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Hi all... we currently have two kids- a 4 year old and a 7 month old. We're now debating if we want to add one more to our family or if we should stop at 2.
So, here's what I've gathered thus far: we'd need to upgrade our cars to minivans to accomodate 3 children- is this accurate?
Hotel room bookings could need upgraded with 3 kids for vacations...accurate?
People tell me though that it's usually easier to go from 2 to 3 kids than from 1 to 2....
I know there will be an additional daycare charge and all of the other "normal" kid costs...
We are an internationally mixed family and do travel overseas annually so I'm a little concerned with the cost increase for that on airfare.
Just checking in to hear from you all who have more than 2 what some of the concerns or practicality things are that I might be missing.
Otherwise, I'd love to have a larger family with 3 children...
Upgrading a car? Yes, most likely. I drove a Volvo for a while, and after #3 came along, I got a van...more room and easier to get in and out of. I do miss my Volvo from time to time.
Unless you have a large home, some kids may have to share a room. My 2 daughters share...even when they had their own rooms, they pretty much stayed in one, so we decided to have them share a room. My son has his own, but again, he's always in his sisters' room.
I personally think it's easier to go from 2 to 3. We had little difficulty, other than time juggling. With 3, you're outnumbered...but that makes it sound like it's some sort of battle. Our girls are school age, 7 and 8...I sit and do homework with them every day. My 3 year old colors or "plays school" while we do this. All 3 of them love to have tasks, so we dish out things for them to do.
Of course, there is an added cost involved....that's a given. I look at it this way...you either want another or don't...it will change the dynamic of the family; it will cost more; it will be an added expense, so on and so on.
We are expecting #4 in a few weeks. We have the van already. Our is busting at the seams but we either add on at some point of move. I don't want to move. We shop at Costco. I shop on Ebay a lot. We eat at home. We do have a zoo membership. We fish. We go to parks. We make our own fun, and our kids' friends tell them all the time how lucky they are to be in a big family. At the same time, my 7 year old thinks her only child best friend has the best life ever. It's all in how you look at it.
I personally thought going from 1 to 2 was easier than going from 2 to 3.
On the car thing, you don't NEED a minivan, but it makes life a lot easier. There are sedans out there that can handle three car seats, but that usually means buying certain kinds of seats. My wife drives a van, I drive a sedan that has three sets of LATCH anchors and can handle all three seats in a pinch.
On the vacation thing it definitely adds to the cost. You will almost inevitably need two rooms unless there is a suite or something available. Also, many places have packages built for families of 4. Adding on the 5th one, usually doesn't give any discounts.
After that it's just all about learning to juggle more balls. Some are better at it than others.
On the vacation thing: we still only have one child, but I grew up in a family with three kids and parents who liked to travel. I don't recall getting two hotel rooms; I think we made do with one room with two double beds plus a cot, and for longer vacations (including most international vacations) going with vacation rentals. Renting a small apartment is often cheaper than a hotel (especially if compared against two rooms), especially if you factor in the fact that you can eat some of your meals at "home." So yes, adding that third child will add to the expense (especially for airline tickets), but with a few adaptations it's doable for not that much more.
Thanks for the input... more is always welcomed too... :-)
Our home is large enought to accommodate 3 children, but our cars are not at all. I hadn't thought about having enough parents for various school and activity functions...good one.
And for vacations I guess there are ways around all of these things... it will definitely cost more with 3. And jeesh, let alone factoring in college costs for three. Makes my head spin.
But again, I think a lot of this is doable if we plan correctly. Hhhhmmm... give me things to think about. My husband's a go, I'm not sure.
Well, I guess I'd say go for it. If my parents had stopped at two, I wouldn't be here.
There are a lot of things to consider. Like, can you afford three. But I am a firm believer that, in a happy family with parents who love each other and their kids, children are a blessing. (And there is no law that says you can't put three little kids in a double bed in a hotel. If they've had a tiff you put them down head/toe/head with a strict "no kicking" edict. )
Hi all... we currently have two kids- a 4 year old and a 7 month old. We're now debating if we want to add one more to our family or if we should stop at 2.
So, here's what I've gathered thus far: we'd need to upgrade our cars to minivans to accomodate 3 children- is this accurate? No. You do need a backseat large enough to fit them though. We did not get a van til #4. We used a station wagon until then.
Hotel room bookings could need upgraded with 3 kids for vacations...accurate? Sometimes. You may need a suite or adjoining rooms
People tell me though that it's usually easier to go from 2 to 3 kids than from 1 to 2....
I know there will be an additional daycare charge and all of the other "normal" kid costs...
We are an internationally mixed family and do travel overseas annually so I'm a little concerned with the cost increase for that on airfare.
Just checking in to hear from you all who have more than 2 what some of the concerns or practicality things are that I might be missing.
Otherwise, I'd love to have a larger family with 3 children...
Thanks.
I have responses in red above.
Additional space in your house for the extra child may be needed. Bedroom sharing, or not, is something to think about, both now and when they are teenagers.
Speaking of getting older, kids get involved in activities when they are older and I am finding the juggling act can get to be more difficult than when they were all very young.
Well, we went from 1 to 3 so we skipped the 2 stage but yes, it is "possible" to get 3 in the back seat of a sedan with car seats, however, they touch and if you remember back to your road trip days and your brother antagonizing you by "touching" you and the whine to mom in the front seat "MOMMMMMM he's touching me again" a minivan with center row captains seats is a good sanity saver.
For the most part, hotels when they were little were not a huge deal, except those that really didn't allow more than 4 in a room, like the Disney hotels (your ticket into the park was your room key and your name is printed on there-no key, no parks). It cost us double for a family of 5 what it costs a family of 4. If we stayed somewhere longer then 2 nights we usually got a suite. Now that the kids are older, they can't share beds so we need 2 rooms or at least a rollaway-which are not always available.
Church, we would sit kid, parent, kid, parent, kid--the touching thing again .
Activities for us really aren't much different then having 2 because our twins are in pretty much the same activities but that does present a challenge if they are in 3 different things.
Oh, and we go from 3 drivers to 5 in a couple months-so cars are going to be an issue. We do fine with 2 cars for the 3 of us-but when the twins start driving, summer jobs/activities, etc. we will probably have to get another car soon.
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There are a lot of things to consider. Like, can you afford three. But I am a firm believer that, in a happy family with parents who love each other and their kids, children are a blessing. (And there is no law that says you can't put three little kids in a double bed in a hotel. If they've had a tiff you put them down head/toe/head with a strict "no kicking" edict. 
)
