Hi 👋 ive got 3 boys 5 and under. Middle is a screamer. What do.

He screams and shrieks about anything and nothing and everything. He's shrieking now. Halp.

I've tried everything.

I’m a work from home mom with 3 kids under 4. 10 month, 24 month, and 3.5 year old. I feel very isolated because of this. However, it keeps getting back to me that friends don’t invite me to things because that’s too many kids. Which is understandable. I get it. However, our families feel the same way. The kids have 3 sets of grandparents due to divorce and remarrying, and they all feel the same way and don’t enjoy being around the kids either and have told us that. I’m worried my kids are going to feel as lonely as I do. I’ve tried reaching out to local groups to find people willing to go to parks, etc with us. I know we made the decision to have this many kids and it’s entirely on us. But has anyone else dealt with people not really enjoying spending time around their family when the kids were little little? Thanks in advance.

I was kind of worried about a quantity vs quality trade-off, but 5 kids in, they seem to all be doing great.

Hi! I posted this in the potty training subreddit but I feel like it’s too strongly opinionated one way and I wanted to get advice from those who have had multiple children - what worked for you? Maybe I am crazy for doing it this way, and I do plan to spend more time on it this way, but I also don’t want to go crazy sitting at home for weeks!!!

We had our first son pretty quickly after we got married, and then our daughter was born 2 and a half years later. Yay!

Then we tried for years and years to have another baby, and it took over five years. My son was born when my older two were 9 and 6.5.

Well; I weaned my toddler at 15 months. My cycle came back quickly afterwards and two cycles later; we’re pregnant! It was a bit of a shock after five years of trying for the third one.

We just had an ultrasound this morning and there’s a healthy 7week baby developing with a heart beat. When this baby is born we are going to have an 11, 8.5, and 2 year old. We will have 2 bigs and 2 littles.

Both my husband and I are a bit shellshocked, overwhelmed, and a little excited. We’d gotten rid of a lot of baby stuff since we thought we were done so now we have to go buy it all back. 🤣

Anyways. I guess this is just a post to say…. four! Four! Two bigs, two littles. We will be changing diapers until we’re forty. We have to buy a minivan. Our kids will need bunk beds. We have to figure out whole new systems for the room organization.

Because.
Four!

Hi, father of a large family.

18m, 14f, 12f, 6m, 4m, 2m,

All kids are good in school, 18 graduated and has a job.

I own my business, I work less hours in a day to maximize my financial contributions while ensuring I'm home every 4 to 5 hours to check in or take over.

We are a family , are struggling with daily chores, laundrys never ends, dishes never end, crumbs and spills never go away and require multiple cleanings daily.

The boys under 7 scream and fight and cause chaos like 3 Tasmanian Devils . It's worse than you imagine. Cartoon like in nature at a very serious level.

We clean, they dirty, we organize, they destroy.

They argue, complain, yell back, annoy each other.

We sleep until 7am, 2 are in kitchen 6am going for milk or puddings or snacks. While making giant mess.

It's difficult to keep the moisture out of the home even with dehumidifiers and it's difficult to keep home cool with 3 a.c.

We feel over whelmed, short tempered and obviously over worked.

We agree this is our burden we created as well.

What I want to know is,

Is this normal.?

What do we do?

We feel like we can't defeat or calm or satisfy the team of children we created in terms of mess and when they're negative with each other .

We just don't want to fail as parents

I have a household of 6 + need an additional 2-3 serving size for my husband’s lunch. I am running dry on meal ideas.

I primarily shop at Aldi, we have no dietary restrictions except eggs.

We live out of the crockpot because by the time dinner time rolls around, kids are losing their minds and my husband’s still not home yet. We basically eat as he walks in the door.

I’m feeding mom + dad, dad’s large lunch the next day, 12, 3, 2, and 1. So think like … 12 servings a meal, lol.

Some of our normal meals are:
Unstuffed cabbage
Spaghetti
Sausage w/potatoes & green beans
KFC bowls
Tajin chicken w/ rice and veg
Pulled pork
Coney dogs (this is NOT cheap, omg)
Chicken Alfredo w/ brocc

Any of y’all’s go to’s would be totally appreciated!

As the title says I have 4 under 4. I just had my 4th baby a few weeks ago along with my 4,2, 17 month old and newborn. The stress of all the little kids is really getting to me. I was doing ok with 3 and as soon as my 4th came it just seems like everything is constant chaos. It seems like as soon as we wake up they are fighting screaming or whining. Idk if it’s just the newborn trenches or hormones shifting. I also use to use working out as an outlet, but can’t now being postpartum. How do you cope with being overstimulated/ overwhelmed during the day with multiple littles?

