Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Do most families have two or three children?

73 replies

Pleaseenter · 31/05/2025 08:50

In your experience are two child or three child families more common?
If you have three kids how did you find the jump to three?

Thread has nothing to do with the recent news about benefits so no comments telling me to get a job haha

OP posts:
Multiplegums · 31/05/2025 08:51

so no comments telling me to get a job haha

huh? What are you on about?

MmeChoufleur · 31/05/2025 08:54

When I was growing up, two or three was the norm. Now I’d say the norm is 1 or 2 and people think of three as a ‘big’ family.

TheyreLikeUsButRichAndThin · 31/05/2025 08:55

No idea what’s going on re benefits anyway.

Most of my school friends have zero or 1 child.

Most of my mum friends have 2 kids.

We have 3.

I know a handful of families with 4 kids.

For us, 2 wasn’t enough and 3 was definitely enough, it’s great, but a lot of work!

Meadowfinch · 31/05/2025 08:55

Most of my colleagues have one child. Some have two. Only one has three children but her second two are twins.

I think cost, career & housing have a lot to do with it.

Sofiewoo · 31/05/2025 08:56

It’s significantly more common for 2 children families.
41% of households have 2 children while only 15% have three or more.

vodkaredbullgirl · 31/05/2025 08:56

🤔3rd of 4
Me 2
Sister 3
Other sister 4

Simonjt · 31/05/2025 08:57

We have two, most of the people I know who do have children are one and done. I imagine two is more common than three, not just on a time perspective but cost as well, especially as cars, holidays, houses etc are generally designed for families of four, rather than five.

ScrewedByFunding · 31/05/2025 08:57

I have three children.

I also have a job.

We don't claim benefits.

What's your point? (Haha) 🙄

Original poster
Pleaseenter · 31/05/2025 08:57

Sofiewoo · 31/05/2025 08:56

It’s significantly more common for 2 children families.
41% of households have 2 children while only 15% have three or more.

Yeah I read that on Google but idk just doesn't seem to be representative of what I see day to day

OP posts:
Aoppley · 31/05/2025 08:57

1 or 2 is most common nowadays. Families of 3 are becoming rarer. I'd love 3 but it would be to the detriment of my existing 2, since we couldn't afford as many holidays, days out, etc once they all needed to pay for tickets. Plus one on one time per child would definitely be affected and I think my eldest would struggle if I had less time for her. I think to have 3 and give them a good quality of life you'd have to be on very high salaries and have a lot of family support. If not, it's a selfish decision imo.

chachahide · 31/05/2025 08:58

Average in the UK is now 1.7 apparently, which suggests 2 is most common. I know very few people with 3+ around here.

Bluesuedevest · 31/05/2025 08:58

MmeChoufleur · 31/05/2025 08:54

When I was growing up, two or three was the norm. Now I’d say the norm is 1 or 2 and people think of three as a ‘big’ family.

When I was growing up people only had 3 DCs if the first two were the same sex.
One guy I worked with ended up with 4, all girls. He told me they would all have to elope !

Cynic17 · 31/05/2025 08:58

20% of women "of childbearing age" will never have any children. At all. So I would suggest that families with 3 children are actually quite unusual.

Member984815 · 31/05/2025 08:59

I have 3. I know a few with 4 or 5 but I'd say that's not the norm whereas when I was young 5 wouldn't be a big family it is today. Growing up 3 would be a small family. Third baby for me just slotted in and was easy compared from going from1 to 2.

Original poster
Pleaseenter · 31/05/2025 08:59

ScrewedByFunding · 31/05/2025 08:57

I have three children.

I also have a job.

We don't claim benefits.

What's your point? (Haha) 🙄

Touchy much? wasn't saying anyone didn't have a job just didn't want the thread derailed by people assuming I'm on benefits seeing as it's been in the news this last week

OP posts:
Birch101 · 31/05/2025 09:00

Ok so most people I know with kids have 2, few with 1 and only know 2 families with 3

LavenderBlue19 · 31/05/2025 09:00

Most families I know have two, but there are many with only one as well. I only know a handful with three, and none with more.

Bryonyberries · 31/05/2025 09:02

I had four and thankfully under the previous labour government which supported families much more. When I became a single parent I was very grateful that we didn’t get affected by the two children cap otherwise we would have struggled on just my wage.

NorthernGirlie · 31/05/2025 09:02

Less than 2 is the average. It was 2.4 in the 1980s i think, hence the TV programme

Do most families have two or three children?
Sofiewoo · 31/05/2025 09:02

Pleaseenter · 31/05/2025 08:57

Yeah I read that on Google but idk just doesn't seem to be representative of what I see day to day

Show quote history

It’s representative of the country as a whole. If you’re looking for 3 children families in an attempt to convince yourself they are common then you will see more of them, but statistically it’s not common to have 3 children.

TheyreLikeUsButRichAndThin · 31/05/2025 09:03

Also from what I can see there’s no rhyme or reason to the number of kids so I just assume it’s what people desire for their life to look like. Eg one family with 4 kids I know are multi millionaires, another live in a 2 bed house, the others are more average. Ditto the one child families, different incomes.

Fearfulsaints · 31/05/2025 09:07

Amongst my children's friends at school, there is mainly one or two children families, but 3 isn't unusual. There will be a couple of 3 children families in each class.. I dont only know one person with 4 children at the school.

Allaboutmememe · 31/05/2025 09:08

ScrewedByFunding · 31/05/2025 08:57

I have three children.

I also have a job.

We don't claim benefits.

What's your point? (Haha) 🙄

Do you receive child benefit.

NotSmallButFunSize · 31/05/2025 09:10

We have 3, lots of my friends and people at our school have 3 - I feel like it went through a bit of a resurgence as a "thing" a few years ago.

Or the TV was rubbish at the time! 🤣

Original poster
Pleaseenter · 31/05/2025 09:12

Fearfulsaints · 31/05/2025 09:07

Amongst my children's friends at school, there is mainly one or two children families, but 3 isn't unusual. There will be a couple of 3 children families in each class.. I dont only know one person with 4 children at the school.

Yeah I only know a small number of four or more families. There's a massive age gap between my first and second child because I was only 16 with my first. So it would only be two young children at a time probably a completely different dynamic from three young kids

OP posts: