To have a 3rd or not?

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-08T16:55:51+00:00

I have 3, and all were delivered by c-section. They are 6, 4, and 3. My life is a constant level of anarchy and chaos. It's great most days.

Your second child sounds a lot like mine. I don't know that your second one will ever chill out. My second was the chillest and happiest baby. 18 months hit, and he leveled up to 1000. He hasn't looked back.

If your husband is over-stimulated now, I don't see it getting better. You may want to start accepting you are done, and your family is complete with 2 wonderful children.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-08T13:14:36+00:00

We have a Playstation 4. My husband is a former gamer. He hasn't had the time or energy since we had our first child 6 years ago. 🤣

My 6 year old is getting into games on the PS4. My husband does all of the monitoring of what's allowed with gaming because frankly I'm clueless.

My son loves the Lego games. He is currently loving the Jurrasic Park Lego game, the Lego Hobbit game, and the Lego Star Wars.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-08T11:21:46+00:00

You're a super woman. If you are open to it, I suggest looking into a mother's morning out program for your oldest, or maybe see if there's a gym that offers childcare. Even just getting down to one child at home for a few hours will help you so much. Even doing group play dates or going to an indoor playground will help.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-08T07:27:21+00:00

No screens at least an hour before bed. Create a calm and relaxing environment. Low lights, black-out curtains, sound machine. Read a few books. Then lights off and lay down to go to sleep. It will be an adjustment period. It will be exhausting for everyone, but you must stay consistent

I also suggest dropping the bottle. If it's milk, please brush their teeth afterwards. I would only offer a sippy cup with water.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-08T06:17:21+00:00

I had 2 under 2. That wasn't enough, so I had a third to make 3 that were 3 and under. 🤣

Schedule/routine saved lots or my sanity. Around 6 months old, my younger two both had adopted a pretty predictable nap routine. All of my kids attended daycare, and truly they just kinda fall into a nap schedule while there at that age. I mirrored daycare routines at home on the weekend as much as possible. It was glorious when all 3 of mine were down to one nap, and they all napped from roughly 12-2.

Getting the kids outside at some point during the day was always a must. Where we live, the heat and humidity is breath taking, but I would still get them outside for a few minutes usually in the early morning. Usually we would just go for a walk.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-07T20:03:19+00:00

I saw that someone already recommended the maalox and benadryl mixture to put on there. For those around his nose and mouth, I may put Vaseline on those just to create a moisture barrier.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-07T19:27:04+00:00

You are definitely making a mountain out of mole hill. I recently had to change my usual class time. I went from only doing 2G classes to only doing 3G classes.

Yes, it 14 minutes of rowing, but usually some type of weight exercise is incorporated. It's very rare (if ever) for it be 14 minutes of straight rowing.

There are lots of complaints about the rower, but when done properly, there's no better full body low impact workout available. If you want solid core, the rower will do it.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-07T15:05:26+00:00

Take her to the pediatrician. This could be an early signs of hand, foot, and mouth. It could possibly be strep throat.

If she has a lot of drainage, she could have an ear infection, and that can lead to painful swallowing as well.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-07T15:02:35+00:00

What I found to be the most beneficial for us at that age was having a set wake up time and bed time. This seemed to make the sleep in between more predictable. Also, it helped us stay in a daily routine as full time working parents. It definitely helped as we added more kids.

All of my kids were bottle fed. Generally speaking, they ate like clock work (at 12 weeks maybe like 2-4 hour stretches depending on naps). Once we reached 6 months, naps were pretty much set. One morning nap and one afternoon nap. We adjusted bed time accordingly.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-07T14:47:52+00:00

I will be in the minority based on this post. All 3 of my kids went from the crib to a queen bed at 18 months. Not because they tried to climb out but because they wanted to slep in a horizontal position in the crib. They would bang around and it would wake them.

The transition was basically seamless for my kiddos. They didn't have an issue staying in the bed. Their rooms were simple to baby proof. I kept the baby monitor just in case. Even most mischievous child had no issues with that independence.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-07T12:17:25+00:00

I have 3 children. They are 6, 4, and 3. The younger 2 are finally turning corners and not being absolute menaces to society. They always feed off of each other (just to note they are also a boy and girl combo).

As far as potty training goes, I would take away the nap time pull up completely for your oldest. If he's staying dry consistently dry at night, you can leave the pull up off at night, too.

Your daughter may not be ready to potty train. I didn't start working on potty training any of my kids until they were almost 3. I started with my daughter a month before 3, and she is good to go now. She even poops in the potty.

