Three Young Children - How did you manage? What changes need to be made?

[ChaCha]

Have DS1 (2years) and DS2 (10.5mths) and PG with DC3.

Hadn't really thought much about any changes other than that we're going to Part X our car for a bigger vehicle. From experience, when you went from 2 to 3 children, what needed to change more IYSWIM?
Did you feel it necessary to move home and why? Are bedtimes difficult (i.e. each child keeping the other awake etc..)
I remember my Aunt bringing up 4 DDs in a West London council flat, 2 bedrooms only - everything organised, kids always well dressed with only the living room and a small balcony to play out on (4 kids in one room at one point) and she always seemed to manage just fine. Am hoping that I will be the same.
Not sure what i'm asking, guess the reality is sinking in finally...there will be 3 under 3 here and am not sure that i've really thought about what this means Perhaps a blessing.
Thanks for reading.

I had 3,2yrs from eldest to youngest..youngest is 1 on sat. We got a bigger car, double pram but apart from that bedtime is fine. 2 youngest go to bed same time until past month where dd2 goes about 20mins before dd1 but only due to dd1 not needing as much sleep.

How do you get out and about Nemo? I'm thinking about the first few months. I have a Power Twin..will need to get a buggyboard i guess.

Good to 'see' you again

Congrats ! I think 3 is fun, and not that much changes.
When ds was newborn I put the dds to bed first, but now he goes up at 6pm as hes knackered by then, which gives me an hour to settle the girls, read stories etc,
Getting out the house takes a bit longer though !

DS will be 3.1 and dd will be 21months when I pop with no3 in the summer so I will be watching this thread with interest.

Oh hatrick congratulations, how lovely!

Spill more beans, life with 3 under 3 please!!!

Just to add a friend curses the buggyboard which is why I never got one, says she's got permanent black bands around her ankles from bashing them lol! Found that with a 2 year gap, ds just started walking a lot more when dd turned up!

Congratulations btw on number 3!

Does anyone have 3 and manage without a car? I'm wondering if getting out of the house with 3 and a buggy would become a bit too much to cope with on a daily basis (I go insane if I stay in the house with the boys all day)

oh, could do without that Hadn't even thought of it. Wonder if DS1 who will be 2.7 will walk though...he walks now but likes to drop into pram whenever he gets tired...when do they stop sort of wanting pram? Hmmm..

Washersaurus - SNAP! i find it hard too and i don't drive (as of yet - working on it) buses with double pram quite challenging but we managed - three of them...another story!!!

had two, bought a Mazda 5 (has sliding doors and 6 seats and is genius)

had 3 and had to move house (argh!) and think Mazda 5 is genius for 2 but not for 3 since middle seat is not really wide enough for 8 year old... Can't use boot seats all the time esp when gotta put pushchair in boot.

May have to upgrade.

Am coveting an au pair/nanny now but new house means will never be able to afford one nor ever get a facial again.

Getting help from family more difficult now. With one used to get lots of free nights in hotel when grandma had him. With two still managed the odd night. Got no chance of her having 3 overnight. Ever.

However, upside is, by no 3, looking after a newborn on his own is a piece of piss compared to all of them together. Bigger house is to have extra living room I can lock the older two in to fight it out to the death so we can have a bit of peace in the evening.

Would recommend giving up all principles re food and TV. Cocopops and a DVD sometimes the only way to cope....

Lovely though to have a big family...

Is terrifying but wonderful.

sorry shoulda said, mine not all under 3 though - lots of big gaps

Ah yes, those were the days - it's like childbirth, you forget the worst bits
Get a sling and a buggy board, so you can pick and choose who gets to ride where. Sling very useful for around the house too if baby wants to be carried.
Fitting 3 car seats can be a problem - choose a car with a flat back seat or 3 individual seats, and the narrowest car seats you can find. Britax has a good telephone advice line.
Mine all have the same bedtime.
Don't iron anything (unless you want to, obviously)
Online grocery shopping is useful.
Make use of CBeebies.

Chacha..congrats I had a nipper twin with a buggyboard. We took the hand brake off (still had the foot one so perfectly safe) and DD1 then had space between the handle and hood to stand. I had the buggy/kiddi board on quite a few prams/pushchairs and that was the only one which was comfortable to push and didn't bash my ankles!

