipulatives we don't use everyday (they love the blocks that pull apart and all the colorful shapes like can make flowers with ect.). They only get to play with these things during lesson time. My dd, the oldest, she also loves to read the little ones stories. So when I am doing math with ds she likes to read to them and when I am doing math with dd, ds likes to turn on some music and get them all dancing.

 

This has been working for us and I have heard less screaming out of little dd.

[JudoMom]

For me ~ 3 years was the most challenging. That is when my boy's curiousity peaked and they were more explorative (aka turned into little monkeys). Before then I could typically keep ds in the school room with us, either gate it off or keep tricks up my sleeve to entertain him....Did I mention he no longer naps?

 

:iagree:

 

This is the 3rd time I've gone through schooling with a 3 year old, and it's the hardest age. They want to do what they want to do when they want to do it. They aren't easily deterred or distracted. They want to explore the world the way they want to explore it. They have little to no impulse control. They develop the ability to quietly sneak off to perform their experiments in silence. They give up their nap. They want to be big like their brothers, but they just aren't and have to be closely supervised with scissors, markers, glue, etc, because the imitations made for their age just aren't good enough.

 

This is the only age I've seriously considered sending them to school a few mornings a week. However, because my boys are so close together in age, the time gained wouldn't have been worth it because it takes us so long to get loaded/unloaded from the van. Add to that the time getting the ones who aren't being schooled settled into an activity and it would've left me little time to actually teach before picking the one at preschool up.

 

But yeah. 3 is the most difficult (give or take a few months on either side, of course).

[ThelmaLou]

My ds #5 just turned two in September, and this has been the toughest semester yet for me. Pregnancy was hard, too, but when he was in infant, at least he still took multiple naps. Now he's down to one nap a day, which isn't enough for me. He's not great at entertaining himself, and spends half the day whining, "Mommy hold you!" and wrapping himself around my leg.

 

His four older brothers are enamored with every little thing he says and does, so he's a huge distraction to their schoolwork. He's adorable, and a huge blessing to our family, but everyone's productivity has been slashed in half by this irresistible toddler.

[TraceyS/FL]

Last year was worse than this - so i agree with 3.

 

I also had my parents here up till then to help distract her (sort of worked, sort of didnt'). This year at 4 is MUCH better. She quit napping at 2 - and before that only did for about 45 minutes. We never had that feature to take advantage of around here! LOL!!

 

I said in the other thread - i do wish i had done DVDs or Homesat sooner for my oldest. It would have made a few things easier with the youngest member.

[Kim in SouthGa]

I think it depends on you capacity to deal with messes...my 19 month old is into EVERYTHING! We can't leave her alone in a room for a second, or she is sitting on the coffee table or climbing up on the chairs. This would be fine if she knew that leaning over would cause her to promptly fall on her noggin, but she is still at the age where she knows no fear. She is finally starting to play with her toys for a while alone if she knows we are near. However, she makes an absolute nightmare out of the house when she does. Thankfully, she is a late sleeper and still takes a good afternoon nap, so we are able to work around her schedule for times when the older ones need one on one time with me. It has been a while since I've done the toddler/preschool thing...my next-up is 8...but I vaguely remember it being easier when they could do things like play with play-doh, watercolors, bear counters, etc. without trying to eat them.;) I guess this is around 3 for most kids. Just hang in there. I have been thinking a lot lately, as my baby is getting older and I'm 99% sure she will be my last, that I want to enjoy every second of it. It goes by way too fast. Before you know it, everyone is potty trained, can fix there own snacks (and even breakfast and lunch!), clean their own rooms, and even help with your chores. The baby/toddler stage is really just a blip on the timeline, although I know when you are in it, it feels like it will never end!

 

I wrote a post to someone previously who asked about dvd schooling, you might want to search it. The main time drainer I have found is grading all the work. And from what I read from other posters, there is still A LOT of parental involvement with the dvds. I would suggest Switched on Schoolhouse if you feel like you will need some serious help. It teaches and grades everything, and is way less expensive. And you can buy it by the subject, so maybe you could just use the science and language or something like that. With the age of your other child, however, I would think you could probably manage without it (unless there are other circumstances I don't know about). By next year, in 5th grade, she should be able to do most of her work by herself, and you can "meet" with her early in the morning and/or during nap time. My 9dd really only needs my undivided attention on occassion, and otherwise I am just available to answer questions. And we all do Bible and History together when the baby is napping.

