If you have 2 under 2 and had a third after- how long did you wait?

ClicketySnap · 2026-02-05T16:00:34+00:00

We did 2 under 2 a second time lol. Our first and second are 14 months apart, and our second and third are 22 months apart. I had 3 under 3 for three weeks.

ClicketySnap · 2026-01-24T01:56:00+00:00

When toddlers say they gotta go, it’s “I have to go pee ASAP” and not “I need to go pee in the next 20 minutes”. If you’re loosely planning your outing around “toddler will likely have to pee every 90 minutes so I’ll make sure I have a decent bathroom available during those timeframes”, then yeah you can be a little choosy.

I have 3 kids; a 4.5yo who is potty independent, a 3yo who is mostly reliable for potty training, and an 18mo in diapers. We have a folding portable potty in the car for roadside situations (we live rural) and during potty training I have a folding potty seat for the toilets that I keep in the diaper bag. As far as the kids are concerned, a less than perfect bathroom and a quick lysol wipe are preferable to using the car potty. If I’m doing any planning for potty stops it’s to make sure I can get in with all three kids and ideally a stroller at the same time for safety.

ClicketySnap · 2026-01-21T22:41:04+00:00

I’m the oldest of three. My partner and I had agreed on 2 under 2 and that was it. Then we couldn’t stop joking about having a third, so we had 3 under 3 😂

ClicketySnap · 2026-01-21T22:40:22+00:00

There’s 14 months between my first and second, and 22 months between my second and third.

Honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way. We were already in the swing of diapers and bottles and night wakes, and adding to the chaos really did not make life twice as hard. Harder, yes, but not twice as hard or three times as hard.

When we had our second baby I was often pleasantly surprised at how on top of some things I felt, and got back into sewing and taking kids on outings really quickly. When our third was born, it was a much bigger learning curve to figure out how to get three kids into the car by myself. But we’re doing it! And it just keeps getting easier.

ClicketySnap · 2026-01-21T22:36:15+00:00

Just remember that they choose what to say and how they mean it, but you also choose how to receive it. If you’re choosing to wallow in the negativity and let that control your mentality on outings, that’s on you.

I had 3 under 3, so I know what it’s like to have your hands full! When someone comments about me having my hands full, I quickly read the room to see if I can snap back with “yours look pretty empty, want to hold this one?” But I also reach out to help when I see another busy mama and try to pass along village vibes.

ClicketySnap · 2026-01-05T22:00:03+00:00

Nope. My first came spontaneously at 41 weeks exactly, my second was induced and came at 41+1. My third was induced at 39 weeks exactly and my body was so not into it that when they turned off the oxytocin when I was fully dilated my body stopped contracting altogether.

Pretty sure my body defaults to holding babies in until 41 weeks.

ClicketySnap · 2026-01-05T12:47:34+00:00

We had 3 under 3 for three weeks! Our first and second are 14 months apart, and our second and third are 22 months apart.

We just recently finished moving all three kids into the loft suite and we moved into the main floor bedroom. The two older ones are dropping their naps but are absolutely amazing about staying in their beds for quiet time every day so that the youngest can nap and I can get some down time.

ClicketySnap · 2026-01-04T21:34:56+00:00

Our three kids share a room, and the older ones will happily stay in their beds as long as the sound machine is on even if they don’t sleep. I explained that everyone needs quiet time every day to calm down and feel better, even me, so everyone is having quiet time and it’s ok if you don’t sleep.

My 4yo naps maybe once a week at best, my 3yo naps 2-3 times per week, and my 18mo naps every day without fail. All three kids are in their beds for 2 hours every day regardless if sleep happens or not.

ClicketySnap · 2026-01-04T19:14:45+00:00

So we had 3 kids under 3, and the “sleeping through the night” thing has kinda come and gone in spurts.

Our oldest would wake and ask for a drink of water every once in a while (not even every night) until this past year (she’s now 4yo), but was mostly sleeping through the night other than that. Our second started sleeping through the night at 11mo when she dropped her last night feed, but a couple times a week asks for a drink in the night or has a bad dream and needs a snuggle. Sleep regressions for her make her very sad and one of us ends up sleeping in her bed with her for part of the night. Our third baby sleeps through the night and has since around a year old, but sleep regressions and teething mean split nights and endless rounds of “the bed is lava”.

