Getting 3 kids out under the age of 3!

I am new to the board and am sooo excited to have some people to talk to! I am currently the PROUD mother of 3 children, twin (almost) 3 year olds and a 1 year old. I am struggling with taking them out in public places. I have read a few other posts on here, but was wondering your experience. I will note that I have 2 fractures in my back that are making my life a little harder right now. I would love to take the kids to church, store anywhere. BUT i am terrified of them running out in the road while i am trying to get the others ?What do you guys do? How do you make 3 kids behave that barely understand? I dont want to keep them all cooped up but I cant even take them to the park or church! NEED HELP!! LOL!

 

Welcome to the board!! I'm so sorry about your back, that's definitely going to make things harder! I have a 2.5 yr old and twin newborns, but in a similar situation to you!

I started taking my youngest 3 out when the twins were 3 months old. I put them in the double stroller and let my 2.5 yr old walk alongside, holding the side of the stroller. I'd go grocery shopping every week with them.

Have you seen the child harness's, or "leashes"?? My suggestion would be to put your 1 yr old in a single stroller, or in a double stroller with 1 twin, and use a leash for the other twin. I have leashes for my twins and I use them when I need to, it keeps them close but allows me freedom with my hands.

 

I am very interested to hear responses to your question because we are completely in the same boat.. My girls just turned 2 last week and we have an 8 month old... Never have the guts to leave the house on my own!

 

Hello and welcome to the forum!!

My twins are 17 months older than their little brother so we were in the 3 under 3 stage for a while (twins are 3 and little brother is 22 months). Getting out of the house with them is definitely tough and I don't do it very often, but it did get a tiny bit easier as the twins approached 3 years old. I have the Step2 Choo Choo Wagon with 3 carts for strolls around the neighborhood and we play in the yard a lot (we have a great swing set that they love). Luckily, we live on a cul-de-sac street with little traffic so we sometimes ride our bikes in the street during the day. I did take them to the park ONCE alone and my nerves were shot after 10 minutes... never did that again! And I have never taken all 3 to church alone... NO WAY... my husband is always there. If I have to get them away from the house, we go to Sam's Club because they have 2 front seats in their carts and I put the other child in the basket of the cart. Same thing grocery shopping, but I only do that if I have only a few things to pick up. (I always park next to a shopping cart return so I can just grab a cart and put them directly into it in the parking lot.) A few months before my twins turned 3, I bought these Hold On Handles that attach to the stroller. They are only handles and do not "attach" to the twins anyway so there is a chance that they could run off, but my twins like holding the handles and walk next to the double stroller. I really like them and I have gotten to the mall a few times using these. With any trip, I always talk about the rules before we even get out of the car. It is a lot of work and it is exhausting, but sometimes it's worth it for sanity's sake!!!!!

 

I would totally use the double stroller for the baby and one of the twins, and use a leash for the other twin, or the handles.

 

Those handles look awesome and are very tempting to me. My duo don't like the stroller anymore, but trying to juggle holding both their hands, and my 5 yr old wants to hold my hand, I have a diaper bag or small purse, keys, cell phone....etc etc etc. I wonder if my kiddo's would use them still.....

 

We use handles and a single-snap-and-go and it works AWESOME for us!
my boys are pretty good when we go out! they ALWAYS hold onto the handles and we discuss it before we even get out of the car.

 

My twins will be 3 in June and the baby is 6 months old. The twins still like being in their stroller or wagon so my solution has always been to put the baby in a wrap/sling/carrier and push the twins. I avoid places like the grocery store because they would run off and I definitely avoid church, but we have gone to the park (as long as the playground is enclosed), the play place at the mall, the zoo, and my husband takes all three to the twins' gymnastics class. The more you do it, the easier it gets.

