Is 3 almost easier?

[abzin44]

@morgannicole555 I wouldn’t say 3 is easier. You have to prioritize more, there’s a lot of telling one child to wait because you’re busy with another. And we’ve found our access to solo time goes down since it’s easier for one parent to have baby and the other to handle the big kids. This will probably shift as they get older and all three are closer in development. Mine are 4, 2, and 5 months right now.

That said, I have not found adding the third that much harder. We already have good routines, so baby just slotted right in. If you are already struggling to keep up with parenting plus the house plus work plus self care, then a third will just add to that struggle. But if you feel like you’re in a good place with most life things, you’d probably be fine, barring any sort of complications (we never know when a child will be high needs).

 

[fyrsil]

@morgannicole555 I have two boys 6 & 2 and a 13 week old girl. I’m 38. Definitely wait until your 2 year old is a little older, it’s been a challenge for us but we’ve started to get the hang of having three now.

 

[abzin44]

@fyrsil I think it’s definitely situational. Mine are 4, 2, and 5 months and I’ve enjoyed the 2 year gap. Currently potty training my toddler while grappling with a low milk supply and slow weight gain on the baby, which isn’t fun, but with multiple kids, they’re never going to time their difficult phases to be convenient for us parents, so it is what it is.

 

[fyrsil]

@abzin44 I’m glad it’s working for you, I was planning on getting pregnant this year for a bigger age gap but she decided to come earlier so we weren’t planning on middle being so young. He’s pretty sensitive and clingy which has only gotten more so with the baby here so I don’t feel like I have enough arms! I would have liked to enjoy him as being the baby little longer. We’ve got a good routine going now at least and wouldn’t change anything. Some things are just meant to be.

 

[dancequeen12]

@morgannicole555 We only have two so far but I’m the third kid for my parents and according to them adding me was a piece of cake. My siblings were 7.5 and nearly 4 when I was born though. I was a super chill baby though too

 

[miracle66]

@morgannicole555 We have four and it’s always tricky at first but you get the hang of it. I remember worrying that we made a mistake the first time I had two children crying at the same time and realized how overwhelming that can feel. Now it’s just a matter of hitting our stride. We had the last two kind of close together so that’s a new challenge. You get used to anything!

 

[lindseystark]

@morgannicole555 Going from 0 children to having a child was the hardest haha going from 2 to 3 was easy... Going from 4 kids to 5 kids was kind of a challenge... (I've had 5 kids in 6.5 years, no twins) I'm currently pregnant with baby #6 and I joke that this one might send me over the edge. My oldest will be 7 years old when the baby comes so she is at this stage where she loves to help!

 

[abide]

@lindseystark This was my experience too. Going from 2 to 3 was very smooth, and I felt like I finally knew what I was doing as a parent. My older kids were 5 and 3 at the time.

 

[lindseystark]

It gets easier when kids can buckle and unbuckle themselves in their car seats. Haha it will be such an amazing day when I no longer have to wrestle toddlers into their car seats.

 

[abzin44]

@lindseystark I’m looking forward to that! My 4 year old can unbuckle herself and I’m currently coaching her how to buckle in. Once the baby (5 months) transitions from her bucket to a conventional car seat, access to my oldest to buckle her in will be difficult (we have three across in a sedan ).

 

[lindseystark]

@abzin44 I feel your pain!

 

[mafeking]

@morgannicole555 No. 3 is so much harder. Going from 1 to 2 was a challenge, but felt doable and I felt good about it. It felt like I had a handle on things after about the first year. Going from 2 to 3 was insane. My youngest is 5 now and I still haven’t recovered.

2.5 years between my youngest two. I imagine it gets easier the more space you have between the youngest two.

 

[leidie]

@mafeking Once you’re outnumbered, all bets are off. All three kids want your attention at the same time, always. Also, everything gets more expensive once you have a family of 5. It seems like a the world is designed for families of 4- hotels, cars, restaurants where “kids eat free”, etc. I have friends that say 4 is way easier than 3, but I have no idea how that works (unless you’re putting parenting responsibilities on the oldest?). I love and adore my youngest, but I definitely look back on how easy life was with 2 kids

 

[mafeking]

@leidie Yeah, same. Life with 2 seems like it would be so easy. And no way am I going to 4; I’m overwhelmed enough as it is, haha. And we would have to buy a new car…

 

[leidie]

@mafeking My brother has 2 and my sister has 4 (although 3 are triplets so I tell her she basically has 2 to annoy her). My sister and I look at my brother’s family with envy as they travel and do every activity without ever worrying about scheduling conflicts

 

[dutchvw]

@leidie I feel exactly the same as you. And, in a way, it’s almost getting harder as they get older because their desire for individual activities and attention is increasing. They have all started wanting alone time to read and chat with us before bed, it takes forever and makes the bedtime routine near impossible for one parent to manage alone. I also have my doubts that four could possibly be easier, haha.

 

[leidie]

@dutchvw I thought my kids were perfectly spaced at 3 years apart, but it turns out that’s just enough for my boys to be in different leagues for EVERY sport. I’m hoping my youngest starts showing some spectacular talent that skipped a few generations and can play up, but I’m not holding my breath

 

[amberdawn007]

@morgannicole555 Mum of 3 here! Aged 2, 4 and 6. The girls are a little gang and entertain each other. The older two usually go in a block (eg they have the same bed time routine). The younger one needs a different type of attention (eg she's still 2 so we supervise her more). I'm due with a fourth in November and I expect by then the older 3 will be one parents' responsibility and the baby the other's. I found the transition from 1 to 2 harder than the transition from 2 to 3, I think it's really personal and depends on your circumstances. I say do it!

 

[abzin44]

@amberdawn007 We do similar. Older kids are with one parent, baby is with the other. Our kids are 4, 2, and 5 months. Divide and conquer. Worked great with 2 kids, still works with 3.

 

[junobet]

@morgannicole555 I have 3. No, 3 is not easier. But, nothing worth having is easy. I love my 3. Even when they are being wild and tantruming I love my 3. I just wish I didn't have to work so much so I can have some balance in my life. My kids are wonderful. It's the chores and working for money that takes time away from them which I dislike.