‘Going from 2 to 3 Is Easy’ and Other Lies About Having Three Kids

For many families, two is the lucky number. For us, it’s three. Three kids, I mean.

We successfully made it through the newborn, toddler and preschooler stages not once, but twice and with relatively minor trauma. Surely we could handle another one.

I mean, the third baby kind of just blends into the family without anyone batting an eyelid, right?

That’s what I thought anyway. And possibly even said out loud a few times while all-knowing parents-of-three kids smiled, nodded and LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED as I waddled away feeling like I actually knew what I was up against.

I. Did. Not.

Here’s the thing about going from two kids to three kids. Although you assume it’s going to be easy – after all, you’ve done it twice before, it’s actually not. Not even a little bit.

So, to the parents going from two kids to three, allow me to break down a few of the lies you’ll probably encounter when you make your announcement of baby #3’s impending arrival.

Lie #1: Nothing much changes 

Nope. Not even a lick of truth there. Pretty much everything changes. You are literally upgrading one-third of your children. That’s kind of a big deal.

Lie #2: You already have all the baby stuff

Unless you, like me, waited six years to have your third and gave ALL the baby gear away. Which I’m finding is actually a pretty common theme for mums expecting their third baby.

It’s not just the baby stuff though. Adding baby #3 also requires a bit of an upgrade on your life. Like a new car that fits everyone comfortably and with enough room for the kids’ bikes AND a pram. Possibly a revamp of your sleeping situation too.

You will probably also need to upgrade your hotel bookings unless you’re comfortable squeezing five people into a one-bedroom apartment. Sure, two kids can sleep on the fold-out couch, but adding another kid is pushing your luck.

Heck, with three kids you can’t even use the ‘family’ passes at theme parks without having to hide one of your children under a blanket in the pram. Not that I’ve ever done that…

Lie #3: You won’t even know they are here

Unless you wear earplugs 24/7 and possibly a blindfold, you WILL certainly know they are here. Hell, I’m pretty sure the entire neighbourhood knows our third baby is here.

And some nights, she’s clearly NOT HAPPY about being here.

Lie #4: You know what you’re doing this time around

You’d think. But, turns out, that’s another big fat NUP. It’s like my brain blocked out all the hard moments from the previous two kids and only reminded me of them while I was repeating the same mistakes for the third time.

Lie #5: Two to three isn’t much different at all

Basic maths would beg to differ. With two kids, you’re in control. After all, there are two adults. With three kids? You’re officially outnumbered. And, when kid-wrangling by yourself, you literally don’t have enough arms to grab at them all at once. Unless you are really good with your legs.

Lie #6: The third kid doesn’t need that much attention

Only 1/3rd of your attention, right? HAHAHAHAHAHA. I’ve been told that baby# 3 is always chilled out, that third babies kind of just blend into the crowd, that they go with the flow.

I don’t know where these third babies live, but can I please exchange my third child for one of these chilled out models?

The only thing chilled out about having three kids is that we parents simply don’t have enough time or energy to worry about everything anymore. Does it really matter if she’s not swaddled every sleep, or we forgot to sterilise the dummy or she missed her bath, or we found her eating dog food? Nope. All good.

Having three kids is nuts, yes, but it’s also the best decision we ever made. 

And I’m sure anyone with three kids would agree with me here.

Despite the crazy being tripled, it’s actually so much better having our lucky third child on board. She’s not easy, breezy or chilled out in the least bit, but she’s cheeky, hilarious and brings a whole new dynamic to our family – one that we didn’t realise we needed until she was here.

With three kids it means your world is always loud, your dinner table is also messy, your car rides are always crazy and your days are always full of surprises.

Having three kids mean your older kids get the chance to love another sibling and you can hopefully convince at least one of your children to watch the baby while you pee.

Three kids mean you have three amazing creatures to love, you get three times the cuddles and you have three rounds of milestones and memories to enjoy.

But, best of all, it means you get to watch three amazing little humans grow up into three amazing adults before your eyes. Honestly, I would have 10 more kids for this reason alone. But then we’d need an even bigger car. And I’m not keen to upgrade our car yet again.

Looking for more reasons to go for another one? Check out Should I Have Another Baby? 11 Ways to Tell if You’re Ready