does anyone have 4 children 5 and under???

[Nemoandthefishes]

dh and I really cant decide whether to add another to our family and at the moment are on a semi leave it to fate spree but just wanted the practicalities of having 4 children 5 and under. Ds is 4 and a half, dd1 is 2 and a half and dd2 is 17mths so obviously if get pregnant in the next couple of months ds will be near 5 and a half and so on.

[cupsoftea]

Have 3 kids age 5 & under and it's hard work but fine. I have to be organized at home.

[1dilemma]

MY sil

she's totally open about being unable to cope

in fact so much so after having one/other/both of her parents live with her for ages (which of course doesn't help her develop coping mechanisms but was encouraged by her Mother) she has upped sticks and moved to live round the corner from her parents.

She needs her mother to cook in the evening look after x while she takes y to school, take z to brownies etc etc. She puts them to sleep one after the other since she finds it so ? being wiht them all

[foxythesnowfox]

well I did last year (DD2 a year next month so I have 4 6 and under).

Its been great. Looking back over the last 12 months I really don't have anything bad to say. DD2 has really fitted in, is loved by her brothers and sister and is very chilled out.

Like Cupsoftea, organisation is the key here too.

And DP does the school run most mornings which makes a massive difference, as does having a cleaner for four hours once a week.

[Nemoandthefishes]

no chance of a cleaner or dh doing school run but tbh dont mind getting out in the morning plus ds[eldest] starts reception in sept and dd1 may have nursery place from january as she is 2 in dec

[juuule]

I had 4 aged 5 and under and we were fine. I quite enjoyed the bustle of it all and they were all an age where they could join in things together. Tiring at times but not not doable.

[juuule]

Oh and I didn't have a cleaner or anyone else to do the school run.

[Anna8888]

[juuule]

Is it really considered extraodinary to look after your children and home yourself? How odd. But thanks for the nomination anyway

[SantaBarbara]

I did it, found it a hell of a struggle emotionally and financially when they were small but, you know what, I'm so glad we had 4 so close together.

We now have a houseful of adaptable sociable independent teenagers. That sounds too smug. Today is a good day. Ask me again tomorrow.

[Anna8888]

extraordinaire = remarkable, fantastic (not weird)

[Nemoandthefishes]

pmsl santa

now see dh thinks he would like them all close together and must admit the trio are good together as they all like the same things at the moment and financially things are tight but not so much so that we cant afford to go on holiday etc so cant be that bad.

[SantaBarbara]

There are lots of good things about dcs being close together - you can treat them as a team, you've got all the baby equipment still, you're already tired out.

Financially it was the bigger house and bigger car that we found difficult. I didn't find that the everyday stuff was much more expensive. My dcs had only one pair of shoes each for instance whereas smaller families seemed to buy more stuff per child.

[Nemoandthefishes]

mine all have more than 1 pair each but that is something I need to change anyway..lol
We could afford to move so would be living in a small 3 bed semi however there is room for bunk beds in both dcs rooms. Already have a Zafira so have the extra room in that already..arghh I know I have an answer for everything which means in my heart I must want it I just dont know what is holding me back.

[SantaBarbara]

So just do it then

[1dilemma]

Yes car is an issue for me (not that I drive much anyway and now with petrol costs it's even less

but you have that solved.

Does it have 7 seats?
(are there twins in the family?)

?triplets!

[ButterflyBessie]

Just seen this, I too have had 4 within the 5 year age gap.

My eldest is now 7 and my youngest 2, it is lovely, they entertain each other and they are close enough together to all enjoy the same type of things.

I had help for 3 months before dc4 was born and for 2 months afterwards, since then it has been me, it is much nicer that way

My eldest is very helpful, she cleaned the potatoes today for their tea

It is tiring, getting all in the car, remembering to remind them to all do wees, remembering to pack everything etc.

Our house is a tip and the garden a sea of plastic, we also have enough space to have our sitting room, free from children's clutter - bliss

[estar]

Yes, it is do-able.

Ds1 was 5.10 and dts were 4 when ds4 was born. And we moved house. And schools.

Our house is full of charts and lists (both for the dcs and me ) because it's not easy keeping on top of it all but I'm slowly introducing little jobs for them to do (putting clothes away, laying the table, etc) so that one day we are a house of balanced, interactive, helpful people , but it is pretty knackering initially.

And I am sooooo hankering after no.5 - it makes no logical sense whatsoever, but I can't stop thinking about it!

[chickenlips]

I had my fourth dc when dd1 was 5.5. Similar experience to all the above, very hard work and was all a bit of a blur to be honest. 9 years on I am SO glad I did because it meant they could all grow up together. What people sometimes forget is how hard it is on the oldest dcs to be always stuck at the baby stage of life -ie, mummy can't do this that and the other because she's busy looking after the baby or bfing. If you have a big gap between first and last children that can happen. Of course this works for some people but we were quite keen to get out and do stuff with our dcs like travelling, hiking etc, all of which much harder with a baby. And the lovely thing also is that they have a ready made social life - there's no presure to invite friends over or organise anything as there's so much going on in the house. You don't need a lot of extra money or help just a lot of patience!

[ScoutFinch]

I have a 3 yrd old, 2 yr old and 1 yr old boy and our 4th boy is due in 2 weeks.

[DanJARMouse]

NEMO!!!

You are crazy, but I love ya for it! DH and I have been having a talk..... scary! Daniel just looks so left out! The girls are off playing and he's left sitting there like a lemon.... does he need a playmate?!

I think if we could guarentee another boy we would LOL but something is holding me back too!

Oh, and we just got rid of the mum bus in favour of an estate so no room for another lol

If its in your heart to do it, then do it, but unless you are both 100% sure, wait a while!

You are a fab mum and any new addition will have the best you can give!

[Twelvelegs]

My friend had 4, 4 and under and loved it! She has a very large house though with big rooms, which I am sure makes a difference to your own sense of space, not everyone on top of eachother!!

[kittywise]

Last year when ds3 was born I had one of 5 one of 3 one of 1 and a newborn. The older 2 were 8 and 7.
Bloody hard work.

[oooggs]

I will have in january when db due, ds1 will be 5.2 and dts will be 22 mths

[piximon]

I have DS1(5.4) DD1(3.9) G/B DTS(18mths) and DS3(11wks).

It's hard work but fun. I actually find I'm out and about more now with 5 of them then I ever was with only 1 or 2.