Going from 2 to 3 Children

I agree with Theresa. Going from 2 to 3 went pretty smoothly. By the time the third one comes you are already used to juggling so it just flows. Good luck to you!

I love having three! 3 is a magical number of harmony in many ways. Even a secret in artistic masterpieces and balance is that you need at least three elements of everything to create harmony,...ok, sorry had too much coffee...Our third is a real character, my most difficult child yet, and I looooove her, and I love my little trio. We're on a tight budget and all that, but I feel rich rich rich!

I love having three kids, but I'll tell you the truth. That time in my life, when I had a 5 year-old, a 3 year-old, and a newborn, was the absolute hardest time of my entire life.

I was sleep-deprived, constantly working, constantly being pulled in a million directions. It's so hard because you never really get to relax. You've always got a million things to do and three little people to monitor.

We have no family nearby and my husband worked about 60 hours a week then, which made the kids almost entirely my responsibility alone. Moms need a break sometimes, and I rarely got one. If you have a husband and family/friends who can help out, it would certainly help to ease your burden. Make sure that you take time to recharge your own batteries. You'll be a better mom because of it.

But really, if it's in your heart to have a third (sounds like it is), then it doesn't matter how much work it is. You'll get through it. You'll find a way. And you'll have a wonderful new person in your life. I couldn't imagine my family without my little guy now. Good luck!
http://keystosimpleliving.com/kids.php

We just had #3 (a boy) six weeks ago. It was a little rough the first few weeks, since the baby stayed up all night and had tummy issues. The tummy issues are now much better, and he is sleeping much better at night. I am now at the point where I can get back into the swing of things. I'm back to doing all the grocery shopping, cooking, picking up the house, taking the kids to school and play dates, and reading mamapedia ;-) I am even finding time to taking better care of myself.

My daughter is five, and my older son is 2 1/2. The spacing is very similar to what yours is/will be. My daughter is a great helper now, so she actually makes life easier on me by bringing me things while I am nursing or tending to the baby. She is head over heels in love with her baby brother and loves to show him off. My older son didn't like his new brother until Daddy took him to Toys R Us and told him that his baby brother wanted to buy him a toy. Now he loves him :-) My DD and older son play pretty well together now too, so it is great that they can pretty much entertain themselves while I tend to the baby.

I would say the adjustment from one to two children was the easiest for me. Going from zero children to one was sheer hell. Going from two to three hasn't been too bad. The hardest part for me will probably be trying to work around all the naps while I take my DD to swim lessons and kindergarten (starting in the fall.)

Also, I am a horrible pregnant person. I was nauseous the entire nine months with this last pregnancy, and I was fatigued and uncomfortable the whole time. I feel like I neglected my children a lot during that nine months. I wasn't as diligent as I should have been with discipline, limiting their TV time, and feeding them healthy food. They don't seem too worse for wear though. Good luck to you, whatever you decide.

My boys were 5 and 3 when my daughter was born.

THANK GOD for my third child.

Nuff said!

(Not that it's NO MORE WORK WHATSOEVER to have a third. But to me, the adjustment from 2 to 3, DID seem a little easier than from 1 to 2, or none to 1.)

Good luck!

:)

Depends on your parenting style. If your parenting style with 2 kids is the same as 1 kid, just double the work, that gets pretty unrealistic with 3 kids. At three (or more) you spend a lot more time thinking group dynamics, and it is vital to set up the house so small kids can do things independently. Examples: stools in front of sinks so they can wash their own hands, cups and bowls on lower shelves so they can help get themselves ready for meals, teaching them to put on their own shoes and clothes, etc.

As far as interpersonal interactions, I agree it depends on kids personalities and such. I've also observed that households that do not value territoriality in adults tend to have kids who get along better, because they aren't fighting for territory and dominance. But it sounds like you already have that down pat.

Make sure you have lots of help lined up for those first months. If the birth is unexpectedly complicated, you'll need *lots* of extra help for the older ones. If everything goes smoothly, the help is nice to have anyway.

