3 kids is quite hard work, imo...

[Fillyjonk]

they are all great kids

the baby sleeps, though is still mainly bfding round the clock (shes 4 weeks tommorrow)

the older ones (2 and 4) are really good, they spend much of the day playing together (no school/nursery)

my lovely mother is paying for a cleaner, which takes the edge off it

dp is generally very good and is using holiday to take the older kids out, etc, though he is basically out of the house 7-6 most days. He is also doing the necessary reading/writing/numeracy stuff with ds.

but i am shattered, the house is trashed and I really, really need a few hours alone.

the laundry pile is breeding

and we don't have access to a car atm, and I can't face taking the 3 of them on the bus.

it is just hard bloody work, isn't it?

Aw dont worry, it does get easier i promise. If it didnt i wouldnt have gone on to have a few more

You just have to get the baby dressed as soon as it wakes in the morning, even if that is at 530. Dress the others as you go, even while one is eating breakfast. Put everything out the night before and just accept that you will shout more. It is inevitable to be heard over the mounting noise level.

You will be amazed at how many jobs you can fit in to 10 minutes too. There is also nothing wrong with fish fingers for tea and a full laundry basket. I have also abandoned ironing in the last couple of years or so.

It will be ok and the weather does make it feel much worse.

I have a 7yr old DD, a 3yr old DS and DC3 is coming in the next month.

I currently have a 2 hour school run that consists of four buses, I'm not relishing that so I need to learn to drive!! Until then I refuse to do the journey twice a day so DS is not going to nursery even though he could've started last term.

I'm also expecting everything to be extremely hard and tiring for the first few months, they just always are with a newborn baby aren't they?

I'm sure you're worrying because you're tired and that everything will be ok.

Largeginandtonic get the baby dressed first thing in the morning? I just change him, feed him and put a snow suit over the sleepsuit he's been sleeping in and stick him in the pram!

I say dress losely if i am off to a toddler group\shopping straight after the schhol run then he may get a clean babygro

lol I am not even worrying really

just fecking TIRED

all you people with 2 kids and Plans...I had Plans, I had Plans

in response to the title,it's too late to tell me that now filly!

Like I said, file my post and repeat it to me in 8weeks

Must show dh this. He would like another one....

Keep telling me how hard it is please and can you let me into how the whole night-time thing works, when you already have a 3 year old who would much rather be awake of an evening...oh and who screams LOTS....oh and the 2 I have also FIGHT constantly... although they will both be at school by the end of next year.

Mine have a similar age gap (but now 13, 11 and 9 and a whole other story...)

The past all seems a bit of a fug...I wonder why.

Another few weeks though and it should get easier.

You have to keep on top of the wahsing or it will crawl upstairs in the night and throttle you.

I think not having the car is the crux of why you are finding it so hard though. I had no car (and four young children) when I first came to France and although I could walk everywhere - and did - it was a total and utter pita.

pmsl at "I had plans"

It does get easier Filly I promise

Ds2 is 13 mo and we're going for a 4th and final baby.

I have 20 mo between my elder two and they are great together.

I worried about them being cliquey with the LO and not letting him join in but it's not like that at all, they love him, even if he does trash most of what they do

Let the washing pile up, you'll get round to it eventually, who cares really? The LO is only 4 weeks old, you're still recovering from the birth technically.

I think the first 6 mo for me were the hardest, then once no3 can sit in a little nest and play with some toys, dinner can be fixed with ease, d/w can be loaded, nappies hung out etc.

If you can get the clothes ready for the following day, the night before, then you can closely supervise the getting dressed in the living room whilst feeding.

For the next couple of months aim to listen to reading as the only thing for ed-wise. Everything else can be done autonomously through play.

If you can, try to get a bath (alone) and some sleep. I know it's far easier said than done, but this is what makes me feel better, oh and add a glass of wine to that combo too!

If you need to talk, you know where I am

It does get better- honest.