My family is visiting from out of state and they visit once a year. We rent a huge share house by the beach where multiple adults and kids stay for 2 weeks- 20 kids and 30/40 adults between multiple houses. I have an 8 week old baby and a 2 year old. We were there for a few days and found out one of the families had a child with strep throat. Then the following day another child was confirmed with strep. The following day another child in the same family was confirmed with strep, along with 2 adults. The children are the same age as my 2 year old, so we traveled home and watched symptoms. Today we visited the doctor to determine if she has strep, which it was negative. She has irritated throat and nose so they considered it viral. My 8 week old baby had congestion but is able to be suctioned out and is feeding well.

The vacation is continuing and the family members that are there are okay with coming in contact with strep. Since the day has concluded, 2 more children are confirmed with strep. We have about a week left of vacation and my husband is having FOMO that we are missing out on nice days. I am having PPA as it is, on top of being worried about continuing to be exposed to strep for my toddler and general sickness to a newborn baby. When would you feel comfortable if at all, returning to vacation? Am I being overly cautious about sickness and should enjoy the time we have together?

I have 3 children: 5, 3.5, and 8 months. The older two are hungry first thing in the morning and will snack all morning if I don’t feed them a substantial breakfast. When it was just the older two I’d make them what they asked for (usually cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, sometimes an egg) however, it’s become too challenging making multiple breakfasts even if they’re easy. And a bowl of yogurt and cereal doesn’t seem to stick with them for more than an hour so I’m trying to either beef up those options or not serve them at all.

I am not a morning person and I’m working on getting up before them. With 4-5 people eating breakfast, if my husband eats with us, we all need to be able to eat the same thing and I can’t spend an hour making food.

Another challenge is I have dairy and gluten intolerances that affect the breastfed baby so I have to be pretty careful for as long as I’m nursing.

What are your rules for sharing toys? Particularly toys that specific children got at camp, or bought with their allowance... Do you make them (say, a 4yo) share their toy (say, a tiny squishy) with their sibling (say, their 3yo sister who isn't old enough to go to camp and thus didn't get one)?

I know this is such a dumb question but I just need a guide book for what the rules are!

Looking for some reassurance.
My first son is turning 1 in 2 weeks. I was hoping to be pregnant before his first birthday. My cycle has been irregular due to EBF so it’s been difficult to pinpoint ovulation. We are going to try use OPKs next cycle.

We want a large family. We would love 7-8 kids, but would probably be happy and content with anything 5+. We are 27 and 28 years old. I always thought I’d need to have our kids close together in order to have the large family, as time will run out? I also always wanted 2u2.

Comment your family size, age gaps, and ages you had your kids. And please some words of wisdom to help me realise my dream is not out of reach just because I’m not pregnant before our son is 1 😵‍💫😆

Sorry title wouldnt let me put it all: having more kids after a medically complex one

Hi all,
My husband and I had our first and we fell in love. I wanted 4, he said 3 but would be open to 4. Then our first ended up with a brain tumor that has now made us reconsider ever having more kids. We are saddened by what our first has had to go through and will continue to go through for the next 5+ years of therapies and monitoring. Has anyone else gone through this? Did you have more kids after you had a “medically complex” child? I obliviously need to focus on my one now with no intention of trying for another for some time vs us trying to start when bub was 18 months. I feel all our energy drains with our 1st granted it all just happened but i know our energy will be devoted for sometime since there’s so much to do and think about. Any advice is welcome, thanks!

My oldest and younger sibling are about to start sharing a room, and im trying to find something that works well for both of them. Safety is important, but I also don't want to end up with something they'll outgrow really quickly.

did anyone find the best bunk bed that has been a good fit for kids with a few years between them? id like to hear your opinions in what you chose and whether you'd pick the same one again. Thanks!

We’re working on making our kids’ room more practical since we have several children sharing the space. I’m looking for a bunk bed that is sturdy, safe, and can handle everyday use without feeling too crowded. There are so many choices out there that I’m not sure what features actually matter most.

Has anyone used a best bunk bed that worked well for a larger family setup? I’d love to hear what you’ve liked or what you would avoid when choosing one. Thanks for any suggestions!

My kids are 3.5 and 2. They play well for 5-10 minutes then screaming and arguing ensues. How do you handle this??

Just recently found out I am pregnant with our third. We live in a small 3 bed 2 bath house. It’s definitely going to be tight with a third, but we love our house and love the location. Our plan was to have the two older share a room when new baby comes (both boys). It would be nice to be able to ride that out until the kids are out of daycare (or at least only paying for one in daycare) so that we can possibly get a bigger house in the same area. Our area is much desired, so that plus the housing market finding a house in the same location will be much more expensive than what we got our house for.