Karen

I suppose it depends mainly upon you and your hubby. If you both would LOVE to have a family of 3, then go for it! If either of you have some big reservations, you should probably hold off. Your "united front" with your hubby is the most important thing. Going up to 3 would be a big change, but if you are both motivated, it'll be great!! If not, oh, resentment, and icky feelings - no fun.

Best wishes for your family and on making your decision!!

I love having three! I work fulltime and I hope it will change sometime soon...Economy...finances ugh....I have a girl 5, boy 3 and boy 14 months. Love it...Love it....It is a lot of work going from 2 to 3 but so worth it...They are all so different.

my experience. Oldest was 3-1/2 when #3 was born, middle child was 20 months. I had a very tiresome pregnancy with morning sickness for the first time. I really couldn't take care of my house and kids from being sooo sick and it lasted the whole time until almost the end.I am 30 years old and it was rough. Baby #3 just turned 3 months and is FINALLY outgrowing his colic and I am relaxing and getting to rest for the first time in a long time. I LOVE kids and always thought I wanted at least 5, but we think this is the last. I wished for the sake of 1 sane moment around here, that I had waited and got to enjoy my baby more. So, for me, going from 2-3 was the hardest thing that has ever happened to me and I am a very tolerant person. It depends on the temperament of your other children too. I wouldn't trade anything for this bundle of joy, that has totally made a patient mother out of me. Best regards

My third was the most difficult adjustment for me. It was mostly because now I had more kids than arms. Also, my third was the most demanding. I had 2 girls then a boy. They are 14, 12, and 9 now. The adjustment time was longer with the my son. It was hard but so worth it. My kids are close and always have been.

The only thing that I struggled with was the sleep deprivation, and that is hard, no matter how many kids you have. As far as jealousy issues, every child will react differently. The thing to remember is that everyone adjusts, and soon enough, no one can remember how it was not to have the new little one in the family. It really wasn't too hard to go from 2 to 3 kids. Like I said, it's mainly the lack of sleep. Other than that, I would say go for it! Children are such a blessing.

Going from 1 to 2 children is the hardest part. Going from 2 to 3 (or 4 or 5 or 6) is far easier! It's a cakewalk. When you have 1 child and add a second, you learn to mulitple your love and divide your time. Once you add anyone after that, you already know the hard stuff ;)

My daughters are 2 1/2 years apart... when they were younger, I used to watch 3 extra kids. Once I got the hang of toting TWO kids around, 5 wasn't a big hassle at ALL, believe it or not. I don't want kids anymore, but my son is 7 years younger than my oldest. For us, it's a perfect fit, and coincidently, the 7-5-1 ages are the same age difference between myself and my younger brothers ;)

Have fun working on #3!! :)

we just had our third 4 months ago, our boys were 3 1/2 and 5 1/2. It has been wonderful, I do not know if it's because they r older or what, but it has been great. No issues, well besides them wanting to hold her all the time:)

I have 3 little boys (a little bit closer together than yours are/will be) 4 (almost 5), 3, and 15 months. For me, the adjustment, was not that big of a deal...once you get past the first few months of no sleep of course. My big boys have adjusted well and they now play very good together. It was personally a little bit harder on me. I feel a bit guiltly that I can't spend as much time individually with each child. And it takes longer to get out the door to go anywhere....dressing myself and 1 kid and waiting for 2 to dress themselves and brushing 4 sets of teeth. But I knew my family was not complete with the 4 of us. We were missing someone. Now I know we are a whole family. And that makes any hard times ok. There is always going to be an adjustment period and hard days, but you will find a system that works for you and your family and it will all be ok. Best of luck with your decision and your trying! I hope this helps a little bit.

I think the most difficult transition is for when you go from no baby to your first born -- everything after that is easy :) Really, my third did not make anything harder (and is also my easiest child :) Good luck!