This got really long...sorry. Hope it was helpful.

[CalicoKat]

My youngest is barely one and has a habit of sitting her big pampered butt on whatever book we're reading-every day. She demands attention (can't blame her) so I have to play her and give her something to do while lessons are in progress. That could actually work, but then my student just wants to play with the toys with her.

 

Miraculously, she started taking long naps when daylight savings changed. We're doing much better.

Much willl depend on whether you have a napper or not in toddlerhood.

:lol: here too. In the middle of the table playing with the pens, math blocks, or just playing with their hair as they try to read. Thankfully she's a napper so it lasts a few minutes. When it's good and irritating we put her down and she sleeeeeeps! Schools out when the baby is up.

[SapphireStitch]

My kids are farther apart in age than yours, so this will make some difference. My daughter was almost 12 when my son was born. The first year was really easy, homeschool-wise anyway. I had a fibroid that was causing me major problem and I was super anemic to the point of not being able to hop up quickly or move around much.

 

DD and I sat around and did school together for hours, just taking breaks to feed DS and play with him. DD was right with me because I needed to hand DS off to her before I walked anywhere, in case I got dizzy or faint. That was a *great* year for school. We won't talk about the housework. :D

 

Our worst year/s were when DD was 14-16 and DS was 2-4. DD had a major teenage meltdown where she felt like her brain deserted her for a couple of years. Schoolwork was just plain torture for both of us. (If I had those years to do over I would set them aside for crafts and homemaking, and pick up the academics again from 16-19.)

 

We spent HOURS wading through each and every subject. DS was pretty compliant for a toddler, but I still had to run and jump after him in the middle of these drama/meltdown episodes and he needed entertaining, too.

 

Your two are closer together in age, and not every teen melts down like mine. (This seems to be a family thing, though, all my cousins have been through it with their kids.) Your daughter is going to be hitting a great "competent tween" age range when your baby is a toddler; that might be a very helpful combination!

 

BUT, I want to just encourage you to take each day, month, and year as they come. Don't borrow trouble and don't assume that how your life flows now is how it will flow even as little as three months from now. Do what you have to do, and enjoy those kids as much as you can in the process. They grow up way too fast...

[sagira]

My youngest is barely one and has a habit of sitting her big pampered butt on whatever book we're reading-every day.

 

:lol:

 

I could have written that post. My fifteen-month-old wants to play with the pencils, strew papers everywhere, confiscate and eat crayons, go on a mission to find markers and rip tops off them, "read" books, write like ds and pretty much interrupt our school day :willy_nilly:

Edited November 10, 2008 by sagira

[Dawn E]

I'm there right now. :001_smile:

 

I'd have to say, for us, things got more difficult once ds was able to walk. He quickly progressed to climbing everything. He's a little daredevil, and I have to keep my eyes on him. Currently, he is 16 months, and he's starting to play a little independently. He makes each day exciting, but we've been able to stay on course, for the most part.

[PeterPan]

Thanks ladies, your stories are really interesting!!

 

Kim-you made some interesting points. The BJU dvd's are a particular draw because they would make it easier to implement the things we are already using (no change, just less work for me). But after talking with dh, it seems we've decided to wait until closer to January and see how I'm doing, how the whole baby thing is going. It's funny, because I thought I could get dd so independent this year, and somehow it seems she needs much just as much! Part of it is being a social creature and needing those breaks and interaction, and part of it is that the work is just plain HARD and needs to be checked over. For instance Wordsmith Apprentice, while relatively independent, still needs to be looked at by me and read over to see if she was on-track. The math needs both instruction and mid-stream and final checking. So I'm not sure why it is that my current path isn't quite as independent as I was led to believe 4th graders could be by the books.

[3lilreds in NC]

This is my first time homeschooling with a toddler, and it can be... exciting. :D

 

Thankfully, Isaac still takes 2 naps. What we will do when he gives up that morning nap, I am not sure. We're doing a CM-style of education right now and I'm unclear how to transition the girls into being more independent - and they're only 7 and 8 so I don't expect a great deal of independence anyway. Nor do they seem to want much.