My twins were 15months when I had dd, the getting out the door thing I remember so well it nearly brought me to a sobbing wreck many a time. The hauling of the double pushchair, chasing kids round to put shoes on etc. My boys are 4 now annd dd is 3 and although full on in other ways, it's soooooooo much easier now-they put their own shoes on for a start and scuttle after me when I announce 'I'm leaving NOW'.

Just been to stay with sis for a few days, she's had twins and a c/s so I was doing most of the running around to give her a break. God I was exhausted, came home for a rest, couldn't believe I'd done it myself 4 years back with the added bonus of no sleep too. To be honest I can't remember half off it!!!!!!!!

So hang on in there .

There has to be a market for paper disposable clothes for large families.

I would like us all to be clothed in those white zip up forensic suits you see on police dramas. So practical. So disposable. So what how we'd all look!

i am currently 22 weeks pregnant with number 3
when it is born ds with be 3.9 and dd with be 19 months. i think i must be mad.

i know for sure that newborn will be going to the preschool still in nightwear.

least ill have the summer hol's to practice getting out the house, though we will proberly get as far as my back garden

It gets easier. When I got home from hospital with dc3, and had a newborn plus 2 pre schoolers at home, I thought I'd never manage to get out of the front door again! Six months later when dc1 started school we were walking a mile to school by 8.45, and six months after that I was back at work and having to get us all out of the house by 7.45! All things are possible!

filly, only read OP, but i SO remember feeling the way you do. was in v sim circs then too (dps working hours, cleaner, mountain range of washing, older two at home (they were 18m and 2.5 when baby3 was born), i had a car but even then couldnt face the rigmarole of going out with all 3 alone... where to fgs??.
man, it was hard.
ive struggled with pnd ever since baby3 came along tbh... do take care of yourself.
(its me, nappiesgalore, of the green xplory btw)

oh feck, posted too soon. meant to say that the workload/ability to manage them does get easier. baby3 is 2yo now and the three of them blow my mind in the deliciousness stakes. they are so close, its wonderful (apart from when theyre beating each other up, obv)

hav eto admit, i do have more assistance at home now tho. (but who the hell wouldnt if it was on offer? )

Bloody hell boysontoast never knew you were nappiesgalore, did you see I'm doing the hatrick on girls now as well?

I am worried as I have no family support, DP is great but out the house 6-6.30, at least DD1 will be almost 4 she's a little mother herself already.

Can't argue with that. 3 kids are hard work but - not wishing to worry you - but I found it easier when no#3 was tiny than now when he's a 5 yr old. Sorry

Filly it really really does get better. Just takes a little while. Mine are now 4.4,2.2 and 14mths and general day to day isnt too bad..nights are bad but thats because they dont sleep well and all been ill since christmas...however it really is not that bad. They all play together now and fight which is great...ok not selling this am I..its not bad as we are talking about no.4

congratulations Skitty! i had noticed actually, but not sure ive made a point of congratulating yet, so congrats! . i think i posted on your name thread... i lurked at least.
i understand your nervousness... if theres owt i can do, just mail me, ok? not that i can help by actually being anwhere near you, mind... but i can be ears and empathy, and i might have a tip or two to help out.

Thanks boysontoast should have realised it was you from your posting style I'm going for a big age gap this time (2 1/2 years) T already has middle child syndrome!

2 and half years a HUGE gap!
yeah, max has MCS baaaaad. can be v melancholy, poor wee edible scrap... i try to make regular 1:1 time with him. that seems to help.

not that you'll have time to scratch your arse for the first few months, let alone swan off for icecream with one fo them! they survive tho... they get a lot out of having a baby bro/sis about. esp when they get big enough to be any use to them

T would have MCS whether she was first, second or sixth. This little girl will just have to fit around the chaos, I am hoping for a laid back one this time but no way we seem to produce fiesty little madams here.

At least the baby will be born in the Summer have idyllic visions of sitting on bench in sun BFing or baby sleeping contently in pram whilst DDs run around garden