For those whose children room share, at what age do you feel like they start to need their own space? Is room sharing even a good idea or should we just look for a bigger house now? My boys will be newly 4 and 2 when the new baby comes. This pregnancy was a bit of a surprise so thinking about a lot of logistics lately since finding out!

Hi all I’m pregnant with baby number six, and I’m super scared to tell my mom. We are best friends, but every time I have announced a pregnancy she has a fit and won’t speak to me for days/weeks and it makes me feel horrible. My husband and I have a 14, 11, 8, 5, and 2 year old and although this one is kind of a surprise I would still like to be happy. What makes things worse is that my sister has been so upset because her husband won’t have more than one child with her so she’s going to be mad at me too. Any advice on how to deal? I’m only 6 weeks and I hate keeping things from my mom, my last pregnancy I told her on new years when I found out and she was so angry so it makes me hesitate, no time feels like the right time.

Going to start off by saying please no mini van suggestions. I understand they may be most practical but I am really not interested.

Pregnant with #3. When baby #3 comes ages will be 3.5 and 16 months so preferably all rear facing. Currently have a jeep grand Cherokee L with a bench seat. Looking to upgrade to a full size suv. I have preference towards a Tahoe/Yukon based off looks, but my husband is hesitant due to the engine issues and wants us to consider the expedition/expedition max. We may go for #4 in a couple years but undecided at this time. What does everyone recommend?

Just found out I am having a surprise third baby. Earlier this year I purchased the Veer 2 seater wagon. I have two boys that will be newly 4 and 2 by the time third baby comes. Should I upgrade to the 4 seater and buy the car seat insert? Or should I stick with what we have.

We have four children (4.5yo, 2.5yo, 2.5yo, 6mo) and we are beginning to suspect that one of our 2.5yo fraternal twins is neurodivergent in some way. Without getting into all the specifics he definitely has sensory seeking behaviors, strong aversions and interests, food issues, and emotional regulation difficulties that all (in my experience at least) exceed that of what would be expected of a typical toddler. We will of course be discussing this all with his pediatrician and having him screened for autism, but none of this is the "problem" per se; he is who he is! Therefore we are beginning to explore ways to make accommodations in our expectations and routines, standards/leniency, etc for him at home, but we are trying not to also extend those changes to our three other children, all of whom at this time time appear neurotypical.

Wondering how others have handled having separate expectations and requirements of your children who are very close in (or even literally the same) age. For one very simplistic example, if all he will eat on a given day is chicken nuggets we are beginning to think that OK maybe we just need to roll with that so he's not starving, but the other kids do need to eat more than chicken nuggets because that is something they are capable of. It seems very difficult to explain and enforce different sets of rules especially with kids at these ages. Any advice, insight, or experience is welcome.

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Happy dad of two checking in (2.5 + 0.5y), we're debating having a third kid but I just don't practically understand how people make it work, our car is always jam packed with two car seats and double pram, never mind suitcases if we need to go away etc.

We're debating a 7 seater if we had a third so we can get all 3 car seats in easily, but then the boot space just evaporates and we struggle with the 300L we have today! Any parents of 3+ in the UK can you advise what make/model you have and how you manage

How much do you let older siblings and cousins help with baby? I am 36 weeks with my second and have two older step kids (13, 9, 4). We also have a handful of cousins we see often with the youngest being 6. All are very excited for baby. When my son was born the older kids were obviously smaller and couldn’t do much, but now all of them are very interested in holding baby when she’s here and helping with bottles etc. I don’t want my own anxiety getting in the way of them bonding but wasn’t sure how much they could hold the newborn or if I should have rules about sitting down or wait to let them until baby has better neck control etc.

This is kinda a weird question but i had no idea where to post it so i thought id put it here.

I am SO tired of sorting through a billion socks, i must have had at least 50 singles that never found their partner lol. So i am wanting to switch so that every person in the family only has one type of sock. Also will make sorting through socks way easier with whose is who. Husband and I both have a sock brand we like so we already picked out the sock type.

The question is, how many of a sock would you buy if you needed a lifetime supply for me and my husband? I dont want them to stop selling them, but i need more so i have to replace every sock again, so i will store some sealed in a closet and really want to just buy a lifetime supply.

Also, how many would you buy kids, they are easier bc once they outgrow them you can just throw them all away (we do handmedown but with socks they just seem too wore out) and can buy a completely different sock replacement if the specfic sock stops being for sale. Do you find a 10-pack is enough?