Moms of many littles...

[BlsdMama]

My hat is off to you all.

 

I took out the four youngest today by myself.  

 

What a riot!  They were so good and so sweet but OH MY WOW  it was work.  I had to do all buckling in by myself.  I got to do the stop and explain thing instead of leaving that to older kiddos while still moving along.  Picking out stamps at the post office?  From car door, in, and back to car door took thirty minutes, to include answering strangers comments/questions, LOL!

I never had the many littles without bigs.  DD was three when DS was born and DS was three when DD2 came along.  Our youngest four are in six years but I have always had helpers.

I think I had more comments (by percentage of people we actually saw) today with just the four littles than when we are ALL out.  It was fun and all the comments were positive and sweet.  I think four is less overwhelming for strangers, lol, than 8-11.  :P :D

It took us a solid hour to do the post office and the grocery store and the grocery store was just snacks and half & half.  Good time but my mind is boggled how young mamas do this without a whole lot of experience!

 

 

[barnwife]

I needed this today.

We have a 6 yo, almost 5 yo, 3 yo, and now a 2 week old.

I am desperate to get out of the house, but managing all 4 by myself with winter gear just seems...too tiring, so I haven't tried yet.

The other day DH needed to run to the gas station and the library. He said something like, "I can do this in half an hour." All I could think was, "It's been years since I could run 2 errands in that little time!"

Even with just 3, planning on 2 errands would generally take all morning or afternoon. (Full disclosure: We could often do it more quickly, but when planning for 2 errands, I block out a whole morning or afternoon. Then I feel extra good when we have "extra" time.)

Now I've got 4...all I want to do is get to the library. I am so tired of our current books. I am tired in general. Maybe I need to find a babysitter to go with us...thanks for letting me ramble.

[Ausmumof3]

I don't have many littles but I do identify with missing the eldest when they aren't around! Mine is definitely helpful.

[wendyroo]

I needed this today.

 

We have a 6 yo, almost 5 yo, 3 yo, and now a 2 week old.

 

I am desperate to get out of the house, but managing all 4 by myself with winter gear just seems...too tiring, so I haven't tried yet.

 

Well, there's your problem right there.  Winter gear is too big a hurdle...so I skip it.  

 

Winter babies have a shower cap cover over their car seat and everyone else can just suck it up.  We went to the store last week when the wind chill was -5, and I just encouraged everyone wear a hooded sweatshirt.  Really, we were only outside long enough to walk 50 feet across a parking lot; I was only in a long sleeve t-shirt and I lived to tell the tale.   :tongue_smilie:

 

Wendy

[maize]

Having a child old enough to babysit so that I don't have to take them all with me everywhere has been transformational!

[MrsMommy]

Mine aren't that little any more, but there were many days when I went out with a five-year-old, four-year-old, three-year-old, and infant. So many comments. And it was exhausting. And, yes, I miss those days already!

[pinkmint]

I needed this today.

 

We have a 6 yo, almost 5 yo, 3 yo, and now a 2 week old.

 

I am desperate to get out of the house, but managing all 4 by myself with winter gear just seems...too tiring, so I haven't tried yet.

 

 

When my youngest was 2 weeks old I went to Walmart with all kids and DH. The cashier asked how old the baby was and I told her. She proceeded to scold me about taking a baby out at that age and said I had no business taking him out before 6 weeks. 

 

I had to try not to cry in my postpartum haze. 

 

I had such a restless feeling in those early days. Maybe you do too, but it passes! Healing and resting is so important. 

 

BlsdMama, I feel like a wimp compared to some of you others with 2 or 3 times the number of kids and closer age spacing, but it is good to hear that even moms of eleven acknowledge how hard it is to do regular everyday stuff with diaper/ carseat age kids in tow.

 

These days I'm enjoying the somewhat independent-ness of oldest (8), but there's a ways to go. I guess I'm going to take whatever validation I can get that I need a nap pretty much every day (when 2 yo naps). 

[rdj2027]

Ahhh, the good old days when the kids were little....   Nah, I thoroughly enjoy my teenagers :lol:

[wendy not in HI]

I remember feeling like I had an entourage, or maybe like I was in a parade... all the time...  

 

I miss those baby years. but I love these teens (and 20's!!)

[Zinnia]

All of my kids can buckle themselves, and three of four can unbuckle.  LIFE CHANGING.

 

We went to the childrens' museum this week, somewhere we've been countless times over the last 10 years.  I had a moment where I was sitting, watching mine play, and I was thinking how much easier it was than the days of crazy toddler-hood.  I really, really miss my babies and toddlers (my baby is 4), but wow, it's a lot easier right now.   I sort of dread middle school, so I'm sitting back and relishing in these elementary school ages (mine are 4-10).

[wintermom]

Well, there's your problem right there.  Winter gear is too big a hurdle...so I skip it.  

