What the Transition to More Kids Is Really Like…

A big thank you to Playtex Baby™ for sponsoring this post, #ForBetterBeginnings and for helping to make this #PlaytexMom’s life a little easier! As always, all of the thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Ever since we welcomed Lilah back in early May, the question that I have been asked the most is, “what’s it like to go from three kids to four?”. “Is it hard?”. “Is it harder than the transition from one kid to two? Harder than going from two kids to three?”. Generally, I like to spare people the long and in-depth response, and opt to give them the short answer instead. “It’s total chaos,” is what I usually say, “but in the best possible way!”. It’s just easier to respond quickly and leave it at that, but I know that there are people out there who want more details. They want to know what it’s really like to throw another child into the mix. I’m one of those people. If I ask about something, I want the nitty gritty. I want all of the dirty details. So, naturally, I decided that this was the perfect topic for a blog post. A place where I could really dive in and share with you all what this transition has truly been like for us.

If I could use one word to sum up what it’s like now having four kids, that word would be MORE. Having four kids means more of everything. Of course, it also means less of some things, like sleep and free time, but that’s a whole other topic for another post.

In general, there is always an adjustment period after you add a new member to the family. There was when we went from one child to two, and from two to three. If I’m being honest though, going from three kids to four has been the biggest adjustment for us yet. Having more kids means having more people around who need you and who rely on you. Obviously as your kids get older, they become more capable and more independent, but right now, ours are still young, and they still rely on us for a lot. Our six-year-old has become pretty helpful, but he still relies on my husband and I, as does our four-year-old, and our two year old. It goes without saying that having an infant requires a ton of my attention and time each and every day. Since I am the one who is home with them the most, trying to find a good balance, and a way to accommodate all of their needs has probably been one of my biggest struggles this time around. After all, there is only one of me, and four of them.

What else does having more kids mean more of?

More Housework and Laundry

I know this is probably obvious, but cleaning up after four kids is serious work. Heck, cleaning up after one kid is a lot of work. These days, there’s more dishes, more crumbs on the floor at any given time, more toys strewn about… and the laundry… there are mountains and mountains of laundry constantly in our house.

More Activities

Having kids of different ages, means that they’re all into, and involved in, different activities. From activities outside of our home, like sports and camps. To what they’re into at home. There is just a whole lot more activity going on all the time. It never fails, when one child is doing something, another one will want to be doing something totally different at the very same time.

More Coffee Needed

This one totally goes without saying. To keep up with these four little humans, I am consuming far more coffee these days. It has literally become essential to my survival.

A More Hectic Bedtime Routine

Nighttime around here is by far the most hectic part of our day. Between dinner, baths, and bedtime, things get seriously chaotic. My husband and I really have to tag team to get through this, but I have taken it on myself a few times, and it is quite the task. Most days I am cooking with the baby strapped to me in a carrier, a two-year-old at my feet, a four-year-old complaining that she doesn’t like what I’m making, and a six year old repeatedly asking me when everything is going to be ready because he is “starving”. No sooner do we sit down to eat, before it’s time to clean it all up, and get all of them upstairs for baths. Usually my husband helps our oldest shower, while I give our two-year-old and fouyear-old a bath (while still wearing the baby), and then we take turns tucking in each child. After that, the baby gets her bath, and then it’s on to feeding her and trying to get her down for the night.

More Feedings/Groceries

Naturally more mouths to feed means more meals and more snacks. Is it just me, or do other people’s kids constantly ask for snacks all day long? I’m super thankful for our Playtex®️ Sipsters®️ cups and Playtex®️ Twist ‘n Click™ Snackers so that I can get the older kids what they need and send them on their way without having to worry about spills and leaks. I have also been loving the Playtex Baby™️ Nurser with Drop-Ins®️ Liner bottles for Lilah, on the rare occasion that I get to sneak away for a bit! Theo, in particular, is obsessed with his Snacker, and I love that it has a lid so that I can fill it with snacks for him, and throw it in my diaper bag when we’re on the go! Playtex Baby™️ has been committed to what’s most important to both moms and babies for over 50 years, so I know they get how to make our life a little easier.

More Diapers

With two kids in diapers, you can only imagine the amount of diapers we go through in a day. We now have diapering areas on each floor of our house to accommodate changing each of them without having to travel too far. Thankfully, our Playtex®️ Diaper Genie Expressions®️ helps keeps the smell of even the stinkiest diapers contained. This is particularly helpful since it resides in our family room. I love the fact that it can hold up to 270 newborn diapers, meaning less trips out to our garage!

More Seat Belts to Buckle

This one was a struggle for me over the summer, particularly because of the dreadful heat. I’m not kidding when I tell you that most days I would be sweating by the time I got everyone safely buckled in and ready to hit the road.

More Love

This one is the greatest change of all. More kids equals more LOVE, and that my friends, makes all of the things that I talked about above 100% worth it. The days can be long and chaotic, and they might not always go as I plan, but kids are only little for so long, and eventually we’ll be on to the next phase. Having a big family isn’t for everyone, but we always wanted a big family, and I feel blessed every single day that the things that I once dreamed about are now my reality.

I’m so thrilled to be joining PlaytexBaby™️ as one of their Playtex Moms for the second year im a row. As always, you can check out all of our favorite products from PlaytexBaby™ by visiting their website, and be sure to follow them on Instagram for lots of inspiration #ForBetterBeginnings.