How difficult is life with 2 or more young kids?

[bump2be]

Can anyone with 2 or more very young kids be honest and tell me how difficult it is? I have one, but we are considering having another baby. To be honest I'm a little terrified about how much work it's going to be! I found the sleepless nights with LO very difficult (he wanted to nurse every 1 1/2hrs), but at least I didn't have a toddler to run around after.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[kc1980]

Lol they dont have time to comment on this!!
I am watching this thread because v interested. Am feeling a little broody again although I swore this baby would be first and last

 

[Hannah]

It's hard work! But not impossible and also very fun. My eldest dotes on her baby sister already and acts like a proper little mummy towards her, giving her a dummy, fetchinge nappies, wipes etc. If she crys she says, 'is alright sister, addy here!' it's too cute!

Obviously I am fairly new at having two but hope this helps. It is much more tiring because you can't sleep when the baby does, my washing machine is permanently on, my house at times looks like a bombsite, but at the end of the day when Addy goes to bed, it is soon tidy again. I have managed to keep on top of all thecleaning, had acooked dinner every night and we go to a group or a decent walk at least once a day.

Even though I am tired, it isn't as hard as I imagined, I think just planning and organising everything helps immensely, so does carrying the baby in a sling so she'll sleep for more than 10 minutes at a time.

Huh!

 

[JASMAK]

I didn't think it was that hard at all. Both your kids can be on the same schedule. They can go to bed at the same time, nap at the same time (eventually) and I have a third now, with a big age gap, thanks to infertility, and it is MUCH harder now because my other two are doing completely different things than Kelana. Naps are hard, because my other two want to do things, but I have to worry about Kelana's naps. It will be much easier to have your children close to the same age...my older two are 20mths apart, and they play the same games, they play with the same toys, sometimes the same friends. If you are changing one diaper, may as well do two!!! I wish all three of mine were closer, but that is life, and it is more difficult now, but def easier when they are young...although, don't get me wrong, still alot of work, but, at least the kids are sort of at the same stages.

 

[Blob]

I also didnt find it bad at all I don't know it's just life, I never thought about it? They entertain each other, fight like mad but its amazing fun and greatly rewarding.

 

[bambino156]

I've been wondering this too. There are times when i'm so exhausted from working f/t and sorting lo out that I wonder how on earth i'd ever cope with a newborn and a toddler! As it is, by midweek the house is a bombsite and the washing is piling up. I'm guessing you just get on with it and adjust accordingly?

 

[bump2be]

Thanks for the replies, ladies! Like bambino156 I just can't imagine adding another baby on top of the craziness we deal with already!

 

[RachA]

I didn't find introducing a second to be that much harder than having a first.

TBH we were fairly blessed to have an easy going second baby who was content to be put down in her baby chair when my eldest needed attention.

I think that it's something that you just deal with when the second one comes along. It's not like you can abandon one so you just work it out.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I've been wondering this too. There are times when i'm so exhausted from working f/t and sorting lo out that I wonder how on earth i'd ever cope with a newborn and a toddler! As it is, by midweek the house is a bombsite and the washing is piling up. I'm guessing you just get on with it and adjust accordingly?

Same here but that's because of work

We're expecting a hard first few weeks / months but I know a few parents with what will be our age gap (2 yrs 9 months) and they say things work very well indeed. Toddler can do a few things for themselves, to help with new baby, and can understand explanations, like about being gentle, having to wait while you do x y or z and are more able to amuse themselves.

2 yrs 4 months between me and my brother and my mum says some days were hard but overall she didn't struggle.

Smaller age gap I know I would struggle with, though.

 

[Baby France]

It is hard work and tiring but its extremely rewarding.

You just get on with it to be honest and it doesn't take long for you to get into a routine. OH and I are like a tag team now and when it comes to stuff, we both work well together.

The kids are in bed for 7.30pm and OH and I have a rule, that while one is bathing the kids, the other is tidying/cleaning downstairs and putting wash etc on. Then when they're in bed we get chance to sit down and drink a hot drink

We're happy with our two and don't plan on having any more but I wouldn't swap the age gap for anything else

 

[JadeEmChar]

I don't find it overly hard. My oldest is 7 and she helps out a lot I'm now having my 3rd and getting my other 2 to help out when they can.

 

[Cattia]

I honestly don't find it that hard, in fact I can't remember what it was like just to have one! The first couple of months were hard going as George had reflux so I couldn't put him down and he wouldn't settle in the evening so it was 24/7 but even then it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Your body just adjusts to the lack of sleep and as long as you keep busy you don't feel too tired. Having a tidy house and keeping on top of all the housework has never been a priority of mine even before I had children ! I just find having two a lot of fun and would like a third.