 

Winter babies have a shower cap cover over their car seat and everyone else can just suck it up.  We went to the store last week when the wind chill was -5, and I just encouraged everyone wear a hooded sweatshirt.  Really, we were only outside long enough to walk 50 feet across a parking lot; I was only in a long sleeve t-shirt and I lived to tell the tale.   :tongue_smilie:

 

Wendy

 

Why did I never think of this? Brilliant! And the car seat straps function way better without the snowsuits, too.

 

Then just have a bunch of blankets and stuff in the car just in case of emergencies. 

[mykidsrmyjoy]

Ours are 7, almost 6, 4, 2 and almost 1. They go with me more often than not, although sometimes my mom watches a few of them. The only way I can make it work is to put the baby in a carrier on my back, the 2 and 4 year olds in the buggy and the 2 oldest ones walking. It actually works out pretty well. But we do get lots of attention. Someone passed me recently in the store aisle and said "Bless you, lady!" I smiled and kept going but wished I would have said, "Thanks, I am blessed!" It's a lot of work but I actually love having the kids with me when we're out and about.

[wendyroo]

Why did I never think of this? Brilliant! And the car seat straps function way better without the snowsuits, too.

 

Then just have a bunch of blankets and stuff in the car just in case of emergencies. 

 

I am always looking to score good quality kids winter gear at thrift stores.  Our Goodwill normally sells kids' coats for $4 and hats and gloves for $1.

 

Over the years I have built up enough of a supply that I keep a complete set for myself and each kid (perhaps a bit too big, but fine in a pinch) in a duffel in the back of the car for emergencies.

 

We can just jump in the car to run errands or go to any indoor destination without stopping to scrounge for missing hats or gloves.

 

Wendy

[Noreen Claire]

My littles are 7, 4, 2, and 2mos. The guy who works in the dairy department at the supermarket is my biggest fan. When he saw me last week all by myself he was stunned!

 

My oldest is 21 and can be a help, if I really need him. Otherwise, he's not around much. I miss that kid...

[rose]

I've got a slough of littles right now too. I seriously don't know what I would do without my older two. School time poses my biggest challenge. I simply don't do errands on my own. Good for you though. Sounds like it's time to give your biggies some kisses. :)

[mommyoffive]

Having lots of littles is so hard.

 

It is night and day when I had a 6, 4, 2, and newborn.  It was all on me.  

 

Now having a 10 and 8 year old in the mix they can do so much!  For me and for them.  It is life changing for me.  

[umsami]

I had four kids in four years -- my first four.

 

All I can say is THANK GOD I had them when I was in my 20's and still had lots of energy!

See that was smart!

 

I had my first four days after my 35th birthday and my last at 42.  I like to tell myself that they're keeping me young.  LOL

 

It's getting easier, though.  Now my youngest is six.  I think in retrospect, though, I always treated the eldest like he was older and we treat the baby like a baby.  Then I'll look back at old pics that show up on Facebook and think, oh DS1 was such a little guy then.  Yet as he was the eldest, I expected more?

[hjffkj]

My kids are 8,6,4,2, and not even 2 weeks old. I have yet to be out alone with all of them and won't be until after the 23rd when dh goes back to work but I can't imagine what it'll be like when that happens. I imagine I'll spend most of the winter at home and not try to venture out with them until it warms up.

[umsami]

My kids are 8,6,4,2, and not even 2 weeks old. I have yet to be out alone with all of them and won't be until after the 23rd when dh goes back to work but I can't imagine what it'll be like when that happens. I imagine I'll spend most of the winter at home and not try to venture out with them until it warms up.

 

Awwww....Congratulations!   Happy Baby!!!

 

:party:

[Storygirl]

I had four under four when we adopted our last two -- 3.5 yr old, 1.5 year old, 9 month old, and 6 month old.

 

So, yeah.

 

When I absolutely had to take them out of the house by myself, I had to crawl around the van buckling them in, and then at our destination, I had to crawl around again, unbuckling them. I didn't have a triple stroller, and the 1.5 year old would bolt and couldn't be trusted to walk beside me. So I would put two in the double stroller, strap the youngest across my chest, and forge off across the parking lot with the oldest holding the handle of the stroller to keep her safe.

 

It was NOT. FUN.

 

At first I just stayed home, except for church on Sundays and a bleery-eyed trip to the grocery once a week after DH was home from work. When they were all toddler and preschool aged, I took them out to library story time, the women's Bible study at church, which had a nursery program, and our Help Me Grow therapy sessions. Once my oldest was 5, I added some things to our schedule to benefit her and just hauled the little ones around with me.

 

Honestly, it's all a blur. Not sure I've fully recovered, a decade later.

[Carrie12345]

When I had three 5 and under, my grocery store came out with curbside delivery.  It was the most life changing thing ever!  Well, okay, maybe it was the second most life-changing thing after having three kids, 5 and under.

