Last month we talked about transitioning from 3 to 4 kids! Today we focus on the shift from 2 to 3. How many do you have?Â
Even though I now have 4 kiddos I clearly remember what it was like going from 2 to 3. I think the difficultly of it is about the same as going from 1 to 2, just in different ways. The hardest thing about making the jump to 3 is now you and the hubs are outnumbered. There is always an odd man out now and that can be hard. The ages of your kids obviously also makes a difference in just how hard or easy this transition can be.
When my 3rd one came along my other boys were 5 & 3 and were still at home, so we could sleep in and have our days as we pleased. Two months later my oldest started kindergarten and it made it a little harder. The baby would have slept much later but I had to wake him every morning to get the oldest to school. Everyone adjusted relatively quickly though.
The odd man out was the hardest part for me (and my personality, I am type A). Unfortunately moms only have 2 hands and of course all 3 want to hold moms hands at the same time, or I was holding baby and just had one free hand. Another scenario we ran into was being out in public and each kid take off in different directions….holy moly….how do 2 people chase 3 kids all going separate ways? Riddle me that will you please?!
There is the old saying “Two’s company, three is a crowd”….well that fit into my family well at times for the almost 5 years there were 3 of them. Two of them (any combo) would could play together really well most of the time, but it seemed like as soon as the 3rd one, whoever it was, joined in is when the fighting started. Now don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of times they did all play really well together and had moments that were just the sweetest between brothers. Like melt your heart sweet, BUTTTTT there were also plenty of “someone is left out” moments as well.
The best 2 things about having your 3rd (and my favorite things) are that when baby is born they have each other to entertain, so they aren’t on your heels all day and that it seems to make their bond grow even more as siblings, which is amazing to watch.
Some tips for making the adjustment period easier are:
- When I put baby in the stroller I tied a ribbon on each side for the other boys to hold on to
- I tried including them as much as they wanted and gave them specific jobs (getting wipes, washing binky, etc)
- Spend a lot of time talking to them before baby arrives about what to expect
- My husband really took this time to bond with the older 2, they were mamas boys but after baby they learned to depend on him more and it was neat to watch them bond. Daddies can do things just as good as mommies!
- Ask for help! Friends and family want to help, let them.
- Wear baby so you have your hands free for the other two. This was survival for me, made my days so much easier.