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5 tips to survive the first trimester (with a toddler)

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Are you pregnant with baby number one? Yay! Congratulations! Enjoy it. Because every pregnancy after this one is going to be super hard.

Do you remember what the first trimester is like? Exhaustion, hunger, the constant peeing, and let's not forget the morning all-day sickness that leaves you weak.

But you don't have the time to be weak and just lie around, feeling sorry for yourself and wondering how you got yourself into this blessed situation.

No, because you have a toddler that wants to play, who wants to use you as a human jumping castle, who needs juice and is also having a meltdown about not being able to put their slippers on by themselves. Also, they have a sudden aversion to Daddy and want to be superglued to your body. Being 2 is hard.

Also read: Mommy can't get sick!

Here are some tips to help you through the first trimester:

1. Enlist the help of the grandparents or close family members if you're blessed to have them close by. Granddad can do the school run and they can maybe take your toddler off your hands for a couple of hours on the weekends so that you can vomit in peace.

2. TV is your friend. Really, it's okay to relax on this rule when you're feeling particularly bleak. Obviously I'm not condoning plonking your child in front of the TV for hours at a time thus turning them into a vegetable zombie. But when you need a bit of a break, Peppa Pig can be your best friend.

3. Quiet activities like drawing, playing with blocks or building puzzles can be great ways to keep your toddler occupied and it's easy to keep an eye on them from bed.

4. Keep non-messy snacks in easy-to-reach places so they can help themselves when you're too tired to get up.

5. It's the perfect time to introduce the concept of potty training seeing as your kid is probably following you to the toilet every half an hour anyway.

Do you have any tips for surviving the first trimester with a toddler? Send them to chatback@parent24.com

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