[hjffkj]

Awwww....Congratulations! Happy Baby!!!

 

:party:

Thank you. He's a wonderful little addition to this family.

[xixstar]

Why did I never think of this? Brilliant! And the car seat straps function way better without the snowsuits, too.

 

Then just have a bunch of blankets and stuff in the car just in case of emergencies.

And a friendly FYI - coats and heavy winter gear should never be worn in car seats; they compromises the safety of the seats.

 

One way to really see the difference is buckle them in with their winter gear and then unbuckle, have them take it off and buckle in again to see just how loose the buckles are. The coats/gear will all compress in an accident and all that slack will not safely restrain the child.

 

A thin fleece jacket is fine but thicker winter gear should be removed before buckling up.

 

And once I learned that, I just gave up winter gear too. No way was I going to get stuff put on just to take it off in the car and put it back on after driving somewhere.

 

We can survive the brief walk from car to destination in fleece. Since we keep our heat low, we are already dressed in warm layers anyways.

[gracie01]

Air temperature is -21 and wind chill is -42. We need more than a layer of fleece!

 

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[wintermom]

And a friendly FYI - coats and heavy winter gear should never be worn in car seats; they compromises the safety of the seats.

 

One way to really see the difference is buckle them in with their winter gear and then unbuckle, have them take it off and buckle in again to see just how loose the buckles are. The coats/gear will all compress in an accident and all that slack will not safely restrain the child.

 

A thin fleece jacket is fine but thicker winter gear should be removed before buckling up.

 

And once I learned that, I just gave up winter gear too. No way was I going to get stuff put on just to take it off in the car and put it back on after driving somewhere.

 

We can survive the brief walk from car to destination in fleece. Since we keep our heat low, we are already dressed in warm layers anyways.

 

The challenge is when it's - 20 there is no way a child can sit in a freezing car seat and car until it warms up enough, and waiting for a car to warm up sufficiently is a waste of gas and time.  It's a good theory, though.

[wendyroo]

And a friendly FYI - coats and heavy winter gear should never be worn in car seats; they compromises the safety of the seats.

 

One way to really see the difference is buckle them in with their winter gear and then unbuckle, have them take it off and buckle in again to see just how loose the buckles are. The coats/gear will all compress in an accident and all that slack will not safely restrain the child.

 

A thin fleece jacket is fine but thicker winter gear should be removed before buckling up.

 

And once I learned that, I just gave up winter gear too. No way was I going to get stuff put on just to take it off in the car and put it back on after driving somewhere.

 

We can survive the brief walk from car to destination in fleece. Since we keep our heat low, we are already dressed in warm layers anyways.

 

Exactly.

 

Sometimes little old ladies give me the stink eye when they see my jacket-less brood, but they never had to contend with car seats at all, much less having to unbuckle everybody and then get them into their coats just to walk into the store where the kids will all want to take them off again.  I'm already hauling around 2 or 3 kids in my shopping cart - throw four jackets in there and I won't even have room for a gallon of milk!

 

No way.  Fleece zipper sweatshirts with hoods are warm enough for errands.

 

Wendy

[lovinmyboys]

The challenge is when it's - 20 there is no way a child can sit in a freezing car seat and car until it warms up enough, and waiting for a car to warm up sufficiently is a waste of gas and time. It's a good theory, though.

Ok, it is rarely -20 here, but I always put blankets over the kids. Would that keep them warm enough?

[wendyroo]

Air temperature is -21 and wind chill is -42. We need more than a layer of fleece!

 

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The challenge is when it's - 20 there is no way a child can sit in a freezing car seat and car until it warms up enough, and waiting for a car to warm up sufficiently is a waste of gas and time.  It's a good theory, though.

 

-20 F or C?

[gracie01]

Fahrenheit. Just got my 3rd grader's science test back- he doesn't know the boiling temp of water in F, but he sure knows the freezing point!

 

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[wintermom]

Ok, it is rarely -20 here, but I always put blankets over the kids. Would that keep them warm enough?

 

Well, if car seats came with seat warmers, it would certainly help.  Blankets don't warm up a car seat that's been in - 20 F or C overnight. The child needs some kind of insulation between them and the freezing piece of plastic with a bit of padding. 

Edited January 13, 2017 by wintermom

[wendyroo]

Well, if car seats came with seat warmers, it would certainly help.  Blankets don't warm up a car seat that's been in - 20 F or C overnight. The child needs some kind of insulation between them and the freezing piece of plastic with a bit of padding. 

 

Just out of curiosity, where do you live that is THAT cold?  I want to avoid it.   :laugh:

 

We spend some time between -5 and -10 F every winter, and it certainly has gone below -20 in this area, but that is not something we have to regularly deal with.  Lot of snow?  Oh, yes!!  We are one of the snowiest cities in the country, but not the coldest.