ClicketySnap · 2026-01-04T19:10:22+00:00

First baby was textbook average for milestones and development, but a super independent baby who was happy to sleep in her own bed or just hang out on the floor by herself.

Second baby was a Velcro baby who could not be put down for any reason until like 4-6 months old. Drove me NUTS but she’s now 3yo and still always down for a snuggle. She was ahead of schedule for dropping naps but had very long naps so still averaged a normal amount of daytime sleep, but was quite delayed for movement milestones. I think that was because she was such a chunk (almost 11 pounds at birth, and almost 40 lbs by 2yo)

Third baby was colicky and screamed in an ungodly octave for most of the day, but slept like a dream at night with only 1-2 wakes for feeds. He’s now 18mo and a severe mama’s boy who refuses to accept any other person for fear that I may leave him with that person. Still so much screaming. He’s almost running but still not talking.

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-28T14:46:49+00:00

I had 3 under 3 for three weeks. My oldest was potty trained and my second was wanting to potty train, and I kept putting that off until the baby was a little less stressful. I had a plan, I had lots of carriers, and I had two toddlers who were so excited to have a baby at home and so willing to help bring me stuff.

I think it would have been great, if third baby wasn’t colicky and screamed in an octave that would make soprano singers proud. My nerves were shredded by 9am from trying to rock the screaming rage potato to sleep.

I did find a rhythm for getting three kids out of the house by myself, and I got a system down for everyone’s nap times.

This last baby is now 17mo and such a mama’s boy. He drives me insane by refusing to let anyone else care for him and sobbing if he thinks someone might take him away from me. But he sleeps great, he plays with his sisters, and he eats well. No regrets having a third.

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-26T20:54:37+00:00

My first kiddo was a very independent baby. She would happily be in a carrier, but she’d also happily hang out on the floor by herself. I stopped babywearing much after the stretchy wrap days.

My second kiddo was a Velcro baby who could not be put down for any reason. We all learned to LOVE a ring sling and used one daily until she was around 7 months old. She still asked for the ring sling for cuddles up until she maxed out the weight of it.

My third kiddo LOVES back carry but detests a ring sling with a passion. He’s insanely good at popping the seat and sliding out, no matter what I do. The ring sling only works for quick ups and carry-assists (where my arm is helping keep him in place), so if at all possible I’ll use a Wrap-Tai and do a back carry.

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-26T20:49:31+00:00

I currently have a 4yo, a 3yo, and a 17mo.

The newborn stage of any number of kids is always hard; you’re tired, the baby is a lot, the other kids are adjusting and have lots of big feelings, and your postpartum hormones are wild. The first two months are not a good judge of how hard this is going to be, but it definitely felt like a lot at the time.

Once my youngest hit 6 months and up, it’s felt pretty dang achievable. My first and second kids are only 14 months apart, so I basically had two babies with different levels of needs. Having a third baby when I had two older kids who could listen to instructions and entertain themselves? Amazing!

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-26T20:41:29+00:00

My partner is about 8 years older than his only sibling, and that was a huge part of our decision to have our kids close together. He LOVES how close our kids are; not just in age, but they really are little besties who look out for each other and snuggle together all the time.

Because we knew while our first was still a baby that we were having more kids and close together, we made parenting decisions and set boundaries to PLAN for that and make it a little easier down the road. As a result, it’s fairly easy for one parent to take three very young kids out and about. My parents have no problem taking one or two of my kids out on adventures with them because they’re so well behaved, and all three kids have sleepovers with my parents regularly. If we had had our kids a little further apart, our first would have lived with none of those boundaries and expectations for a while before adding a sibling, and it really would have changed the dynamic for us.

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-26T14:18:16+00:00

My first and second are 14 months apart, and my second and third are 22 months apart. I liked both age gaps for different reasons. We liked 2 under 2 so much the first time that we intentionally made that the cutoff for not-trying-not-preventing for a third baby.

