What workarounds did people try for "How to divide attention between multiple young children"?

Community members documented 22 workarounds: 1. Including older siblings as much as possible so they feel involved with the new baby. 2. Using digital noise meters 3. Stopping homeschooling and sending older children to public kindergarten or preschool 4. Letting early-waking toddlers cry until regular morning hours 5. Enlisting older children to help with basic chores like laundry and tidying 6. Relying on partner support for chores during early morning hours 7. using clearly defined routines and expectations 8. loving and accepting each child where they are at 9. Feeding kids convenient frozen or prepared foods instead of fresh meals during difficult stages 10. Using a divide-and-conquer approach to manage multiple schedules and extracurricular activities 11. Stopping enforced naps for the toddler and replacing them with quiet play time in her room 12. Holding the line at bedtime and letting the toddler cry or stay in bed 13. Putting the baby down in a dark room and letting her cry for 5 minutes before reevaluating 14. Using a monkey lock on the toddler's door for safety 15. Sitting on the older child's bed while they fall asleep while nursing the infant 16. Using a queen-size floor bed for the toddler so the parent can lie in the middle between both children 17. Staggered bedtimes, letting the older child stay up a bit later while putting the younger one down first 18. Placing both children to share a room for bed to simplify the routine 19. Sacrificing one child's routine or timing to prioritize the other. 20. Wearing the baby in a carrier during the older child's routine to keep hands free. 21. Transitioning the older child to settle themselves independently. 22. Bringing a bassinet into the room and swapping the older child's nap for quiet time.

How to divide attention between multiple young children

Having a new baby risks taking critical attention and resources away from existing young children, leaving parents devastated and fearing they cannot maintain their kids' rich lives. This split focus makes it overwhelming to meet the immediate needs of multiple children simultaneously without feeling like someone is missing out.

Overview

Last updated Oct 7, 2026

People affected11 accounts across 2 forums

Workarounds found22 items attempted

Community agreement13 total upvotes

What the numbers show

Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count

The most recent one is from October 2026.
This comes up 18.8× more often in r/Parenting than across the site as a whole.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

22 items+ Contribute

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

1
Including older siblings as much as possible so they feel involved with the new baby.
Did this help you?
2
Using digital noise meters
Did this help you?
3
Stopping homeschooling and sending older children to public kindergarten or preschool
Did this help you?
4
Letting early-waking toddlers cry until regular morning hours
Did this help you?
5
Enlisting older children to help with basic chores like laundry and tidying
Did this help you?
6
Relying on partner support for chores during early morning hours
Did this help you?
7
using clearly defined routines and expectations
Did this help you?
8
loving and accepting each child where they are at
Did this help you?
9
Feeding kids convenient frozen or prepared foods instead of fresh meals during difficult stages
Did this help you?
10
Using a divide-and-conquer approach to manage multiple schedules and extracurricular activities
Did this help you?
11
Stopping enforced naps for the toddler and replacing them with quiet play time in her room
Did this help you?
12
Holding the line at bedtime and letting the toddler cry or stay in bed
Did this help you?
13
Putting the baby down in a dark room and letting her cry for 5 minutes before reevaluating
Did this help you?
14
Using a monkey lock on the toddler's door for safety
Did this help you?
15
Sitting on the older child's bed while they fall asleep while nursing the infant
Did this help you?
16
Using a queen-size floor bed for the toddler so the parent can lie in the middle between both children
Did this help you?
17
Staggered bedtimes, letting the older child stay up a bit later while putting the younger one down first
Did this help you?
18
Placing both children to share a room for bed to simplify the routine
Did this help you?
19
Sacrificing one child's routine or timing to prioritize the other.
Did this help you?
20
Wearing the baby in a carrier during the older child's routine to keep hands free.
Did this help you?
21
Transitioning the older child to settle themselves independently.
Did this help you?
22
Bringing a bassinet into the room and swapping the older child's nap for quiet time.
Did this help you?

