Parenting 3 aged 3 and under - advice and tips please!!!

[LetThemEatCake]

when current bump makes his/ her entrance into the world, dd will have just turned 3 and ds will be a couple of months off 2.

So. Busy times ahead.

Just practical stuff I am after really. How do you get around? Double buggy and sling? Phil & Ted and make the oldest dc walk or scooter?

Car with 3 car seats?

We live in London so any advice relevant to a hectic urban environment is appreciated!!

Also my family live on the other side of the world and an au pair is out of the question DD is currently at nursery 2 mornings a week but I may increase this to 3 later in the year. Will not consider putting ds in until he is at least 2.5yrs

Oh, and I use cloth nappies.

And we live in a 2 bed terrace. And I work as a freelance journalist, will continue to do so since I can do it at night when the kids are asleep (although obviously will cut down on volume somewhat, depends on how good a sleeper the new bub is really!)

Just want to be prepared, so any practical advice is good

TIA.

Advice? Don't have any more babies!!

SCRUM!!!! that is not helpful.

knew I could count on you lockets Come back with more please....

also - have bf the first 2 will likely do the same this time - any tips on how to make this work better with the other 2 around?

Good grief, lockets - I just had a look at your moby wrap website & came across THIS! [shock[

How does she do that? Surely she can't get them in it without help? I used to struggle with one baby in a structured sling!

For the first year at least your aim is to get everyone through the day, safely and hopefully happily. If you get to bedtime and they are all still alive then that day was a success . Anything else, not shouting or breaking down yourself, getting out to a playgroup/park, doing any kind of activity is a bonus.

Give into the fact that you are "parenting" this year. And your gang of three beautiful children will sail through life with you serenely at the helm. Or would you prefer to see yourself as Julie Andrews leading them singing through the hill?

Toddler groups are good for breastfeeding. The others can play, while you sit and feed the baby.

We had a double buggy which you could perch a toddler on top of, on the roof, which was quite useful in terms of getting to places fast on foot.

Get them used to group activities. Forget all that 1-1 time and do group stories, group baths, group everything. Get them napping at the same time or ignore them if they aren't actually asleep.

Hi
I have 4 young children, when ds4 was born i had dd5years, ds 3yars and dd2years (so 3 of 3 and under).
I used P&T with a sling, o had a Closer sling when he was newborn and moved on to an Ergo. An Ergo is the best sling ever in my opinion, once babe gets bigger (4 months i think).
I bf'd dc4 for 20months (we are still going ). It was difficult, but actually being forced to sit down and concentrate on dc4 also meant i had to sit and rest too, as nobody else could feed him.
Agree with baby and toddler groups, going to friends houses etc. I found getting out of the house as much as possible was the key to my sanity and sod the housework.
Buy lots of cheap childrens videos from the charity shop - we would go out in the morning and then evry day at about 3 I would sit them down with a film and a snack - this really helped during the first couple of months, a couple of hours quiet was a life saver.
Will post again if i think of anything!

We had a 17m gap then a 25m gap. What will your gaps be? I think with a new baby the first few weeks/months are a time for adjusting but things do get easier bit by bit as you acclimatise! I have used a powertwin, P&T, maclaren twin and a cheapy 2nd hand mothercare phoenix. Hard to say which I prefer, though the phoenix (even tho unattractive) can take 3 if the eldest stands on the foot rest in the midle, or Ive had an older child in the basket before! Personally I dont get on with slings, feels like Im pregnant again with a massive baby! But that maybe as Ive never had one like the ones noted here.Also had a coachbuilt pram that I could fit 3 on (good when in a rush!) but not sure how that would work in the middle of London!
I am sure you`ll be fine, Im glad we had relatively small age gaps, the children love each other and play together nicely.
Re breastfeeding I managed to bf the first 2 til 14 months but ds2 had weaned himself off at 9m Think thats just because hes a brill eater though. Cbeebies/books or sticker books,playdough etc are a good activity to keep the others busy while you breastfeed and its much easier than having to wash and warm up bottles.
Takecare and best wishes Xx

I live in Boston, MA in the US, but I am a 22 year old mother with a 32 month old (nearly 3) a 20 month old and a 6 month old and I want to tell you that breastfeeding the third is not so difficult. a few times, you will have to catch your older two if they are doing something dangerous or if they need a time-out and this can interrupt things a bit, but the baby latches on again and continues after. I am using a double stroller and a "babyhawk" mei-tai carrier. I love it. we have 3 car seats in the back of a 5 seat car and we also live in a 2 bedroom apartment. we just started using cloth diapers and "G-diapers". It will be fine, just stick with a routine for the older two and let your youngest begin a routine when you feel they are ready. You will do great, this is when moms like us grow! no one can judge a mother with loads of love.

sounds like mine are going to be same gap as yours, ds1 will be 3.2 and ds2 i think either 20 or 21 months (worked it out before but forgot which) when dc3 is here. i have a p&t now so thinking of just sticking with that and make the oldest walk, if that proves to be more difficult than planned will stick baby in a sling and give ds1 a couple more months in the buggy?
see if you can get somewhere to give your oldest their nursery hours from as soon as she is 3, alot of the school nurseries are saying from 3.5 yr but im hoping to put mine in the community one then they will take from sept rather than jan
also hoping to have got ds1 toilet trained by that time as 3 in nappies may be a bit much
im sure it will be okay!

I'm expecting dc3 any day, have ds1 2.10 and ds2 19mo. Some good tips on here thanks! I also have a phil and teds, have been trying to increase eldests walking, but I like to walk everywhere possible so there's no way I can expect him to keep up. So also have a stretchy wrap, which I need to learn how to get on/off!

Nursery 2 days a week already (work days) so keeping those during mat leave. I'm sure these will be like heaven for sleep catch up (just hope baby sleeps ) I have a cleaner for 2 hrs a wk this time, only a recent thing but it's absolutely worth every penny scraped together. Also I've told dh that I don't want to see a whole vegetable in this house for a few months (unless he's cooking)! Only pre-cut veggie bags, as I can empty one of those into a pan whilst bf baby, but can't peel/chop 3/4 different veg with 1 hand ...I have already filled the freezer with homemade casseroles/pasta dishes etc to see us through hard days for a couple of months. And I'll be finding a group to escape out to every day, my hardest days are when we don't get out as the boys just seem to trash everything by the afternoon. Also loving the dvd afternoon suggestion...will be stocking up!

Keep suggestions coming please...and good luck to others

I had 3 under 2 (19 mnth gap between eldest and DTs). First year is all about survival, but you will reap the benefits further down the line - on a good day watching my 3 together is fantastic. Transport logistics probably slightly different in my situation - I used sling and buggy for as long as poss and from then on DD1 had to walk (and I had to limit on foot outings to what she could manage).
Car wise, we have a Galaxy, but if your eldest is big enough for a stage 2 seat when the youngest moves into forward facing you might get away with something smaller. (We moved out of London when the youngest were tiny, and did not enjoy the few days we owned a 7 seater in central London!)
I found giving my eldest her main meal at lunch really helped as babies were always more colicky/grumpy in the evening.
Try not to feel bad about how little attention your kids seem to get compared with those in smaller families - they'll be getting benefits too. And remember, it will get easier!
If I think of anything specific will let you know. Good luck, and enjoy - 3 children is lovely :)