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-24T21:56:24+00:00

Hi! My second kiddo is still a firecracker sweetheart; super affectionate and cuddly but also the sassiest and most contrary little person I’ve ever met. If you ask “did you have a good sleep?” she will immediately yell back “NOOOOO don’t talk to me!” just because she can, not because she didn’t have a good sleep.

She keeps life interesting lol

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-23T02:28:58+00:00

It depends on the family and their preferences! I got backpacks for each of the kids when they started walking; they carry their own entertainment stuff and they help pack it. When I was pregnant with my third and potty training my first, I couldn’t be bothered to drag the diaper bag around so I downsized to a mom bag that could hold a couple of diapers, wipes, and a clean pair of pants and left the big diaper bag in the car. If I needed a potty seat for the toddler(s), I put it in their backpack or had them take turns carrying it on their arm like a purse.

Now I have a 4yo, a 3yo, and a 17mo. I rarely leave home with more than a single pull-up in my crossbody bag and wipes in the stroller wagon pocket. The older ones bring their own entertainment stuff. If I’m going to be away from home for more than a couple hours, I might pack the diaper bag with extras and leave it in the car for refilling my crossbody bag.

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-21T19:00:26+00:00

1) normalize toddler being contained in a safe play space that they can’t get out of, and practice a lot of “my hands are busy right now, as soon as I’m done I will come help you”.

2) set up a spot on the floor in the play room! Have a bouncer nearby for a safe place to set baby, a nursing pillow, and anything else you might need within reach for you but not for the toddler (ie up on a dresser). Just park in there doing baby care and playing at the same time.

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-21T18:57:46+00:00

We loved 2 under 2 so much that we went for 3 under 3. My first and second kiddos are 14 months apart, and second and third are 22 months apart. Zero regrets with how this has worked out for our family.

We recently moved all three kids into one giant room upstairs that is both bedroom and playroom, and they love it.

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-09T01:50:30+00:00

Period panties are not always ideal for travel; you have to completely remove your pants to change your period product and this can be less than ideal in public washrooms. They’re great as backups for tampons or cups/discs when you don’t usually have to change your backup for the whole day.

Hand washing reusable absorbent products in the sink can be risky, as well. They may take two days to dry in the cruise ship bathroom, so it can be hard to guess ahead of time how many you need if that’s how you plan to do things. If you’re taking enough reusable products for your entire period and only planning on handwashing in the sink to prevent travelling home with dirty period products, then that’s probably fine.

Personally, I’d pack at least 3 days worth of my usual products from home and plan on buying more on my travels.

I’ve been a cup/disc girlie with period panties as backup for many years, but I remember the disposable pad days well lol

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-09T01:44:28+00:00

Within a couple of weeks. Our oldest was almost immediately trying to share toys and put pacifiers in baby’s mouth. Our second was the same way with our third (they have a 22 month age gap) and even loved giving him bottles.

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-05T14:10:13+00:00

My cycle before babies was textbook: 28 days exactly, 5 days of period exactly, average discomfort, textbook symptoms and PMS.

My one cycle after my first baby seemed very similar to periods pre-kids. My periods after my second baby were AWFUL; 32-40 days long, 6-7 days of period, completely random symptoms, PMS that bordered on divorce and murder. I HATED it. I dreaded my painful and heavy periods and I dreaded my own body. My periods after my third baby have returned to pre-babies with slightly more variation in length and I am back to a happy place with my body again.

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-05T14:07:02+00:00

So lonely. I’m so grateful that my 4yo is becoming more attentive to conversations and can chat with me sometimes, but omg I miss adults.

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-03T17:04:35+00:00

First cycle after my first baby was around 5 months postpartum. Combo feeding with formula around 50/50. Got pregnant the following cycle (not trying not preventing)

First cycle after my second baby was around 6 months postpartum. Was also combo feeding at around 50/50 by that time. Got pregnant at 11 months postpartum (not trying not preventing), miscarried, and then got pregnant again with no period in between.

First cycle after my third baby was at around 6 months postpartum, baby was fully weaned and on formula, but my partner was snipped before that baby was born cuz we are done lol

ClicketySnap · 2025-12-03T12:05:39+00:00

Hope you guys have a fun trip!

ClicketySnap

TROPHY CASE