Tried another approach not listed above?+ Share your workaround ↑

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/Teachers1 person · September 2026

“I need some advice from my veteran teachers on how to manage noise in the classroom because I am unfortunately so noise blind that I don't notice how it gets to the point where you can hear them from two doors down.”source ↗

“I've tried using noise meters but its so sensitive that the students closest to the board can't even move without setting it off but the students in the back can still talk no problem.”source ↗

“I have ADHD and it unfortunately works against me that if I'm helping a student with their work, I become blind to the other students for the few seconds it takes for me to help this student and it snowballs from there.”source ↗

AHdaughter · r/Teachers · 5 upvotes

r/Parenting10 people · September 2026 – October 2026

“I would be going crazy too. It will most definitely get easier. You have to take days for yourself for the sake of your mental health.”source ↗

BadassBokoblinPsycho · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“Expecting my second and a question popped to mind…as I saw my elementary kid did bad on a certain test (normally gets A’s and is a good kid but somehow minor things give me anxiety )”source ↗

“How are parents working and also handling teen issues and kids breaking bones ?”source ↗

Anondreamyanon · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“Having two pretty much completely dependent on you is rough. Naps are impossible.”source ↗

catmomma530 · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“The smaller gap and having two at home was a rough transition for me. Kid2 wasn't as independent, so I had to be everywhere all the time.”source ↗

runjeanmc · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“2 under 2 almost took me out, and I was much less present for #2’s toddler years and 3’s baby and toddler years due to juggling so much and everyone needing something all the time.”source ↗

slanid · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“Now when I try to put toddler for nap, I will have her lay in her bed, tuck her in, rub her back a few mins, and step out as I’m either baby wearing or baby is in the bouncer outside of the door and only lasts so long.”source ↗

“So now that baby is 12 weeks I want to try having her do 1 crib nap a day if she will. Because my toddler is having a hard time with her nap that decreases my chances of doing this then but also when I try to put the baby down other times, my toddler is right there.”source ↗

“Yesterday was hard. My toddler is having a horrible time with any changes despite me doing everything I can to help her. And my baby has her own challenges… and I don’t know how I’ll ever teach her how to sleep if I don’t have the space to do so.”source ↗

colemum · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“I’m generally so patient and able to cope but lately I just feel defeated and like I can’t meet my girls needs together.”source ↗

colemum · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“My older child is 3 and still naps, but it takes a minimum of 30 minutes to settle. I can’t just leave my baby unattended while I help my 3 y/o fall asleep. How do parents of two or more kids manage this?!”source ↗

feb1824 · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“I am devastated to take attention and resources away from my 2 kids. I can’t do this. This is too much. How can I maintain their wonderful rich lives while having a new baby?”source ↗

Clay_Clay_2021 · r/Parenting

“I have a 5.5 year old, 3 (almost 4 year old), 18 month old and a 3 month old. I feel like I kept my head above the water the first few month; even with my daughters complicated heart defects that required a NICU stay and a lot of cardiologist appointments. Slowly I feel like I am having more trouble keeping the house clean, making healthy fresh meals, leaving the house, and just enjoying life.”source ↗

“By the time I’m done cleaning, it’s dinner, baths, and bedtime. I don’t feel like I get a chance to breathe. I feel like I am always doing, yet the house is never clean. I never feel like I spent enough time with my kids and I never feel like I get a second to recharge.”source ↗

“Will life ever feel easier? I miss enjoying life and looking forward to tomorrow.”source ↗

MissEscapist · r/Parenting

“How does everyone manage bedtime alone when you have more than one kid under 2 years old?”source ↗

“I am due with my second when my first born will be just under 2 years old. I do bedtimes alone due to husbands work hours.”source ↗

“I just logistically don’t know what to do when baby #2 comes.”source ↗

Frosty_Celery6898 · r/Parenting