Updated July 01, 2014.

Having your first baby, you’re an idealist. You plan to exercise daily. You drink plenty of water. You get a good night sleep, or at least 8-10 hours of a sleep at some point during the day. You probably watch what you eat and follow all the “rules” of pregnancy. What you don’t realize is that it’s all a myth, a false reality only designed for the first time mother. Second time, or more, moms have a much different look at pregnancy.

So here are some of my tips for the second time mom, which might seem lazy, but are actually quite brilliant in a survival type way:

1. Turn the TV on for your child who refuses to nap.
   If you are that dead dog tired that only pregnancy can bring out in you, I can guarantee you that your older child, no matter what age, is going to refuse to sleep. This means you have to do something to keep them entertained and safe while you close your eyes for a few minutes. This is when I turned to screen time. I’d lay on my couch and tuck my toddler in behind my knees as I curled up on the couch. Then I turned on a kid friendly show and we rested together.
2. Give up on cleaning.
   No we can’t all afford a maid, if you can – do it. If you can’t, do the bare minimum. I define that as the personal standard that is just above “drives you crazy” and “health department hazard.” I truly find that the clutter and dirty dishes are what bother me most. If I do that in five-minute spurts while I’m able, I’m not sitting down worried about it. I can also talk my toddler into helping with a few things, if I’m willing to play the game of calling out each piece of clutter I need picked up and describe exactly where I put it. It helps my child learn to help but also helps me have a calm sense of the house.

1. Diet Dives
   It’s a fact that when you’re pregnant, tired and chasing another child around, it can be easy to watch your diet take a nose dive. Don’t stress out, just do what you can. Don’t look back, only forward. What can you do to help ease your fears of a pregnancy diet that consists only of cake and coffee? Make sure you stock up on quick and easy healthy foods. Forget making all of your own meals, particularly at times you know are hard. Plan ahead for some ease of use. Consider keeping fruit that you purchased pre-sliced in the fridge at work or home. Buy bags of foods that are single package servings, like nuts and dried fruit. If it helps you eat a bit better, you’re going to be less stressed about your diet.
2. Go Gaga for Goo for Your Kid’s Diet
   Have you seen all of these pouches of food designed for kids? They used to be made just for babies, now they are made for toddlers and older kids. I’d say it’s possible though not a great idea for all three meals, to come from a pouch. So if morning is your hardest time, I’d pull out some Plum Organic’s Oatmeal in a pouch for breakfast or other pouches. There are also fruits with yogurt. There are also a ton of fruit and vegetable mixes from a variety of sources. If you’re big into sneaking veggies into regular meals this way – stop making your own and start squeezing it from a pouch.
3. Didn’t Name the Baby Right Away
   Don’t laugh. We barely talked baby names the whole pregnancy. Though in fairness, it was more to avoid the fight we’d invariably have over names. Our baby eventually got a name two weeks or so after birth. (And I honestly enjoyed, just a little bit, torturing folks.)
4. Played Up the Postpartum a Bit
   You asked me to do something after the baby was born? I was more likely to play the postpartum card after the second baby than the first. Call it lazy or smart, I knew that society would only let me use the new baby excuse for so long and I was going to milk it for all it was worth.