those who have 3 kids......

what's the hardest part about going from 2 to 3 kids. I know it's all about adjustment but need to know what to expect lol

I personally found 0 to 1 harder than going from 1 to 2 so hoping this is the same!

Re: those who have 3 kids......

the hardest for me was I felt limited on things we could do. My 1st 2 were 5 and 4 when the baby was born so adjusting back to dragging the baby everywhere. The boys are great with their baby brother.
Now that the baby is 19 months hardest is keeping them all under control as the baby likes to copy big brothers.

those who have 3 kids......

I feel like the fighting increased a lot. Whenever one, and it doesn't matter which one, is removed from the group things go much smoother.

Re: those who have 3 kids......

I have 2, but I know several friends with 3+ kids. Right now, with 2, DW takes DD to track practice/meets at the same time I take DS to soccer in a different direction. With 3 DC, you can't just have one parent with one DC.

Re: those who have 3 kids......

I don't but my sister does. They are all a year apart too (almost 3, 4, and 5). Only thing I can think of is that it's harder for her to go out and do errands. Usually my mother has to go over there on weekends while she grocery shops.

Re: those who have 3 kids......

For me, its hard to get everyone where they need to be. My girls are going in 3 different directions and its really hard to get one to soccer, one to dance, etc. by myself. Luckily my husband has lots of flexibility most of the time, so he can help, but its hard when he can't. And now my youngest (almost 2) is starting to have her own activities, so it is another direction to be pulled in!

Re: those who have 3 kids......

Message edited 11/30/2015 9:53:41 AM.

Re: those who have 3 kids......

My little one, the 3rd, is much younger than my older 2, so he is dragged everywhere and must sit through baseball games, track meets, etc. The more kids, the harder it gets to be in more than 1 place at the same time!

Re: those who have 3 kids......

I don't think its been hard really. My older ones are 7 and 3 1/2. The baby is 7 months old.

Our lives are crazy. We are so busy with working full time, little league and everything in between. The baby and 3 year old get dragged along to my oldest sons sporting events.

Luckily #3 has and is a very good baby.

It really hasn't been that hard at all. But my husband is VERY hands on and everything is 50/50 so of course that helps.

Re: those who have 3 kids......

The hardest is that they outnumber us!!! My kids are still little (twins are 3.5 and youngest is 2) so it's rare DH go anywhere alone with the 3 of them (usually SIL or my niece will tag along to help).

With 2, DH and I each could have one (as DH says we are playing defense constantly), but with the 3rd, forget it. My kids are in 3 different directions all usually wrecking stuff! This past weekend we had a communion (a friend's son) so we left our youngest with my MIL. I really wanted to bring him but DH said it would be too much. And he was right. Each of us was playing defense for the twins so no way we would've been able to handle my little guy too. Can't wait until they are a little older.

those who have 3 kids......

I think it depends on the ages. Meeting all the needs at once is complicated when you have a 4 year old that wants attention and 2 year old that doesn't understand waiting all while you feed a baby. There is more work but totally worth it. Mine are still little an only one has activities but I already know I will be carpooling in able to get them to all the things they want to participate in. There is no other way.

Re: those who have 3 kids......

those who have 3 kids......

thanks everyone for your response!

Re: those who have 3 kids......

I asked my mom -

She said it was super easy going from two to three.

She said that it may depend on their ages.

When I was born, I'm the youngest, my brother was six and my sister ten.

Because of that my mom thinks there was a lot less fighting, bickering, and kind of chaos between the kids. My mom also ran a tight ship so we were just not allowed to misbehave. I'm still scared of her and I'm 31 years old.

Re: those who have 3 kids......

Posted by HeyJude

I guess it depends on the age gaps. I have a 7, 5 and 10 month old. I would not say it's been harder because I have 3, it is just harder because I have a baby

The older 2 are a huge help-if they were younger and more needy I could see it being an issue, because I have to pay more attention to the baby.

Congratulations!

Re: those who have 3 kids......

Mine are all close in age (less than 2 yrs apart)- so it wasn't really that much of a change going from 2-3.

The hardest part is that I only have 2 hands and the all want a piece of me. LOL They all want to hold my hand (or NOT hold my hand- but HAVE to- this is my 19 month old), sit next to me at dinner or on the couch,etc.

Sometimes I feel that the little one holds the older 2 back a bit- but usually she's just along for the ride no matter what we do and things are getting easier now that she's more self sufficient.

Re: those who have 3 kids......

My girls were 5 and 3.5 when #3 arrived. He was a very good infant so the transition in that way was great; plus, the girls had their own schedules, school, etc so there was no time to stress about a baby or focus on lack of sleep--we just had to keep rolling. The worst part of that time was going back to the start. In other words, my girls were at an age where we could see a movie or go to the beach or whatever by ourselves...all of that came to a grinding halt and that was a real bummer for a couple of years.

