3 under 3! | Imamother

solo

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 11:52 am

It's gonna happen this spring bzh. I'm so nervous. I had such a hard time with the first two for the early months. I feel like just as I'm getting it together things are about to get crazy. Any ideas?
Also it sounds silly but I'm running out of space. My oldest two can't sleep in the same room cuz 2 ur old hurts baby. And I "only have 3 bedrooms. What to do?

amother

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 12:01 pm

I had that! 3 in 33 months! Not easy. Now my baby is almost a year. I also had the same feeling but once the baby came I was actually surprised at how well I was managing. U don't realize how much u know until then.
Kind of like "it's just a cold" " just a bump" and wtvr else. Things are less of a big deal lol. And at the same time he gets a crazy amount if love from the other two. They are obsessed with him. Sometimes a little too much. But he must of the time lives that they include him.

QUEENY

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 12:29 pm

I had 3(twins) under 20 months..so I can relate> What saved my sanity was that they were all on basically the same eating and napping schedule. Of course the older one didn't nap as much but when I put him down for a early pm nap..so did the twins. So I had some time for myself. I also changed everyone and bathed everyone ,one after the other.

amother

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 12:52 pm

Happening to me soon too, due this spring also. I also work 2 full days a week. I cut down from last year full time when I found out I'm expecting. My almost 3 yr old goes to Playgroup daily, about 4 hours a day. But after she comes home I'm constantly on my toes between her and DS age 14 months. And when the big ones come home at 4 well let's just say I count down the minutes till bedtime. I try picturing myself nursing a newborn in middle of the chaos and I really don't know how I will manage. I'll be watching this thread for more tips!

SplitPea

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 2:27 pm

we had 3 under 3 and are about to have 4 under 4!

(we also have a 3 bedroom) for sleeping we kept the older two separate until dd1 was 2 and dd2 was 1. we then combined them (dd1 was not climbing out of the crib so I just had two cribs and they could not get to each other.

I have the kids in my room till 6-8 months (cosleeping and then a crib in my room) so thats an option if you are not ready to combine 1 and 2. Another option is to put #2 with #3. and give #1 their own room for now. kids DO learn to sleep through the noise of a baby waking. it seems impossible but they do become sounder sleepers.

Good luck. its hard but possible. Make sure the older ones are in playgroup so you don't go nuts. Get as much help as you can (I got full time help for 4-6 weeks post partum - a cleaning lady who also was very good with kids who pretty much did whatever I needed. from holding a baby and watching the older kids while I showered. Feeding older kids lunch and playing with them while I naped with the baby, cleaning my house etc. She was worth her weight in gold!

Good luck!

yOungM0mmy

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 4:08 pm

I also had 3 under 3, and found that easier than having 2 babies and being pregnant.
For sleeping, you can definitely keep baby in your room - mine stay in till between 7 and 9 months.
I think I didnt fold laundry for about a year after my third was born - it all just went clean on a spare bed, and we pulled from there to rewear - until it actually became quicker to quickly sort into piles than constantly look through a massive pile to find matching socks.
I didn't have full time help, far from it, although a helpful family and hands-on DH were invaluable.
Good luck, you're far from the only one, and will survive!

amother

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 4:16 pm

I wish I could give you all sorts of sage advice but those years were a blur. Number three got nursed least, and balls were dropped. A few decades later, he is such a fine young man, so sensitive, responsible, caring, I can't figure it out sometimes ;-)
bshaa tova and hatzlacha!