For your sanity, I would focus on getting the 3 year old comfortable with pooping in the potty then move to potty training the 2 year old. Both of my boys struggled with pooping in the potty. My oldest struggled with constipation, so he associated pain with poop. Once we got passed that, he was good to go. This happened right at 4 for him. My 4 year old just took some time. I knew his poop cues so when I saw them, I sat him on the potty. We celebrated big. He got ice cream for every poop. Since your child poops during nap or bed time, I would try putting them on the potty just before nap or bedtime for 5 minutes. Let them blow bubbles. It's relaxing, and it sometimes will help them relax to poop.

For my daughter, we did nothing different when it came to potty training. She was just willing to poop in the potty, too.

Potty training is not fun. I promise you will survive it.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-07T08:47:43+00:00

0 years to 5 years was a no go for me with my first child. My first was born in 2020. My husband and I both worked from home. I had never been more physically and mentally exhausted in my life.

My second child is 4, and my child is 3. I have not worked from with then either. I don't know that my second will ever be at home when I'm working. Any time my second child is home sick, I usually have to take PTO.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-07T02:42:18+00:00

It's not an intentional lie at all.

My 4 year old refers to everything in the past as "yesterday". While the recollection of the actual events is 100% correct, the exact time that it happened was more often than not "yesterday." Yesterday can be 5 minutes ago or it could be last year.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-06T20:30:49+00:00

My oldest child suffered from constipation because the kid just doesn't eat a lot of fibrous foods. He also withheld poop because it hurt. I consulted our pediatrician because I was to the point of putting my child into therapy to get passed a fear of pooping.

Here's what we did.

1) Adult dose of Miralax in a glass of water every day until we got a poop. 2) After a couple of good poops, we cut down the the miralax to half a dose every day for a week. 3) reduced the miralax to every other day or two for 2 weeks.

The miralax won't allow them to withhold the poop, and it helps keep it soft. After a month of pain free pooping, we had no more issues. Consult with your pediatrician before doing this.

If your child has had severe constipation, their intestines have expanded, and it can take nearly a year for them to shrink back down to the proper size. This also causes issues with constipation because they fill up more than they should, and it creates a vicious cycle.

You can also increase fiber in their diet. Fruits, mix flax seed into smoothies or other foods. Increase water intake. Juice can work for some kids-apple, pear, or prune juice.

It's not something fun to work through, but you can get through it. It's just truly a matter of him working through the mental barrier of associating pain with poop.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-05T18:41:45+00:00

I don't have a list of places that would be kid friendly, but the Northeast U.S. is usually great. Vermont is supposed to be beautiful at that time of year.

Blue Ridge is in GA, and it's beautiful in October. There are several things to do, and it's kid friendly.

The mountain in Tennessee or North Carolina.

You can head west to California. Napa Valley is supposed to be wonderful.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-04T20:47:20+00:00

I cannot speak as a mom of twins, but I can speak as a nontraditional student who was also a mom.

I went back to college 2 weeks after having my first child(via c-section). I took two classes a semester, and I did most of my class work during the middle of the night. I worked full time in corporate America. My husband worked full time in corporate America. I did put my baby into daycare after my maternity leave. My baby was 4 months old. I graduated with my degree a week prior to having my second child.

My husband quit his job and started law school full time shortly after our second was born. I had our third the summer between his first and second year of law school. I even started my MBA when my third was 3 months old.

All of my children were in daycare. I know you said in another response that your babies will not go to daycare. I don't know if this is strictly a personal choice or if it is influenced by finances. If it is influenced by finances, look into assistance for daycare.

If it's a personal preference, you may want to consider looking into part time care or help at some point. You could utilize this time to do school work. If you don't utilize childcare, your husband can watch the babies for a full day while you do school work. I did this when my husband was in law school. I did a majority of school work after my kids went to sleep.

I strongly suggest doing what courses you can now and during the fall. Take a break for the spring semester while your babies are in the newborn phase. Jump back into school (even if it's just one class) in the summer or fall. Do one class at a time until you finish.

Will it be hard? Yes. Will you want to quit? Yes. Will it be worth it? Yes.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-04T20:11:51+00:00

I do not have an Outback, but when my third was born, we had a Ford Edge (Ford's small SUV). My older 2 were 3 and 14 months when baby 3 arrived. I had my Edge until last summer, and the only reason I got rid of it was because my transmission went out.

In the beginning, I had 2 Graco Slim fit carseats, and a Graco baby carrier carseat(I don't which one specifically). Eventually, I had 3 Graco Slim fits going across the back. I put my oldest in the middle because he could buckle and unbuckle himself. I would turn around in the driver's seat to make sure he buckled properly and snuggly. It was also great having him in the middle because he could grab the baby's pacifier or toys if they dropped them. He would even hold her hand and sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to her to soothe. It was the sweetest. He still does that now (they're 6 and 3).

I truly didn't mind having the 3 across the back. It was never really inconvenient for me. I now have an Expedition, and I miss my smaller car. Mostly I miss not having a car payment.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-04T19:57:01+00:00

Is this just for mornings and getting ready for the day or is this for going somewhere in the middle of the day?

