4 children 5 and under...does it get easier?

[emy72]

Hi,
I have 4 children 5 and under and I am struggling quite a bit at the moment.
I was doing fine for a while, but my youngest baby is 7 months now and very very demanding so I feel like drowning sometimes!My DD is at school (reception) and the other three at home, although I have started the 2 yr old and 3 yr old at preschool 2 mornings a week from next week as I am hoping this will help a little.
The question is: does it get better? do they really eventually all start playing together and not all hanging off my legs? When my DD (5) is around then it seems a little better, but in the day with the other three is a bit of a nightmare!
Any reassurances welcome!
xxx

It gets easier, but then they hit the teen years, and it gets harder again.
Sorry!
I also have 4, slightly more widely spaced than yours. Three little ones at home is really a lot! At 2 and 3, they arent really old enough to play on their own with Playmobil or Lego - but the preschool should definitely take the stress off, so I reckon you are about to enter a better phase.

i had 4 under 5 and it was really hard for about a year, but then the older ones went to school and it got so much easier that i ended up having another one! when the youngest of the first 4 was 6 months was the worst time of my life. i was utterly exhausted and ended up getting pneumonia. my advice would be to do as little as you can and allow the house to get a bit scruffy for a while!

I have four under 5, I would say it gets easier when youngest can play independently a bit although I actually really liked and found it easy when all were tiny. It seemed like never ending bum changes/feeding

I would say keep to a timetable, try to get youngest to nap together and have a set bedtime routine for all - we used to bath 2 eldest first then let them chill with tv/milk/biscuit while we got the younger two ready for bed. Then 2 littlest to bed and two bigger ones would get chats/stories. As long as all were asleep at reasonable hour, then I could cope

When all at school it's a doddle - enjoy those years because teenagers is just a bad as teenies! (sorry)

I had 3 in 3 years and an 8 year old when the youngest one arrived. My baby is now at school and it is so so so so much easier although my eldest has now hit the dreaded teens - I'd go back to have 3 little ones again any day!

During the day it was about survival and dh did loads in the evenings to help out etc

GaribaldiGirl, you sound exactly like me - I had pneumonia when the baby was 6 months, I am now over it thankfully, but it just goes to show how run down I was!

Everyone, thanks for your words of wisdom; I know it's just a phase, it's just nice to know there is light at the end of the tunnel, even though it is hard at times I do have good days and bad days!!! xx

I had 4 under 5 (now it's 4 under 6) and a year makes a big difference. In fact it started getting better when dt's turned 1 (they're 20 months now). They're all interacting a lot better esp the 6yo & 3yo who were playing snap together today with great hilarity. I have recently started enjoying the time at home with 3 youngest (20 months dts and 3.6yo). I did need ads to cope with the last 6 months though, the drudgery got to me. I have a homestart volunteer & she's fab, it really helps. Hopefully the preschool will really help you have a break. I've learned that you've got to take care of yourself and getting out of the house paramount. Any little bit of help or break you can scavenge really helps.

I have 3 under 4. There are days when I feel so recked all I want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep but it's easier to get on with it..
U won't know urself when u get 2 into playschool.. When I get my 2 into play school I refuse to do housework them 3 hours are mine and chilling with a coffee and a newspaper is great.. DD 3 I'd also very glad of the peace and quiet.

It is hard but u will get there..

Aww it will get easier, I have 4 aged 6,4,3 and 1 at the weekend. I have found that not putting too much pressure on yourself really does make a huge difference.
It will also get a lot easier as the 2+3yr old are able to play a little more together.

MIne are 7,4,2,and 1 and together they are overwhelming! They are ok at home because they have lots of things to entertain them but walking along the street is a nightmare - the 2 year old stops for every passing flower, the one year old wants to walk, the 4 year old climbs on anything and everything and the 7 year old either walks half a mile ahead or behind or tells us all off loudly and tries to boss us around.

My whole day is spent cleaning and disciplining over and over and no matter how many times I tell them to behave one or other of them is doing something wrong every minute. It doens't help that I work full time as well and never get a moment off until about 10pm or midnight if Im working, then have babies up at night, before getting up at 6am the next morning.

I try to parent fairly and consistently but I am getting ground down by it, my stomach is always hurting from stress, and I've started smoking as its the only time I get 2 minutes of silence.

They are honestly nice kids but I feel totally stressed out from the constant cooking.cleaning and disciplining.