those of you who had/have 3 under 2 years...how did you do it?

I am a SAHM and I feel so overwhelmed! If I focus on one part of the house and keeping it clean/picked up the others are a mess. I love spending time with my kiddos but I am selfish and want "me time" too! I know in a few years it won't be so bad but I need some coping mechanisms until then...any advise? (we can't afford to have our house cleaned)

 

It gets better and easier everyday!! The only thing I can say is organize and schedule everything!!

Assign different chores to different days of the week, so on Mondays vacuum or Tuesdays clean bathrooms, etc. That way the important stuff gets done, but you don't feel like you have to clean all day.

Put toys that have lots of parts and pieces into bins the kids can't open and only take them out when all other toys are away and you have a few minutes to play with them. While you are at it, put half of your toys away. The kids won't even notice!!

Schedule an hour or two each week to do something without the kids. It doesn't sound like much, but it feels great and you can build it up as time goes on.

All kids must nap at the same time. Do whatever you can to make this happen!!

Cook double meals and freeze one. This is one of my favorite tricks. I also use my crock pot as much as possible.

 

My DD was 20 months when my twins were born so my situation was the reverse of yours. I agree with the previous poster -- once I got all three to take a nap at the same time, things improved immensely. However, that didn't happen until my twins were 9 months old. The other thing that kept me sane was taking them out somewhere everyday, regardless of the weather etc. I started taking the twins out when they were two months old, and they would have to tag along to story hour, music class, playgroups etc. I tried. to be respectful of naptimes, but doing something for the older one gave her a chance to burn energy, get a change of scenery etc. and my little ones are extremely flexible babies.


I have learned to let a lot go, but I always throw laundry in the wash in the morning and clean up my kitchen as best as possible after every meal. Then, DH has to pitch in when he gets home from work and he does. Also, I get up at 5:30AM to shower and organize breakfast before everyone wakes up.

It got easier for me when the twins were 9months. However, my older DD is a pretty easygoing kid.
Hope that helps!
Beth

 

If my twinnies are born before my eldest birthday, (as predicted) there will be a few days where I will have 4 children 3 and under! So thanks for asking the question, I need the answers too!

 

It does get easier. You will survive.

I agree that you are going to have to learn to let some things go but you are also going to have to get help from your partner. Honestly there is no way I could have made it through without my DH taking on as much as he did even though he was working FT outside the home.

I also got some help once a week from a friend from Church. She would come and do laundry, dishes or something else that I really needed catching up on.

It does get better

 

I'm not a SAHM but I have a couple of "tricks." First, my DH has to help! That is a must.

Second, I put up about 1/2 the boys toys and they never noticed. That way I rotate them and they think they are new. I also, like a pp, keep things with lots of parts (legos, clippos, blocks) away and only bring those out for supervised play so I can make sure they are played with, stay where they should, and get put up.

Third, I make clean up time a family event. I do most of the house cleaning on the weekends, and the boys like to help me dust, vacuum, etc so I give them their own cloth and let them help. They push their corn popper toys around when I vacuum. They like to "help" fold laundry (okay this one doesn't work so well but they do try). STuff like that.

Fourth, definitely take time for yourself. Even if it's a trip to the store or something.

Hang in there!

 

My DD was 22 months when the boys where born and i won't lie its logistically impossible......but you just do the best you can/ Don't sweat the small stuff and do WHATEVER you have to do to get them all on a same schedule. By the time the boys were 4months old I had them on the morning nap and then afternoon nap at the same time as DD. Those two hours were a life saver. It ment not messing with the schedule but I kept my sanity. I have no family close so you just do what you can. They kids wont remember the house not being cleaned so forget about it. My boys are about to be a year and I can't tell you how excited I am so all the fun to come. The first year is a lot of work but I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Good Luck!

 

This is the third time today I have tried to reply to your post and Im hoping nothing interrupts this try I have three under 3 years and in 11 days I will have four under 3. LOL sorry another crying child Im back now. Some days I dont know how to fit everything in honestly I stare in despair at what I should be getting done but usually by the time I go to bed I am finally done. Weekends I get my DH and oldest DS working as well so thats when I do the big stuff. Sometimes its just all against me like if weve had a week of rain and there is washing everywhere and no one has a pair of socks. I would say dont let it get you down enjoy your kids. My kids are my favourite people to spend time with so i try to do as much as I can with them, and I love sometime alone I get into the bath or even a quick shower and then I try to do something I enjoy. Good luck!

 

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions!

 

Glad you posted this! My DS was 15 mo. exactly when my girls arrived. It is/was hectic at times. He went to daycare for the 1st couple of months part-time, which helped. I also did same naptime in the afternoon. DS didn't take an am nap at that time. I am organized which helps. But I still feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants. This winter has been hard as I had never stayed home before until my girls were born. I get out but not as much as if I was working. Let me tell ya, I am so excited for spring! It does get easier as they get older and I think even easier once they are walking, well maybe! LOL! Not much help but wanted to offer support! PM me if you ever need to!

 

Boy.... My girls were 18 months when DS was born. They've been on one nap/day since they were one, so that didn't help. DS naps twice a day, as soon as he wakes up girls go to sleep, when they wake up, he goes back to sleep..... So I ALWAYS have a child awake. I work outside the home, so all 3 go to daycare.

I've learned that the house will always be a mess, there's nothing I can do to control it. I am on the go from 5 a.m until 10 p.m.. Eve though I work outside the house, my job is hectic and I'm constantly busy.

Like PP said, assign chores to days of the week. That's the only way I can NOT lose my mind. One thing at a time. If I think of ALL the stuff, I'll get overwhelmed in a heartbeat. Cooking, I've created a monthly menu (I cook at work to so that helped me, PM me if you want some ideas) and I go off that. I'll try to cook on weekends double meals, or casserole meals (like lasagna) and I'll either freeze half the casserole or freeze the double meal. At the very least I'll prep the second meal and throw it in the freezer, that way it's ready and just needs to be cooked when I need it....

I do a lot of stuff after they go to bed at night. My kids are clingy for some reason and wont let us do stuff while they're awake. Oops, all 3 are screaming gotta run. GL!

 

My oldest was 20 months when the babies were born. I totally agree with pp and would say do whatever you can to get the kids to all nap at the same time. As soon as the babies were on a schedule I tweaked my older DS' nap schedule so he would take his nap with their afternoon nap. Now that they are all on one nap a day I tweaked the time again just so they would all sleep at the same time. That was like the one thing I was crazy about from the start...I needed to make sure they all slept at the same time.

Don't sweat the small stuff, and don't beat yourself up is stuff doesn't get done. I waited until my DH came home from work to do stuff like shower and do laundry, but I managed to still get some chores done while they were awake. I leaned on my DH alot because I couldn't do it alone. I also took any help I could get....no matter what it was. I also get out of the house at least every other day. Two days stuck inside the house makes everyone crabby and bored. It's still rough sometimes, but it is definitely getting easier the older they are.