I am preparing for the birth of my 3rd baby. First two (boys) will be 3 yrs old and 20 months old when #3 is born. After your 3rd baby was born, what was something you regretted not doing to prepare your household (your two little ones, yourself, your home, whatever) for the arrival of #3, and what was something you DID do to prepare that in hindsight you were grateful you'd done? Thanks in advance for whatever you have to share :)
I learned to relax with the 3rd and go with the flow... made life sooo much easier. I learned that I didn't have to have a perfectly clean house and to enjoy the time I have with them.
Good luck and Congrats
Mom to a 6 yr, 5 yr, and 15 mos old
My oldest was 3 months away from being 4 and my second was 23 months when my 3rd was born. They are all a bout 3 years apart, same as yours. Now they are almost 5, 7, and 9.
I cleaned the house top to bottom before I went to have the last one - he was a planned c-section so I knew exactly when I was going to have him. I had clothes picked out for the other two in outfits for the first week or two. Meals were brought over by family and friends. Other than that, we just kept to routine as normal.
It was tough when they were 1, 3, and 5...but now they are easy as can be - minus the mouth that is starting to develop on the oldest :).
Try to remember that your middle son is still a baby himself. Make time (somehow) to spend just with him. My middle child was just 18 mos. when my 3rd was born, and mostly out of guilt that I knew she would never have me all to herself, I made sure to do things with her when the baby slept and my oldest was at preschool. Also, don't forget to make time to take photos ... Since you are about to become one VERY busy mom, time is going to go really fast and if you don't grab some snapshots along the way, you are not going to remember a lot about those first few months (or years!)
Good luck to you!
I cleaned everything in my home that was visible, under washer/dryer, kitchen cabinets, refrigerator, etc before #3 was born because with a home schooled 4 yr old, 20 month old and an newborn I feared I'd never have a clean house again. I wish I had cleaned out more closets and storage before the baby came, but I just didn't have it in me since our then 20 month old still wasn't sleeping through the night yet.
The biggest thing, though, that I'm glad I did was remember that my 20 month old was still a baby even though he looked so big next to my newborn. I spent a considerable amount of time holding, rocking and reading to him when my newborn slept or Dad could take over his care. I didn't get much done around the house those days, but looking back, it doesn't really matter. What matters now that they are all past 2 yrs old is that they are healthy, secure individuals that know Mom and Dad love them. The house is still a mess sometimes (3 kids can mess a house up way quicker than 2), but now they can help me clean it up. My husband and I still don't get a lot of sleep sometimes, but we are happy and content with our 3 little blessings. Take time to rest and enjoy all 3 of your kids. Say "yes" to anyone who wants to bring a meal or run an errand for you. They will feel blessed and I assure you that you will be too. Best wishes! Nurse Midwife Mom of 3
My twins were 2.5 when my daughter was born this summer. We stayed on our already established schedule. I didn't want their lives changed too much. We had a very smooth transition from two to three kids. Maybe because it was only one baby this time? :)
I had a planned c-section, so I loaded up on groceries a few days before. I bought a lot of frozen dinners and boxed stuff that would be easy to prepare. I also made sure the laundry was done, and laid out clothes for the kids so my husband could get them ready in the mornings for me. I also cleaned the house really well, but that didn't really last long. My son had just turned 4 and my daughter was 19 months old when I had my 3rd baby. Good Luck!
I didn't have anything planned, I didn't want any let downs. I had 3 kids in slightly under 3 years. I wish I hired a cleaning person to come in every 2 weeks for a while. You can never have too many meals in the freezer. Best wishes.
When my third came along my other two girls were 6yrs old and 18months. I really wish that I had meals prepared ahead of time. Caring for a 18 month old and a newborn after a c-section was anything but easy! I was very fortunate because my husband was able to take quite a bit of time off at work. That helped tremendously since I could not lift my 18 month old. After my third I suffered from postpartum depression which made things harder for me too. I wish I would have somehow prepared myself for that because it was really hard to function somedays. My youngest is now 4yrs old, and we made it through that time, but honestly it is a blurr sometimes. For me it was harder going from 2 to 3 but I think that is because my first two were 5 years apart. Good Luck and Congratulations!
My first three were each 2 yrs apart, I had two boys and my 3rd was a girl. I think the transition from 2 to 3 was relatively smooth. The craziest part was having to fit three carseats in my little 2door mazda. We got a mini van a month later! The biggest thing I had to accept was that my house was never going to be perfectly clean and that was okay. The biggest realization I have had recently now that they are 18, 16, 14 and I have a 5 yo now too, is that I am going to have three high school graduations and college bound kids really close together. YIKES!
Try to spend a little extra time with the other two especially the 20 month old. My kids were 3,2,1, and newborn and we did fine. I am pretty laid back
and learned very early on that "it will be there tomorrow." Oh and yes, we
wanted our kids close. Today they are 35, 34, 33, and 32 and very very
close. Congratulations. It will be fun.
When I cooked meals, before the 3rd, I would make extra and then freeze the rest. After he was born, we had good food to eat without having to do much more than microwave.
We took the older 2 (they were 3 and 5) to the sibling class at the hospital. It was AWESOME. They got to see the maternity floor, and a newborn. The nurses took their feet prints, and then invited us to bring the feet prints with us the delivery so they could put the newborns feet prints next to the older kids.
I'm a "wing it" kind of person and everything worked out fine. I continued going to playdates, going grocery shopping, going to the pool and parks with the baby. Nothing changed because of the baby for my older two. Baby would stay in the car seat or I would put her in a sling and be off.
When my third child was born, my first daughter was just 4, my second daughter, just 2 and the newborn. What I would do differently if I could was come to the realization sooner that for a few years, it really is about maintaining their needs. I was crazy for trying to keep my house "party-ready" (my kids lovingly coined THAT little phrase!) It does not need to be spic and span at all times and I didn't play enough with them when they were little. I would send my husband out with them or to the backyard and I would clean like crazy. I wished now that I had spent more time playing and less time worrying about the housework.
When #3 was born, she slid right in...no issues with transitioning into our family. When #4 was born six years later, he was born into a family with four mothers (poor soul) and he didn't stand a chance.
I simply LOVE my big family! Relax and enjoy!!!
My oldest was about 4 months shy of age 4 and his brother was 23 months when my daughter was born...
I wish I had prepped more meals. Dinner time was a struggle for me with 3... my daughter was fussy at that time of day.
I was glad my Mom came to stay for a week - and my husband then took the next two weeks off (after she left). I had help for the first 3 weeks at home which was fantastic.
I wished I had gotten a haircut - my daughter was born right before the holidays - it was hard to make time for myself after she came.
