Most people don't just wake up one morning with three small children (moms of triplets notwithstanding). You have one baby at first. If you're like me and didn't grow up as the oldest of 16 kids, then your learning curve is steep. Somehow, you learn how to feed a baby, dress them, bathe them, get them to sleep and keep them out of the cat's litterbox. When another baby arrives, it's not that difficult because you already have a pile of baby stuff (stroller, carseat, carefully-picked-out outfits that they're just going to puke on) and your experiences with the first one are still fresh in your mind. Now if only you could grow an extra pair of hands...
How do you take care of two small children? You learn how to do two things at once!
How do you take care of three small children? You learn how to do three things at once!
That's the secret. If you don't have a mother, mother-in-law or other relatives living nearby and if you don't have money for a mother's helper or a robot clone of yourself, then you will have to become the queen of multitasking. It doesn't always happen that all 3 children need something at the same instant, but if you have 3 unhappy little people, then you have little choice but to do 2 (or 3 things) at the same time. I wish I had a better solution, but this is all I've been able to come up with
More or less, this has been my life for the last few months. If everyone wakes up at the same time in the morning, then I take my 3 little puffballs into the living room and lie them down on the couch and do assembly-line diaper changes. Yes, 3 kids in diapers... there's a landfill somewhere with my name on it. (my older boy is potty training, btw) Then I grab the baby and hold her while I make the breakfast. You really only need one hand to make instant oatmeal and pour milk into cups (for the boys), a bottle (for the baby) and a cup of instant coffee (for me). Then we sit at the table, me with the baby in my lap and the boys who sometimes still need help spooning oatmeal into their mouths. Yes, my oldest (who will be 3 in a couple of months) will sit in front of his oatmeal bowl and open his mouth like a little bird and say "Aaah" and expect me to feed him. This is the same boy can make poopies in the toilet... go figure.
There are days when one wakes up before the others and I can get that one changed, fed and dressed before the other ones get up... I never know if my day will be filled with juggling or whether I get to sit in a quiet house in the morning with just one child. If you're the kind of person who needs predictability in your life, don't have 3 children under the age of 3.
What happens if you can't multitask? Unfortunately, not all of my chilcare tasks can be done simultaneously with others. Here's a quick rule of thumb: if 2 or 3 little people are crying and you can't solve both their problems simultaneously, take care of the bigger one first. The bigger one is more aware of things and more likely to feel slighted if he's ignored.
Also, you want to get the oldest one on your side... that's the one who can be most helpful. A toddler can't change a diaper, but he can bring you diapers and wipes from across the room.
I guess that's my next parenting tip... get the oldest one to do your work for you. :)
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