Talk to me about having 3 children..?

[heartbroken22]

Currently pregnant with 3rd and I'm thinking how will I share the love. I'm terrified. Dd1 will be 6 and dd2 will be 2 and a half when baby arrives. I hope they all get along. First 2 kids are fine with each other.

Anyone?

My 2&3 are twins so not your typical set up but anyway…

The house is always busy and lively and messy. There’s a lot of laundry to do, 1 or 2 loads daily. It’s impossible to keep an eye on all of them at once but your eldest won’t need supervision. We are outnumbered- but it isn’t always a huge problem. One takes the eldest, the other takes the twins for bedtime etc.

Might be expensive having 2 at childcare, but your middle child will likely be close to getting the free hours at 3 when you go back to work.

The twins are 18m now and give proper hugs. When I get home from work they run over for a cuddle!

I can’t imagine not having three now. I worried about how my eldest would be with the babies but she loves having two baby brothers- sometimes they annoy her and it gets a bit overwhelming for her. Just make sure to give the eldest time and attention away from the younger two.

Expensive and busy, but perfectly manageable. I agree about being out numbered though!

I have 3 under 3. It’s hectic but great!

Mine are 11,8 and nearly 2. Never expected to have a big family but it's lovely. The little one has brought the older two closer together even. 3 is perfect number in my opinion now. If you don't mind the expense of a family.

My DGC are 5, 3 and 9 months. The older two get on brilliantly and both adore the baby.

Mine are 15, 12 and 10 (DD,DD,DS) and it's always been great fun in our house. Everyone are friends, they all adore each other and I have never seen a sibling bunch so tight. It's lovely. They spend all of their time at home together,

And unusual, I admit.

Congrats. I've got three aged 9, 7 and 18 months. For us it is great probably because the two are a bit older. The one difference I've noticed is the washing. We do a wash every three days on average, but that could be down to my older kids and their ages.

I absolutely love having three kids, seeing them play with one another like my heart is full of love and joy. We're very busy and work full time with no family around but we make it work. Wishing you all her best.

It's hard work but fab! My youngest is 10 and my eldest is 14, when they were all under 6 it was stressful and hard work. Things are still hectic but I'm glad I had 3!

Youngest of 3 and there was never any food in the house 😅

and I'm thinking how will I share the love.

When you moved from being just a couple, to being a couple with a baby, did you have enough love for the new arrival ?

When you then had dc2, did you run out of love ? Or did it just expand ?

I reckon dc3 will be alright

Of course you will share the love! For us it’s the perfect number, ours are 3, 7 and 9. I feel mentally worn thin a lot of the time as someone always needs something, someone is always annoyed with someone, logistics are a challenge, they are sooo loud etc. but I wouldn’t change it.

Nightmare. Someone's always left out.

I was one of three as was many of my friends. Loved it however the expense this days would worry me.

Mine are 20, 18 and 16. All girls. Its ....interesting....Congratulations OP xxxx

Love seems to grow, you’ll have plenty to go around.
My three are grown up and it’s all been fab. I love that I’ve helped to raise 3 happy adults that all get on with each other.

Ah, I posted a really similar question when I was pregnant with my third! I think you do get the fear, don't you. It's all turned out brilliantly so far - 7, 4, and 18 months now, and they are lovely together. It brings a nice mix and match to family dynamics: having the third around sometimes diffuses squabbling between the older two, if one wants some quiet time the other two still have each other to play with, and so on. I do sometimes feel a bit envious of my friends who stopped at one and seem to have much calmer houses and more hobbies for themselves as a result, but on balance three is amazing and works really well.

Echo the washing. More like three times a day for us

I was the eldest of 3 and at junior school when my dsis was born. Dm only had time for the baby, who always was and still is the princess. I seemed to spend more weekends at gps than at home, where dm was always snappy and stressed. I think don't forget to spend one on one time with your eldest two, and you will avoid the same thing happening in your family.

Expensive and chaotic. However this year seems to have calmed down now they are all in the same school. I only have 1 set of dates etc. To remember (for a grand total of 1 year until the eldest starts secondary haha). Theyre all very close, no big fall outs just a bit of bickering. They play together lovely most of the time. Sharing the love and 1-1 time is difficult and takes a lot of effort but as they get older, that gets easier as they seem to go to friends houses/clubs at different times so I get time with them all.

Mine are 10, 7 and 4 (ds, ds, dd). I'm a lone parent and work full time but I'm managing, just!

Mine are 6, 4 and 1. It’s hard work.

The eldest two (both boys) fight like cat and dog. I worry endlessly that they don’t get enough or equal attention. I worry that my middle child has been forced to grow up quicker than he should have done. I am constantly restocking the fridge and putting on the washing machine. Financially it’s also hard as we live in a country where all schools for expats are fee paying.

That said, my (unexpected, unplanned) 3rd baby brings us so much happiness and I adore seeing the three of the kids together.

I was one of three, as was DH, and we have three. I think it's a wonderful family set up. The early years with three can feel a bit intense but once the youngest is a little more independent, the pace is more relaxed. Mine are 15, 13 and 8 now and they get along great.

@heartbroken22

i know you are pregnant so don’t really want to upset you and trusting it was not an accident….

but you did say talk to you about having three children and I name changed due to the abuse I will get.

don’t you think it’s rather irresponsible selfish and egotistical?

you have already replaced yourself and your partner with two children
there are 8 billion in the planet and no one talks about population control whilst we are facing a climate disaster.
so what changes it causes in your house hold is rather self centred to say the lease given the mess of a planet your children will inherit

People should be limited to two children in a life time and stop expecting others to bill up the bill for there genetic pollution .

We're enjoying it so far but still early days. I've found the baby stage easier than 1 to 2. Seeing the bigger ones being loving to the baby is so heartwarming, they already adore him. I do worry about the future chaos and food bills though 😂

My three are 5, 2 and 1. They're all girls and they get on so well together - the middle one seems to have a best friend relationship with both the oldest and the youngest, and the oldest 'babies' the youngest and absolutely dotes on her. It's heartwarming to watch them all playing together! ❤️

Don't get me wrong though, there's definitely a fair amount of squabbles in the house but overall they are really close. As for sharing the love around, you just do! I love all three of my kids equally but for individual reasons (if that makes sense)

@Justellingthetruth if you want population control in the West you need to stop people from living longer.

People should be limited to two children in a life time and stop expecting others to bill up the bill for there genetic pollution .

🤦🏻‍♀️ do you know what the U.K. birth rate is?