Read your post with interest Monkeybird - the grandma not being able to manage 3 overnight strikes chord with us here - both sets of GPs TBH - one is hard enough for them.
With awful m/s right now and the two of them to entertain in the winter am often giving up on my principles (no TV though), keep telling myself it's temporary - 'have another biscuit/crisps, sit quietly, mummy needs to be sick' ....

Thanks for that post!

chacha would do the sling and double for a couple of months. by 2.9 ds will be quite happy to walk..as soon as I knew I was pg with dd2 ds was 2.5 so I weaned him off the pram and made him walk more so that by time dd2 was born he didnt remember being in the pram. A couple of times he asked to jump in but that was more jealousy as he loves the phil and teds..lol
It just works..wont lie some days you will want to bang your head against a door but then you do that with just one. Lovely how much the dc play together and get on and now all 3 are walking and playing together it is gorgeous...if can convince dh wont be far behind hatrick..lol
If you have the car just try to do some simple things like trip to park with 2 youngest in pram..its important to let oldest let off steam as they need a bit more stimulation..bonus is newborns during the day tend to be fairly easy going. Sleep whenever dh is around and if you can get someone to come and help even if it is one afternoon..I contacted home start who sent a fab lady on a wednesday afternoon for 2 hrs. Was great to have time to put washing away etc with no little people hanging off me.

Had forgotten the whole three car seats thing.. It really rules out loads of cars.

So glad i posted now, some great advice!
Will be back later, must get a bath before DS1 realises i've gone and wants bed.

meant to say dont have a car..lol just going to a local toddler group or even shops to clear the cobwebs works wonders.

LOL at little people hanging off me - so true!!! ROFL

must bath

I had 4 DC close in age (had 3 under 5) and loved it.

They all slept in the same room out of choice (mine) it made bedtimes easiers as we had bath time then story time, cuddles and prayers all together Then they all went to sleep. Littlest one usually fell asleep in cot whilst story was being read. Rarely did anyone keep others awake. Even if one woke in the night it didnt wake the others up.

I'm not saying it was easy but I focussed on the DC's. I also liked the fact that they were "into" the same sort of things so I didnt have to worry about an older child having marbles, bead around etc. (my friend opted for a big age gap and spent most of her time fishing things out of LO's mouth, in a state of panic! )

We used to go out as often as we liked using a double pushchair as I dont drive.

Oh I do miss those days now. I really do

no family have ever had all 3 of ours..I tend to dish one out at a time and you would be surprised how peaceful it can feel..lol Actually tends be ds who goves to PIL as they find him easiest but he is also the most demanding at home

good luck. mine are not as close as yours, they were 5 and 2.3 when dd was born (shes now just two) Treated the boys as a 'unit' and they share a room, same bedtime, stories - the older one was worn out from starting school and the younger one had stopped his daytime nap, so 6:30 bath and 7pm sleep - DH did it whilst i looked after the baby. Military campaign type routine worked for us, as harsh as it sounds. i found double buggy in each case essential, even at three they wont walk far and tire quite easily. a double with buggyboard sounds good, just make sure that you can reach the pram handle without having to morph into Mr Tickle.

congrats on no.3 on the way.

first advice.....get plenty of wine in, you will need it, ooh, and a good sense of humour is essential too!

another need (for me), was loud music to turn up and drown them out when they all wacking hell out of each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nah.....am tellin ya the bad bits.

first thing really (BTW, am a mum of 5 with 8yrs between 1st n last, and had 3 under 3 at one point!)

forget the buggy board...if you don't have black ankles, you will have back ache, arm ache, nack ache....in fact, your whole body will either ache or be black n blue!!(not good experience here with buggy boards)

I found a twin pushchair (I had the urban detour 3wheeler double) plus a sling essential in the first months, then when baby got too heavy, treid to time the walking with the most happy time for the elder one.......or I had to wait till DH was about and he had a single, me a double.

bedtimes were all at once for a while, the two older together, three tiny ones together IYGWIM.

ermmmmm.....being nugded for another thread, so will be back!

HTH

and another tip... our DSes go to the grandparents, one each way, on Friday night - they get one-to-one time with their grandparents and we feel like it is heaven with only DD at home