 

Wendy

[wintermom]

Just out of curiosity, where do you live that is THAT cold?  I want to avoid it.   :laugh:

 

We spend some time between -5 and -10 F every winter, and it certainly has gone below -20 in this area, but that is not something we have to regularly deal with.  Lot of snow?  Oh, yes!!  We are one of the snowiest cities in the country, but not the coldest.

 

Wendy

 

Most of Canada has periods where the nights go down this cold on a regular basis in Jan and Feb.

[sewingmama]

Most of Canada has periods where the nights go down this cold on a regular basis in Jan and Feb.

I knew you were going to say Canada 😂

 

When I lived there I never bothered with coats..just ran my freezing self across the carpark...thank goodness I didnt have kids then...I sensibly waited till we moved back to Australia to have kids.. no need to worry about snowsuits in the car...but now have to worry about being burnt by seat buckles 😂

[wintermom]

I spent two (horrible) winters in northeastern North Dakota.  It was regularly that cold (sustained for weeks on end) and many times far colder. I was never so cold in all my life.  It took me about three years of living in Texas before I finally thawed out again.

 

I think it helps a little if one is born to it and doesn't know better. 

[momacacia]

Yeah, we have 4 and 3 year gaps and I remember when baby #4 was born (the 3 year gap) people kept wanting to take my 2 oldest girls, one of whom was 11 and very competent. I quickly figured out, "no, you cannot take my love-in Nanny and leave me with a 3yo and a newborn! This is my dividend for doing all that buckling with the first two!"

[medawyn]

My hat is off to you all.

 

I took out the four youngest today by myself.  

 

What a riot!  They were so good and so sweet but OH MY WOW  it was work.  I had to do all buckling in by myself.  I got to do the stop and explain thing instead of leaving that to older kiddos while still moving along.  Picking out stamps at the post office?  From car door, in, and back to car door took thirty minutes, to include answering strangers comments/questions, LOL!

 

I never had the many littles without bigs.  DD was three when DS was born and DS was three when DD2 came along.  Our youngest four are in six years but I have always had helpers.

 

I think I had more comments (by percentage of people we actually saw) today with just the four littles than when we are ALL out.  It was fun and all the comments were positive and sweet.  I think four is less overwhelming for strangers, lol, than 8-11.   :p :D

 

It took us a solid hour to do the post office and the grocery store and the grocery store was just snacks and half & half.  Good time but my mind is boggled how young mamas do this without a whole lot of experience!

 

It is so GOOD to hear someone with many kids say this.  I am looking at my three - and we're seriously contemplating a fourth - and wondering if I could handle several more.  I always thought I would have 6+ kids, but I'm seriously wondering if I could do it.  Of course, getting started in my 30s is making that unlikely (as is the fact that DH wants to be DONE by 40, which is in 2.5 years).  We get out most days because we need food, diapers, or sanity, but getting a 3 yo, 2 yo and an 8 mo out the door, in and out of the car seats (I have locked myself into the back of my car on more than one occasion dealing with the buckling), in and out of coats, in and out of stores is exhausting. I think I need a nap just typing this.

 

All that to say, thanks for reminding me that there is hope.  Littles grow up.  And if we do have more littles, my current littles might turn into slightly helpful bigs.  Or at least bigs who can zip their own coats and buckle themselves up.

[freesia]

Baby number 4 was so easy with my oldest 8 1/2.

 

It's funny this popped up today bc my mom called today and said that ever since I had kids old enough to leave home I'm never home. It's not exactly true, but true enough.

 

I when I had my third (and a two and four year old) I remember one day having a serious talk with myself and telling myself that it would just take 45 minutes to get out the door and I would be a lot happier if I just accepted it and stopped fighting it.

 

Yeah moms of many littles-it is exhausting. You are tired for a reason but it will get better. They get older and can be a real help.

[Meadowlark]

Yeah I think I did this all backwards. I had 5 kids in 6 years, then waited 4 years and had another. I should've had one...waited 4 years and then had the others! BABYSITTER! But then again, I seem to do every single the the "hard way" so go figure...

 

Yeah, it's hard.

Edited November 28, 2017 by Meadowlark

[KungFuPanda]

Well, there's your problem right there. Winter gear is too big a hurdle...so I skip it.

 

Winter babies have a shower cap cover over their car seat and everyone else can just suck it up. We went to the store last week when the wind chill was -5, and I just encouraged everyone wear a hooded sweatshirt. Really, we were only outside long enough to walk 50 feet across a parking lot; I was only in a long sleeve t-shirt and I lived to tell the tale. :tongue_smilie:

 

Wendy

Clearly you do not share my pathological fear of the cold. I can’t even imagine a scenario where I’d do this by myself, much less with little kids. Oddly, my kids would handle it so much better than me.