After he turned about 15 months all hell broke loose--we had been used to toting him along to the girls' things, but now he was constantly on the move on the soccer field or doctors offices or dance classes...I didn't sit down or have any meaningful conversations with other parents for a year Then he turned two and became...well, two We had many a battle getting him to get his coat on or his shoes on or into the car or out of the car, so I was always sweating, stressed, and under the gun to get the girls from school or to activities. That went on for another year.

Now, he's 4 and starting to do his own things like birthday parties or t-ball and it's hard to be in three places at once.

Now, all of this may sound stressful and chaotic--and it certainly can be--but having all three is the best thing in the world. He is like the little mascot of this family and truly the apple of his mommy's eye

Re: those who have 3 kids......

I only have two BUT I thought going from no kids to 1 was a piece of cake compared to going from 1 kid to 2. When we had only our DD I thought it was very easy dealing with her and still being able to juggle everything around the house. But now that we have two I find it's harder to divide your time, get things done, and do things for yourself. Someone always needs something from you.

I am one of 3 kids and my mom has always felt that going from 1 to 2 was a lot more of an adjustment then going from 2 to 3.

Re: those who have 3 kids......

Posted by Eireann

My girls were 5 and 3.5 when #3 arrived. He was a very good infant so the transition in that way was great; plus, the girls had their own schedules, school, etc so there was no time to stress about a baby or focus on lack of sleep--we just had to keep rolling. The worst part of that time was going back to the start. In other words, my girls were at an age where we could see a movie or go to the beach or whatever by ourselves...all of that came to a grinding halt and that was a real bummer for a couple of years.

After he turned about 15 months all hell broke loose--we had been used to toting him along to the girls' things, but now he was constantly on the move on the soccer field or doctors offices or dance classes...I didn't sit down or have any meaningful conversations with other parents for a year Then he turned two and became...well, two We had many a battle getting him to get his coat on or his shoes on or into the car or out of the car, so I was always sweating, stressed, and under the gun to get the girls from school or to activities. That went on for another year.

Now, he's 4 and starting to do his own things like birthday parties or t-ball and it's hard to be in three places at once.

Now, all of this may sound stressful and chaotic--and it certainly can be--but having all three is the best thing in the world. He is like the little mascot of this family and truly the apple of his mommy's eye

those who have 3 kids......

loved reading this thread!
my dd is 6, my ds is 3 1/2 and I am pregnant with #3, due June 6th.

I often wonder what life will be like. Chaos, that is all that comes to mind.
but , having a big family is a dream of mine and a blessing! I am looking forward to the crazy.
kind of.

those who have 3 kids......

I think 1 to 2 was harder than 2 to 3. My boys are 1,3 and 5. The hardest part for me is not having the freedom to do things with my 5 year old because my 3 and 1 year old are not able to participate or are too young to understand. I can not sit on the sidelines of his soccer game with my husband and cheer him on. One of us is always chasing someone down. We recently went on vacation and i was a little sad watching my son and my dh in the pool doing things that my 3 and 1 year old could not, so i had to watch from afar. I would also say the getting in and out of the car situation is torture. 3 kids in carseats. Lol. My 5 (6 in July) year old is in a high back booster but I still have to recheck his seat belt skills. But I refuse to make quick trips to say 7-11. It is not worth my time or the effort. It is hard but it is worth it. I always wanted a big family. We will be trying for number 4 next month.

those who have 3 kids......

It's not totally Chaotic. DD's are 2.5 and the baby is 5 months, and the twins are not potty trained yet, so the challenge is when they need my attention 100% like being changed or carried and then the baby does too.
They're too young to not run into the street and just hold onto a stroller, I dont have a triple so I don't go out with all three of them alone, ever. I've done it once where it wasn't shopping. I wore the baby and had DD's in the double stroller. More trouble than it's worth seriously. I think it also sucks that if I don't have a 3rd row in the car, no one can accompany us on a trip or an outing. I seriously need my mommy sometimes, and we can't all go together.
The girls are starting to be more into their brother as he becomes more interactive and they're more productive and helpful.
I don't think that it's as daunting or bad as some people say "the 3rd puts you over the edge". He doesn't, the terrible twos times two are what can put us over the edge some days

Re: those who have 3 kids......

My kids are 4, 8, 9 and it's not bad. Even when they were little. I guess because my first 2 kids are a year apart I felt like having another child with a 4 year age gap was a breeze.
Personally speaking, the hardest thing if I had to pick one, leaving the house on time. It takes us a long time.
The other is when traveling. It puts you in a new room category or you almost always need 2 rooms. That is really a large expense. If you are flying, that is extra money there. Up until the age of 3, you can get away with a regular room with a crib or a 1 bedroom suite and crib and it is no big deal. Now, not so much.

I never regret having a 3rd. I am so happy with our life and would never trade it. I knew if I didn't have #3, I would have regretted the decision once I was older.

those who have 3 kids......

Bumping for additional ?s

How old are your other DC? Did they get jealous when the other baby came? My kids are excited and say they will help me but we'll see when baby actually comes. My kids will be 5 and 3.5