To those of you with 3+ kids... - Page 3

[jillmamma]

[MangoMommy]

Originally Posted by gillibean

It depends on their ages and temperments. For me, three was just as easy because by the time I had the third, I had a 7 year old daughter who was so helpful. My biggest adjustment was having a newborn after having been out of the baby phase for 5 years.

Me too. My youngest (prior to the new baby) was already 6. My nearly 9 yr old DD is a big help too. It's been easy honestly (well as easy as newborns can be LOL). The hardest part is getting used to the sleep deprivation and dealing with carseats in the car.

Basically DH goes on duty for the older 2 and I tend to the baby. It really has been much much easier to add #3 in then I thought it would be.

Maybe it gets crazier when baby is bigger. I come from a family of 4 kids so this isn't too bad.

[gaudynight]

We have four and are hoping for more. So far, the hardest transition was from one child to two, maybe because DD1 has always been really high-needs and needed more than I could give. The first six months of DD2's life were rough on all of us... it really was just one day at a time. We have a routine now and we just... slot the new one in. But DD3&4 are both very mellow, laid-back small people, I imagine things would be very, very different if they weren't.

I've been pregnant and/or nursing for the best part of seven years. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like without it - but the people I get from it are absolutely worth it. Wouldn't have it any other way!

[AppleMush]

Hi there Im 25 and have 4 kids...alot of my friends are either child less or have one kid. I only know two other moms who have 4 or more like me

Heres my unscientific theory that I tell people who ask what 4 is like.

If you enjoy quiet, privacy and your belongings then do not have more than 2.

Its not always loud but I can dang guarantee there is an annoying sound coming from somewhere 90 percent of the time. A toy, someone sucking an ice pop..someone singing off key to themselves while they tappa tappa their shoes on the tile...

I am not always being spied on but with 3 or more I have NEVER taken a shower without someone knocking..even my DH is guilty "umm are you almost done??" And I cant get dressed unless the door is locked. My kids will broadcast to everyone what kind of underwear I have, and they dont mean to see they just figure oh wheres mom? suprise!

And if its not on a very top shelf or under lock and key you can count on it being broken or borrowed. I just cant keep my eyes on them 24/7 and all it takes is one to be gone for 5 minutes and then you get to spend the next hour trying to remove your favorite lipstick from your grandmas mirror she gave you.(this happened to me)

But I love them and cant live without em. The other stuff I listed above I dont really care about most of the time. But some could find it overwhelming. Youll know in your heart what you can handle

[FreeRangeMama]

If you enjoy quiet, privacy and your belongings then do not have more than 2.

That is definitely true! I have found that the people I know who like/can handle noise, chaos, and mess generally enjoy 4 or more littles more than someone who doesn't do well with those things.

I LOVE that kind of chaos and my house actually feels a little empty with only 4. My dh doesn't care about mess, but chaos and noise is difficult for him and he feels as though 4 is a lot of kids.

[BabyMae09]

Originally Posted by AppleMush

Hi there Im 25 and have 4 kids...alot of my friends are either child less or have one kid. I only know two other moms who have 4 or more like me

Heres my unscientific theory that I tell people who ask what 4 is like.

If you enjoy quiet, privacy and your belongings then do not have more than 2.

Hmmm. Well, even with two I have no privacy, quiet, or alone time. I kind of figure that we're in our 'kid phase' right now, and someday we'll have time for each other and ourselves again

[Kellie_MO4]

I'm 27 with 5 and honestly, if car space wasn't an issue I'd love to have more. in my personal experience going from 1 to 2 was the hardest.. 3 to 4, 4 to 5, all gravy... But then, we haven't had any issues a lot of my friends with 2 have had, with jealousy or acting out or anything...
They do love to play with eachother, but they also each like to have alone time, which can be a bit tricky but not undoable. Of course, with more kids it's harder sharing your time, but, imo, it is SO so worth it

[cottonwood]

Obviously I can only speak to my own experience which includes specific personalities and spacing, but I love it. It was hard for me going from 0 to 1, less hard from 1 to 2, VERY hard from 2 to 3 (although granted at that point I had three under five years old,) and lovely going from 3 to 4. When my last was born my oldest was going on 8 and really a lot of help. I'd also relaxed into parenting (becoming progressively more AP) and life in general, and as well our financial/living situation became more stable, everything just came together.

Now my youngest is 5 and my oldest is 12, and it is so great. They are really a close-knit group and they are really good at entertaining each other. Yes, it's financially more of a strain, and there is more noise than there would be otherwise, but I am so glad for every one of them and really can't imagine having it any other way.

[allaiter]

I have 4. 11, 8, 5, 9m
My older kids help out a lot. I have never asked them they just do it. They do cloth diapers and all!!
going from 1 to 2 was hard. adding 3 was not hard. adding the 4th was hard a first mostly because we had not had a baby in the house for a while.
we are a very busy family. I belong to several committees and organizations that require me to be gone a lot and having the baby with me can make it very difficult to get anything done. We live in the car, we must spend 4 hours a day in it.
going to the store is not so hard ( remember i have older kids to help out) but going to the library or an outdoor activity is where i have the hard time.

i really like having my 4 even though #4 was not planned. I do not think i could do a 5th, but if it happened i know my kids are able and willing to play a major part in helping to raise their sibling.
I love the fact my children play such a major roll. They all feel a part of the whole family growing.
nothing beats watching my son take a his baby sister and laydown with her to help her go to sleep. or seeing my oldest try to teach her little sister how to read. or the 5y help the 11yr bath the baby and get her ready for bed while I read to my son. (yes my DH is around with all of this) they just take it on themselves. No one asks, no one suggest, they just do and have done it from the start.

[Carley]

Originally Posted by AppleMush

Heres my unscientific theory that I tell people who ask what 4 is like.

If you enjoy quiet, privacy and your belongings then do not have more than 2.

Its not always loud but I can dang guarantee there is an annoying sound coming from somewhere 90 percent of the time. A toy, someone sucking an ice pop..someone singing off key to themselves while they tappa tappa their shoes on the tile...

I am not always being spied on but with 3 or more I have NEVER taken a shower without someone knocking..even my DH is guilty "umm are you almost done??" And I cant get dressed unless the door is locked. My kids will broadcast to everyone what kind of underwear I have, and they dont mean to see they just figure oh wheres mom? suprise!

And if its not on a very top shelf or under lock and key you can count on it being broken or borrowed. I just cant keep my eyes on them 24/7 and all it takes is one to be gone for 5 minutes and then you get to spend the next hour trying to remove your favorite lipstick from your grandmas mirror she gave you.(this happened to me)

But I love them and cant live without em. The other stuff I listed above I dont really care about most of the time. But some could find it overwhelming. Youll know in your heart what you can handle

This post made me I love it!!!