Motherhood with 3 little ones can be challenging and well exhausting! I am 5 months in with having 3 little guys ages 4, 2 and well 5 months. Although I can say that I am exhausted, I do truly love the chaos that it brings. Since I am someone who is very organized, I have a lot of calendars and reminders going on in my day to day schedule to make sure that I don’t miss out on anything. Because let me tell you, it is very EASY to forget something so simple with 3.
Here are some great tips that have been helping me navigate this journey.
Organize and Plan Ahead wether it be activities, routines, meal prep, nap time i try to establish a consistent daily routine to help structure and reduce chaos. Does it work everyone day, HELL NO, but it does help.
Meal Prep and Planning: this is something I HIGHLY recommend and live by. My meal prep and daily meal calendars, from snacks to dinner really reduce the stress that comes with the question we always ask ourselves.“what shall I cook tonight”.
Shared Calendar: I have a family calendar that is hung on my wall to keep track of appointments, school events, and activities.
Involving my kids: my kids do go to daycare but when they are home, which is more then they actually attend, I love to teach them age-appropriate chores such as picking up after themselves, helping me clean the house (vacuum, clean windows, tidy up the rooms, laundry) again I do not make them actually do the work but they assist and we make it fun.
Encourage Independence: I make sure to let my kids to have their alone to be able to entertain and enjoy their own company, wether it be playing with a toy using their imagination, reading a book, playing with each other basically making their own fun.
One-on-One Time: this is something that I am working on, because right now it is a bit hard but I try to make one on one time with each child. So when the baby sleeps me and my two other sons do any activity together, wether it be play, cook, bake, color, go outside on the balcony whatever they want. During the day I try to integrate each child in different stuff I am doing to have that 10-15 minutes of alone time.
Managing Sibling Dynamics: this is a BIG one both my kids are very close in age, which means ALOT of fighting so I have to come up with very CREATIVE problem-solving solutions for them to not fight over the SAME toy all the time. Sometimes it leads to no one playing with the toy at all and other times we compromise. It also teaches them that sharing has its benefits.
Self-Care and Support System: Let’s not forget to take care of ourselves. Sometimes when it gets to much, I let my partner know that today was a bad day and I NEED a minute, wether I go to the pharmacy, quick walk, grocery store or take a LONG shower, it works and helps. We all need it. I love my children to DEATH and would not change anything in the world but sometimes you just need that hour or two to breath and relax.
Simplify and Be Flexible: Yes, I am a true believer of routine and calendars and schedules but there are those days that I throw that book out the door and WING it. Sometimes, the routine needs a little change and the rules need to be altered and that’s ok.
With all these little things on my mind, does having 3 kids so close in age make life hectic, HELL YA! does it make it worth it HELL YA! So even though there are rough days and tired days I know that I will forever be grateful to have all 3 little boys around me all the time.