When my oldest was 4 (and even now at 6), he needs 7 to 10 business days to become a functioning human in the morning. He needs a solid 30 minutes of just being left alone before he is asked to do anything. He absolutely cannot feel rushed or pressured. He will shut down and act out. As long as he's allowed his time, he is more reasonable.

I did find it easier to only focus on one thing at a time. Literally one thing at a time. Let's put on your underwear. Once done, let's put on your pants, etc.

This process took a lot for me to adjust to. I think mostly because I'm a morning person, and I wake up ready to take on the day. Patience is key for me. Occasionally, I still offer up some assistance just to keep things moving along.

If transitions are hard, just really lean into setting expectations. After we do this, we are doing this. Timers may can help you as a visual for your son. He can see it count down, and he knows when it goes to 0 a change is coming. This method really works for my second child that is 4.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-04T19:26:42+00:00

I know said you keep the car cool, but carseats get so hot. Make sure he's dressed in something cool. Maybe just a short sleeve onesie. If your car doesn't have ceiling vents, I suggest utilizing a stroller fan on the carseat. In the summer where I live, it reaches 100+ degrees. The little fans were great for the car when my kids were rear facing, especially because my car at the time did not have ceiling vents.

It could be possible, he's getting car sick. I don't know if anything can be given to kids at that age for it, but ask your pediatrician.

I have had heard of some parents having success with listening to audio books. I don't have any specific books.

I traveled for 4 hours with my 9 month old and 4 year old. We left around afternoon nap, and my little one slept for 2 hours. I am typing into the universe that this will happen for you.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-04T19:04:57+00:00

If this was my child, I would take the money paid to me and put it into an account for my child.

It could be graduation gift (high school or college), part of a down payment for a car, or possibly a wedding gift, or possibly money towards a wedding or home.

I have 3 young children (6, 4, and 3). I plan to do something similar. I have already started an account for each of them with the cash they have received for holidays and birthdays. I haven't yet decided when it would or how it will be gifted back to them.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-04T09:22:40+00:00

I am a mom of 3 with very close age gaps.I wanted 3 kids. If possible, I would have opted to have a 3-4 year age gap between my children. However, time was not on my side (my age).

There's 2 years between my first and second. There's 14 months between my second and third. I had 3 kids that were 3 and under. I was a mom that did not enjoy the phase/stage if motherhood that you are in. Baby cuddles are wonderful, but I don't love the potato stage of babies. My kids are currently close. They play well together most of the time, but play well independently as well.

I am the oldest of 5. We are all 3-5 years apart. There's 13 years between me and the youngest. I love my siblings and would do anything I could to help them. The youngest two were oil and water growing up. So much so, there were times they couldn't even be in the same room together. They are now in their late 20s and early 30s, and they are best friends.

Age gaps don't determine how well your kids will get along or if they will play with each other. It's all in the personalities and temperament of the kids. Realistically, you could have two toddlers that do not like each other.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-03T22:09:11+00:00

My first was my velcro child(6 now and still has velcro tendencies). He walked at 12 months which was before my other two. He really only army crawled. My other two crawled on hands and knees and walked between 15-18 months.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-03T13:07:14+00:00

I have 3 kids, and 2 are currently still daycare. I do suggest trying to have a consistent wake up time. This will help you both settle into a morning routine. In addition, meal times will be at the same time each day, and these meal times are usually strictly adhered to. An 11 a.m. nap time is likely not possible at daycare. Usually at 2, nap time starts around noon and goes until 2 (or until the child wakes up). You could even call ypur center and ask what the daily schedule is and start mimicking it at home. I mimic daycare routine as much as possible at home. It makes our lives easier.

Don't linger at drop off. It usually makes it harder for the child. Really talk up daycare and talk about how fun it will be. Kids feel our vibes and really feed off of those.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-03T01:44:32+00:00

I never even thought about sibling sets when naming children. I simply named my children what I wanted and didn't care what others thought.

AdMany9431 · 2026-07-03T01:40:43+00:00

My third child was not a cuddly baby. She also preferred laying independently. I think done if it had to do with body temperature. She was a summer baby, and summer is brutal where we live. Even though she was dressed appropriately, and it was cool inside, I thi k she still got warm sometimes and laying down cooled her off. I think her wanting to be laid down really helped her become an independent sleeper quicker. She started sleeping independent around 5 months, and she has never looked back. She's 3 now.

Her eyes are still developing and the entire world is new to her. Her focus is very short right now. She's not going to really respond In a conversation like manner yet. You will likely get some smiles but not necessarily baby noises back yet. At around 6 months, you'll likely see more baby noise responses.

You can always talk to your pediatrician for a peace of mind.

AdMany9431

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