The arrival of a second child won’t necessarily change your day-to-day life — chances are you’ll already have a well-established routine with your first. That said, having more than one child means you need to be organized and simplify your daily steps in order to maximize your time. Without doing both, it won’t be long before your outings become a total nightmare!
No doubt one of the most complicated steps of the day is getting dressed. It might seem silly to say, but it’s important for everyone to be comfortable and for our clothing to go on quickly without slowing us down. For my part, it also needs to be breastfeeding-friendly; for Roby, ready to move; for Laurier, easy to change; and for Pierre-Étienne, appropriate for any and all activities! And on top of that, it needs to be cute ;)
My winning outfit is a nice pair of loose, patterned pants and a t-shirt. It’s super simple, allows me to breastfeed with ease, and, most importantly, it’s comfortable enough for running after my little tornado of nearly two years old.
1. Pants, Sirens, $10 / 2. Pants, Dynamite, $39.95 and $44.95 / 3. Pants, Sirens, $10
For Roby, I look for soft cotton fabrics — again for comfort and range of motion — something all parents must do. Hands down, the best thing is Velcro shoes! It’s the one item that goes on and off the most, so save yourself a ton of time (and aggravation!) and leave the shoe laces to the side.
1. Jeans, H&M, $29.99 / 2. Shoes, Panda, $54.99 / 3. Toque, Panda, $17.99 / 4. Sweater, H&M, $12.99 / 5. Pants, H&M, $12.99
For Laurier, my priority is clothing that I can remove easily on account of the frequent diaper changes. I would also say that another great time-saver is choosing neutral-coloured clothes that pair well together. Because God knows babies go through countless outfit changes each day, whether it’s a onesie covered in spit up or a pair of pants ruined by an overflowing diaper. Why waste time changing the entire outfit to keep things coordinated when you can change a single item and keep the look in check? It also saves you from having to search for the perfect ensemble every morning when you know that everything goes.
Onesies, H&M, $14.99–$17.99
For Pierre-Étienne, his outfits are already quite versatile. Jeans and a t-shirt are his daily go-tos. The part where it gets challenging is covering up on colder days. Finding a jacket, a hoodie or a coat that pairs well with his wardrobe isn’t always easy. That’s where the ultimate classic comes in: the jean jacket. He didn’t have one, so it was the ideal purchase.
Jacket, H&M, $59.99
Now that the clothing portion is set, there are two other areas to streamline: meals and entertainment. The Famille futée cookbook series is a must-have in our home. The recipes are very quick, easy and affordable, saving us in the evenings during those weeks when we’re short on time! And, while we’re preparing dinner, we always need some good entertainment for the hungry little ones, making funny reads the perfect pick: Elise Gravel’s books are Roby’s favourite, and his most recent obsession? Caca boudin! He asks us to read it at least five times a day!
1. Cap, Panda $24.99 / 2. Caca boudin book, Archambault, $18.50 / 3. Famille futée 4 book, Archambault, $29.95 / 4. Une patate à vélo book, Archambault, $12.95 / 5. Cups, Bowring, $6.99 / 6. Parkland bag, Sports Experts, $39.99 / 7. Shoes, Panda, $54.99
2151 Boul. Lapinière
Brossard, QC J4W 2T5, Canada