 

Anyhoo, when we try to do school while Isaac is awake, I pretty much have to sit on the floor while he plays so he thinks he's getting some attention. I can give spelling tests that way, and some other things. I'm working on getting one of the girls to play with him while I do grammar with the other. One girl doesn't want to miss anything so she tries to listen in, and the other girl thinks if she's just in the room, the baby will entertain himself. I'm trying to get it through to them that they need to interact with him so that he doesn't find less appropriate things to interact with. :lol:

 

That doesn't mean much for your situation though. I like the idea of the DVD stuff; I think making your dd as independent as possible is a good idea. I live for baby naps, here. I try to cram as much into those hours as I can, particularly in the morning, because we lose a lot of momentum in the afternoons.

 

If you're not opposed to a play pen, I'd suggest trying to get your little guy used to playing in one sometimes. When my girls were little, I had them spend a little time each day in the pack'n'play. Emma took to it fine; Abbie hated it. Isaac will tolerate it for at least a little while. If you can get your ds to do it for even a half hour, you'd be available to help your dd or work with her if you wanted. You could get one of those enclosed play yard gates, and give him a little more room, if you wanted. I'm wondering as I type if I could make room for something like that for Schmooey. We're going to have to do something soon. Bless him, he's turned into Destructo-Baby.

 

I am babbling and I need to go to bed. I hope this helps a little bit.

[PeterPan]

Thanks Beth, it does help, because you've confirmed what I'm thinking, that it aint' gettin' any easier! And that's an interesting point, that moving toward the dvd's for subjects is moving toward making her more independent in her work.

[Renee in NC]

Thanks Beth, it does help, because you've confirmed what I'm thinking, that it aint' gettin' any easier! And that's an interesting point, that moving toward the dvd's for subjects is moving toward making her more independent in her work.

 

Look at the bright side - you have 1 infant/toddler/preschooler, not 4!!!!:lol:

[PeterPan]

Look at the bright side - you have 1 infant/toddler/preschooler, not 4!!!!:lol:

 

I know!! That's why I've been trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. :) I finally decided I have more babies than I was initially counting: me (special diet), dh (isn't every man a baby at heart?), and... That's it, right? lol

[Erica in PA]

What for you is the worst stage/age for homeschooling with a baby or toddler and why? Y'all were right that the end of pregnancy, that last month, was WAY WORSE than how I feel post-partum. Even though we're getting less done, I feel so much better, saner, more clear-headed, I'm more level-headed and human at accomplishing what we do attempt. Right now of course ds is easy to just sit on my lap and nurse while we work, but I know people have said the toddler stage is the worst. When for you did that hair-raising stage occur, the one where you lost your mind, sanity, and academics went out the door while trying to blend homeschooling and babies/toddlers? Or did it not happen to you? If it didn't happen and you sailed through the toddlers plus homeschooling stage, how did you do it? What was your strategy?

 

See partly I'm just wanting to learn your tips, but I'm also thinking about starting the BJU dvd's for part of our subjects and wondering at what stage that might be the most helpful, when, what our potential issues are, etc. It seems to me if I start them BEFORE we hit the hairy stage, things will go better once we hit it.

 

Thanks! :)

 

I think you will be just fine! The fact that you have just one older dd that you will be homeschooling will be a huge advantage. You'll have a much different situation than a mom who has kids ranging from 9 all the way down to a newborn. My oldest was 4 when my second son was born, and then 6 when my dd was born, and it was honestly very easy to homeschool my oldest during that time, because he was the only one who needed to do school. It wasn't until this year, when all three of my kids are officially homeschooling (ds12, ds8, dd6) that things have gotten tricky. It would have been even easier if I just had the 12 and 6 year olds, which is closer to your situation.

 

That's not to say that there won't be times when the baby/toddler will pull you away from your school plans, or jsut basically disrupt things in various ways, but overall I think it will be easier than you may fear right now. One of the really great things about having kids spaced far apart is that you get to enjoy each one of them so intensely-- so be sure to relish that!! :001_smile:

 

Erica

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

I'd have to say, for us, things got more difficult once ds was able to walk. He quickly progressed to climbing everything. He's a little daredevil, and I have to keep my eyes on him. Currently, he is 16 months, and he's starting to play a little independently. He makes each day exciting, but we've been able to stay on course, for the most part.

Yes, I think between 1 and 2 yo. Those were hard months to do anything when ds#3 was awake.

 

I wished that I had done pack-n-play training when ds was an infant just for that particular time in his life.