I will be 25 weeks tomorrow and while we still have quite a few weeks before baby #3 comes, I am already having anxiety over some things.
This baby will not have a bedroom so it will be cribbing (haha, pun intended! :oP ) with us for an undisclosed amount of time. That means we somehow need to fit the cradle and eventually a crib in our room, the changing table, and then a dresser to store the baby's clothes. Plus, we need to buy said dresser. :o/ We have a decent sized bedroom but its not huge so who knows how all of that stuff will fit? I try to rearrange the room in my head, trying to come up with the best layout, but until we actually start moving things and we get the dresser and crib actually in the room, my mind will not stop thinking about it!
Then there is getting all three kiddos in our Dodge Journey. Yes, it's a seven passenger and its not about all of us not fitting...it's more about how to get us to fit comfortably and most efficiently. Hannah will be going to school so I need to be able to get her out of the car easily. Do I put her in the third row and get rid of some truck space? Or do we try to fit 3 across in the second row? How easily will we be able to get the infant seat out? Would the infant seat go in the middle or behind the passenger? We know Colson needs a new carseat and I want to get a diono seat because they are narrow. I would hate to have to get one for Hannah too but is that the only way to get all three across the second row? I just have no idea the best way to lay all of the seats out.
Then Hannah is starting school...just a few weeks before baby #3 comes. So with the stress of figuring out a new schedule with Hannah going to school, lets add to that a new baby who makes its own schedule. Ahhhh! I'm sure I'll figure everything out but just thinking about it is enough to stress me out!
And I don't even want to think about going places with three kids right now. Or a double stroller which all seem to cost an arm and a leg to get. Hannah wants to walk all the time so her days in a stroller are pretty much over. But Colson still rides in one and the baby will ride in one. It was fine with two because it was one adult for each kiddo. But now we're outnumbered. So Hannah walks with Nick and then I push a double with the younger two? Or do we skip buying a crazy expensive double and I push Colson in our Maclaren and wear baby #3???
Someone hold me! I can't even handle thinking about all of this right now.
Mommas of 3+... how did you figure all of this out? What did you do? Advice?
HELP!
Well, we won't have three, but I have some of the same concerns. :)
ReplyDeleteWe moved our bed as close to one wall as possible....it's wall, table, bed. Then that gave us more space on the other side for a long dresser, which is long enough for a changing pad and two small baskets for diapers/supplies. Then there is room in the corner for a rock n play. Or we get rid of the end table and put a pack n play. Then our dresser at the foot of our bed. But thankfully our bathroom door is by the bed room door and the closet is off our bathroom.....I'm not dealing with doors.....
Also I've pretty much decided to wear baby 2 and push Mackenzie, or let her walk.....depending on the situation. There are so many options for wearing now! Granted after this new single stroller and buying a carrier ill have spent some $$ but not as much as a double stroller. Plus our trunk is tiny and I'd never fit a double stroller!! Plus the new stroller I can fold/unfold with one hand.
I refuse to leave the house with two kids! :oP So looks like you'll get extra mommy time by getting babysitters to watch the kids. :o) I'm using the excuse that baby will be born in December so we won't leave because or ice and snow and cold weather. :)
Ok that was really long.....
I tell you what, leaving the house with three kids in tow scared the crap out of me at first. Now, its just our normal. Now...leaving the house with 4 kids freaks me out! But I know eventually we will get there.
ReplyDeleteMy suggestion, either get a smaller double stroller (think umbrella like) or buy a good carrier (looooove my Beco butterfly!!) and wear the baby. How I did the store was baby in infant seat in main basket and Bennett in the toddler seat in the cart. If i was just getting a few things, this work. If I was grocery shopping, then I'd get a second cart and have Peytonn help push it or pull it behind me.
As for the room situation, we are kind of in the same boat. Eventually the girls will share a room, but for a while the baby will sleep in our room. You could do a couple options, use a pack n play for your room (smaller than a full sized crib) or have Hannah and Colson share a room for a bit and put the baby in the other room. Or depending on gender of new baby, they could share a room with the other sibling of the same gender.
Honestly, don't stress mama!! It will all work out. It doesn't have to be perfect and they each don't have to have their own rooms. As for the car, have you tried putting Hannah and infant seat in middle row next to each other and then Colson in the 3rd row? I don't know how your seats work, but to get to the 3rd row in my Jeep, the 2nd row seat flipped forward. If thats how yours is, just leave it flipped forward for easy access to 3rd row and put baby/Hannah next to each other. Or, since Hannah will be 5 this Fall, maybe try to start to booster train her in a high back booster for short trips back and forth to school. They usually take up less space and it saves you the cost of a 2nd Diono. The Diono's are great and only 17in wide. We had two for the Jeep for fitting 3 across. And once Hannah goes to a booster full time, the baby can use the Diono rearfacing. We have started to booster train bennett in short increments because he will have to move to a HB booster in the truck in August when the Britax expires. We will still use a 5pt harness for him in the van and for long trips.
Sorry this is so long. Did you even make it this far? :)
I'm only pregnant with my 2nd. And I can feel some of your anxiety. I've been so used to our routine for the last 6 years, and the thought of anything changing is kinda scary! We *have* to finish our upstairs before the new baby is born so Emma can have her room upstairs, and the new baby will have their room downstairs. It also scares me with Emma being upstairs by herself. I know in the long run everything will work out just fine, but it's all scary right now =)
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