Parents of 3 children. Tips please.

[user1466690252]

Hello! I am (surprise) pregnant with dc3 dc 1 and 2 are 7 and 3. I have a few months to get organised and I’m wondering what I need and what helped the most.
Financially and space wise we are fine. We have a qashqaui so will I need a bigger car?
I still use a pram for dc2 if we go out for the day as he bolts and gets tired walking far, do I need a double?
What things are really helpful? What was the hardest parts?
Thanks in advance

Congrats
I had three under 4 and a half...bloody nightmare

A 7 seater will be essential eventually; my 3 squabble constantly if they aren't physically separated. We have a VW Sharan with sliding doors which is great.

Buggy board or get your 3 year old used to a scooter (e.g mini micro). My three year old's been scootering since he was 16 months and we got rid of the buggy a few months back. He's 3.

You'll find that the youngest just fits in with whatever you're doing. They do because they have to.

In terms of what to prepare for, I would save up and spend money on professionals coming in to do jobs like cleaning windows, cleaning the oven, fixing things that need fixing etc. Because you will not have time to do that stuff yourself for a while. Pay for it, get it done.

And have a proper holiday away with your husband, no kids, before you have the 3rd one. DH and I are only just having our first holiday away by ourselves in March after 8 years of parenting and we REALLY need it. Its very easy to disconnect from your marriage, it somehow becomes all about getting through the days with your kids (especially with the older ones not going to bed until later in the evening).

You should be able to squeeze 3 car seats in the back esp while one is a rear facing baby seat, as the widest points should be in different places, so you can sort of tesselate. Gives you time to get a bigger car, although I currently have a 2yr old and two kids in high backed boosters in a similar sized car. Only two isofix points though. If you're feeling flush, apparently one of the Teslas has three isofix points in the back.

Thank you everyone great advice. So organisation is key. 👍🏻 As pp said I found the Juno from 1 to 2 so hard, but told 2/3 is easier (I doubt it could be harder tbh, she says laughing nervously)
I am quiet organised, but could easily tighten this up. DH works away Monday-Thursday every week so I fly solo, I’m gunna have to tighten up this shit even more to survive. I have a slow cooker and it’s fab, I’m going to batch cook and I thought make things like home made healthy flapjacks for their breakfast so I can bung in the freezer and they can finish breakfast on the go if they continue to take an age to eat.
I will outsource as much as I can. Cleaner to do a good clean once a week? I should be able to keep on top of things then? Online shopping (although I find this a lot more expensive? What’s the best one please I am an Aldi fan normally and cook everything from scratch?)
Buy a sling for deffo, a buggy board for deffo and research a bigger car, (win lottery for the Tesla)
I’m going to start now with some sort of points system, to get dc’s to do things effectively, they arnt bad tbh, just everything takes an absolute age and they are going to have to quicken this.
I am also streamlining our home, I hate clutter as it is and there are far to many old toys and clothes here so if I can have a good sort in telling myself it will be easier to breath a bit.
My eldest does a lot of sport, and is like the little one (soon to be middle) to have the same chances. This but does stress me out a bit as getting them to the clubs it tricky as we often have half hour from school to club to get changed and eat snack, I think I’m going to have to enlist the help of another mum to take him and maybe I pick up? Or if anyone has any other tips on that that would be fab
Thank you everyone. You have given me a plan, I’m a women who loves a plan and I feel calmer

I needed a double for the school run. Mine are a bit younger but still nothing worse than when your middle one starts to strop and you don’t have anywhere to put them.
I got the city jogger double secondhand, you can get a bassinet for it. Or a buggy board is good if they don’t need to be strapped in so much.

You need a 7 seater. Very few cars allow 3 isofix points across the back and space for three high back boosters. We have a Ford s max and that does ( but only because our seat for the youngest is reversed).

Accept all the help.

Other parents really help me out, when I've had a sick baby and wanted my husband close my friends really rallied round to support us and keep life as normal as possible for the big two. I'm the type of person to feel really uncomfortable accepting help and asking for it but these people I help throughout the year offering dog walks when they've been let down or taking their toddlers with my mine to softplay to give them a break so it's all swings and roundabouts. I'll take kids to cub outings we're going to anyways and help out when I can then I don't feel bad if I have to ask for someone to walk my son home when my husband is away type thing.

Check out team TOMM, the organised mum method if you love a plan! And once you've found a highly rated cleaner locally look at how you can best use the help cheapest, once a week is great but when we had once a fortnight that did me fine and I just kept on top of things. (Worked out £30 a fortnight instead of £25 a week) we don't need a cleaner now though I just fell into a new routine.

Meal plan before the online shop, I find it saves me a fortune even though it's Tesco and I'm on the delivery saver deal thing I'm getting a couple £50 deliveries a week and never running out of anything and never having to nip to the local shop. I am the type of person to nip to the express shop for bananas and sparkling water and come out spending £35 on "bits we needed" so online shopping was made for me

Take the time to enjoy the ride. The laundry basket will always full, there's less time to clean, etc. But there's also less time to treasure your kids and their lovely quirks, so make an effort to enjoy them and the chaos 3 brings.

You'll also find your own rhythm that works for you all. Don't worry too much about people's tips and advice as you really will just fall into the way that's right for you.

Oh and that said, slow cooker meals. You can go out and have a lovely day without worrying about dinner. I cook everything in ours. Got a whole chicken in there today, house smells great

You are all so kind thank you.
Is the TOMM a fb group? I will look at that thank you.
I also like to do everything myself and don’t ask for help, I also pride myself on doing everything and it’s hard work, with my others I hit the ground running with both of them as newborns and tbh I’m really looking forward to not with this one, relaxing my standards a bit and playing smarter with the organisation. Thank you, all these tips make me think it’s going to be tough, but ok mate even great. It was a huge shock and I wondered how I would cope. Now I think that i can do this x

Yeah a Facebook group, online blog or Instagram page whatever you like. Once you've got the print offs you don't really need to be part of the community if you don't want.

I love having my three and I was very anxious when I was pregnant third time round I had been so stupid and messed everything up and wasn't going to cope and it's just been wonderful you'll love it.