 

Welcome to the forum! We have 3 year old twins and a 2 year old. Once the twins preferred to walk - around 2 1/2 - i would put our youngest in a single stroller
or in the buggy at a store and let the twins walk holding on to the buggy. We use the buddy system in parking lots - everyone has to be holding a hand and then we all walk in a long line together. We talk nonstop about not running away, running out in the street, running away in the store, etc. I keep it simple, but you can always tell you kids that cars are big and fast and can really hurt them if they get hit. I don't sound like a broken record player like I used to, but I still remind them before we get out of the car or play in the front yard. Like some others mentioned, we come up with our "game plan" before we go in a store so they know what to expect.

As far as things to do, do you have a target near you? Most targets have awesome triple buggies. Some days I'd push them and drink coffee and just browse. We also find places that do free play (kid gym, bouncy house places, there's a kid science center here) for a small fee. A lot of those type places have toddler areas where they can run and play in a safe area. We joined the ymca last fall and that has been so great for our family. The kids go to child watch while I work out for an hour or so. They socialize and have fun and DH and I get a break too. I'll be honest, sometimes our outings are a disaster and sometimes they are smooth as can be. I just keep taking them out, telling them what I expect, and trying to make it as much fun as possible. It does get easier with time, promise!

 

My twins were two and a half when my baby was born. they are now three and a half and he's one. It's a little bigger age difference but I'll tell you what works for us.. when we go for walks, the baby goes in the stoller, and they hold on to the stroller, and I put my hand over each of theirs so It's like I'm holding their hands and they are helping to push the stroller.
You can drive to a park, put the baby in the stroller and walk in the park like this, pick one that's small and fenced in so they can't run too far away, and discuss with them before hand how they need to listen when you say it's time to go (this can be tricky for us, as when it's time to go, one of them often runs away or doesn't listen, but when they do listen, I praise them a lot). You can go to a park with swings if the twins liked to be pushed a lot, and keep the baby in the stroller watching, fresh air is good for them even if they aren't running around the whole time.
You can go to a grocery store, and have them help push the shopping cart with the baby in the cart - or have them both sit in the big section with the baby in the front , only for a few things - but you can't go with the goal being to shop, it has to be more just for the activity of getting out with them.
the library is another idea, just take the stroller for the baby, and if there is a play area you can take the baby out, with the option of putting him/her back in if you need to start chasing the twins. you can also try making play dates, inviting people to your house, as a change of scenery/activity for your kids.

 

I don't even attempt it yet and my littlest isn't walking yet. I would say either bring another adult with you or take them out of the car one at a time and put them directly into a stroller(s) so no one is loose. You're a brave woman for even considering this on your own. I think the most I'll attempt with all 3 by myself (until they fully understand not to run off) is a walk where they're all restrained and if someone has a melt down, I don't have people staring at me like I'm crazy ;-)!

 

I started getting my kids out of the house a lot when my twins were 3 mos old. I hate to sit around the house! Some outings go great and some go terribly. I had my #3 when the twins were 2.5. I wish, wish, wish I had gotten a triplet stroller. I searched craigslist but never found one that was what I wanted (wanted a side by side by side) and the new ones were so pricey and I didn't know how long I would get use out of it. Let me tell ya, I can think of 100's of times I would have used it! I would probably still use it a lot! What I did, since I didn't have the stroller was (for walks or walking them to the park) put the twins in the wagon and the baby in a push car ... or the twins in a double with baby in the bjorn or sling (which may be out of the question for you right now) ... for the store, I would not take all 3 if I had to do major shopping but I would put baby in the cart and one twin in the basket of the cart and carry one ... I think I did tons of carrying ... man, that is rough with the back fracture ... sounds like JUST what you need right now . My girls are so used to me taking them out and about and out to eat by myself that they just seem to know that they have to behave. My twins are pretty calm girls, fortunately bc my 2 yo is hell on wheels . gotta love her though ... just keep trying things and keep taking them ... you will figure out what works the best for you. Again, not every outing goes well for me still ... but it seems that slowly the scale is tipping to mostly good these days ... good luck and try not to sweat it if someone has a freak out ... happens to me all the time and it makes me crazy so I know it is hard advice to follow but just let them learn they have to behave or they don't get to go have fun