A couple years ago I wrote To the Mom of a Toddler and a Newborn. It had been about a year since we had gone from 1 to 2 kids so I wanted to share some encouragement about the transition.

Today I want to write about going from 2 to 3 kids. Lucas is already nine months old (HOW??!!) so we are quite settled into our new normal. I thought it would be fun to share my perspective on the transition from 2 to 3 kids.

But before I get started, let me say this. Everyone’s experience will be different. The temperament of your baby, the spacing of your kids, their personalities and genders – all of these things will make your experience going from 2 to 3 kids unique. 🙂

My experience going from 2 to 3 kids

1. I’m more relaxed as a parent.

This isn’t my first rodeo, or even my second! Am I doing everything right? Ha. Nope. But I’m freaking out about things a whole lot less. 😉

For example, I kept Caleb on a pretty tight nursing schedule as a baby. Lucas on the other hand? His schedule has been muuuch looser. Basically, I feed him when he seems hungry/when it makes sense based on what we have going on that day. Neither way is right or wrong, but I’m enjoying being a bit more relaxed.

2. My two older kids have each other

I think one of the hardest things about going from 1 to 2 kids is trying to figure out how to nurse the baby and do everything else you need to do while still keeping your oldest happy and entertained. Some kids do better than others at playing independently – Caleb never did super well.

But, going from 2 to 3 kids has been great because Caleb has Sofia to play with him now. Don’t get me wrong, they get into plenty of squabbles – after all they are 4 and 2 – but they also have lots of great times playing together which is SO helpful for me.

3. My oldest is more mature

Having an oldest child who’s 4 is easier than an oldest who’s 2. He obeys better – not perfectly for sure, but better. Like, I can drop his hand in public and not be afraid he’ll run off like he used to. That kind of thing.

I can also ask him to help me with little things and he is much more capable than he was at 2. And when he’s behaving well Sofia will often follow suit.

4. My third baby has been my easiest

I’ve heard it said that third babies tend to be pretty chill and that has definitely been the case for us!! Lucas is the chillest little guy. Other than the fact that he doesn’t sleep through the night yet (my kids have each taken FOREVER to do that consistently) he has been the easiest baby ever.

I can’t promise you that your third will be the same, but here’s hoping!!

Final thoughts

If you just had your third baby and things are really hard right now, know that it will get better. It takes a while to adjust to a new normal!

And trust me, I get it. I had some tough days at the beginning – I shared about one of those really rough days here. Going from 2 to 3 kids is a big change; give yourself a couple months.

I promise though that one day you’ll wake up and think wow, this feels so normal now!

I’d love to hear from you! If you have 3 kids, what has your experience been like? If you’re expecting, what do you think the biggest change will be once baby is hear? Let’s chat in the comments!

Looking for more encouragement as a mom? Tomorrow I’m kicking off a 5 day email series sharing some practical ways that we can love our children well. Click here to get on my email list!