To ask what's it like from 2-3 kids

[snackarella]

Trying to decide wether to go from 2 dc (aged 18 months and 3.5yr) to 3.
I have struggled with 1-2 but they are both so lovely and I'm just coming out the hard times as the 18m becomes more independent etc.

I'm a sahm so work isn't a factor, although I have started some freelancing recently.

Does anyone have any advice or experience they can share? All my friends have stopped at 2!

I have a 5, 3 and one year old. Things that I find hard are the school run. 3 year old doesn’t want to be in a pram but don’t trust her near the road when it’s busy with loads of people on the pavements. And just getting them all out in the morning is hard. I don’t find my work days as hard strangely. I think it’s because we are all out earlier so less time for things to go wrong, no breakfast to serve up etc.
Going out on my own with all three is just really tough. Most I can manage is the park. We try to divide and conquer when we can.
Dh tends to take the eldest to stuff. I do feel I have missed out a bit on bonding time with him the last few years. I rarely put him to bed myself. Bedtime we are outnumbered so if it doesn’t run smoothly they can all start kicking off.
It is tough. My eldest is still quite young and demanding with a few health issues which doesn’t help matters. If I had a more compliant firstborn things might have been easier. I do get some family help and think I would struggle without it.
Bloody love them all though and wouldn’t change things. They are all so much fun.

One other thing I find difficult is that I have 2 girls and a boy, all close ages. The girls are very close and play really nicely together but my son always gets left out, which is really tough (despite my best efforts to make sure they include him)

Thanks so much everyone! Some great things to think about.
And panic about.

I know a third would be a welcome addition in general but I hate being pregnant and the thought of it makes me want to cry!

Number 3 ruined my body. I was fine after two children, but third completely messed it up!!

It’s really hard work & the juggling doesn’t stop as they grow - life just gets busier and busier - and more expensive! Cars & holidays were something that I didn’t think would be an issue before I had three, but now I have I have found it rules out having a normal car (my eldest is getting too big to be comfortable in a normal middle seat), and about 90% hotels don’t do family rooms that house more than 4 people, and when they do, it’s mega expensive. We only really do self catering holidays now...

My three are now age 9, 11 and 13. They are all really active and do lots of sport, which is great but I'm constantly driving them to things! A friend said to me recently "don't worry, it's just as bad with two" and I thought "no it's not! How could it be?!?"

My three are 7, 12 & 14. Three different schools (primary, comprehensive, grammar). Four different sports/activities, often overlapping times. Two are great eaters, one beyond picky. Very true that holidays and such cater to families of 4!

I could carry on but honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way. We considered stopping at two but I’m so happy we had our third.

And bugs go on forever. We are at the end of three weeks of conjunctivitis. I have been pinning children down and putting eye drops in every 4 hours for three weeks.

Never had any problem with cars or holidays. Obviously you pay more as your family is bigger, but since having DC3 we bought a Citroen Picasso 2nd hand very cheaply, have been on Eurocamp, hotel, Haven type holidays. Also birrowed a caravan. You could do airbnb. The only ones that cost loads more are flights or all inclusive but we'd avoid those anyway.
3 dc is busy but they play together. I find transitions: meals, getting out the house, bedtimes are busy. But the bits in between are easier.
We do far less day trips and soft play, but they need it less as we have a lot of fun together in the park or garden, genuinely.
We picnic a lot instead of meals out.
We are infinitely more tired and happier with 3.

Oh, the third also ruined my body! But with hotels we just as for a family room. You can usually get a double plus sofa bed and they let you have one on the floor.

I found 2-3 the easiest jump by far. My older 2 were at school which helped but just generally from an emotional and practical point of view i was 100% more relaxed with dc3.

Although I admit like PP the third pregnancy did wreck my body! I had diastasis recti and hip problems which I didn’t have in previous pregnancies.
But otherwise 2-3 was the easiest transition for me and absolutely the right decision

Everything's so much more expensive. School uniforms, clubs, etc. If you do package holidays you only get two at child prices, so you would be paying for 3 adults and 2 children. Helping with homework, parents' nightand individual one on one time gets harder.