20 Things I’ve Realized As A Third Time Mom

I could shout it from the rooftops: Being a third time mom rocks. It’s amazing how adding a baby to the mix can make you feel much more fulfilled despite absolute chaos happening daily. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on this, and believe I know why: 1. Having three means one kid always has a playmate when you can’t tend to their needs. 2. You are much.more.relaxed. I felt somewhat relaxed the second time around, but the third time? It truly has been a charm.*

Just for fun I decided to write out all the things I’ve realized as a third time mom:

1. You finally realize buying Christmas presents for a child under the age of one is ridiculous. College money? Thank you. Another noisy toy? Please return it. 

2. You don’t run to replace the batteries on a swing or jumperoo. In fact, maybe you just never replace them. #guilty

3. You know that a diaper bag full of stuff isn’t needed for a short outing. Throw a few things in the car like an extra outfit and one small chew toy, and stick a few diapers and wipes in your purse and go. If a blowout diaper happens, there’s always a baby wipe bath.

4. You could care less about brand new things. You take all the hand-me-downs you can get knowing that they grow out of everything within minutes of wearing it.

5. You’re not as adamant about a schedule. Sure, they need to nap at some point and go to bed at a decent time, but they will have to learn to sleep while you’re on-the-go with the other two.

6. You aren’t even remotely brand loyal. Diapers on sale? Yes, please. And believe me — I have my favorites, but I’ve tried every.single.brand. and they all have their pros and cons. At the end of the day, it’s a place to poop. No need to spend extra moula.

7. You finally get that anything with “baby” in its name is useless. I assure you — the Baby Bullet is just a food processor…So just buy a darn food processor or nice blender to get the same mushy food effect.

8. You understand that babies under the age of one don’t need much for stimulation. Their siblings, books and a few rings toys. Boom.

9. You’ve finally mastered the key to a happy baby: Adequate opportunities to sleep and lots and lots of burping. Oh, and that little bicycle leg move to get them to poop.

10. You understand every baby is different, and there are no secrets — babies are just born with a certain temperament and that is that. Some cry more. Some need more sleep. So when friends ask for advice you begin by saying “This is what worked for us…” but never claim to know it all since it’s not your baby.

11. Whereas you felt judgy of other moms the first time around {“I can’t believe she quit breastfeeding already” or “I can’t believe she doesn’t vaccinate”}, you truly have lost all judgement. You get that a mom’s gotta do what she’s gotta do and what’s right for you isn’t always right for another family.

12. You praise Jesus that the AAP finally updated their guidelines to say to delay solids until 6 months. Yes, there’s the health benefits, but you also get what a pain in the butt it is to feed a kid that can barely sit up.

13. You finally understand all those mom acronyms. {Quick rundown: PP = Post-Partum, EBF = Exclusively Breastfeeding, TTC = Trying to Conceive, DD = Dear Daughter, DS = Dear Son, DH = Dear Hubby, FTM = First Time Mom, VBAC = Vaginal Birth After Cesarean, etc.} Man, was I confused the first time I visited an online mom forum.

14. You don’t let a crying baby make you sweat at the grocery store. Let people stare! With that said, you’ve mastered shopping as efficient as possible and get excited when baby’s nap lines up with errands.

15. You understand nothing is black in white with kids. Sometimes you just don’t have an answer why they don’t like naps or won’t take a bottle. Everything is a phase and won’t last forever.

16. Middle of the night feedings aren’t a big deal. It happens. You don’t see a lot of third time moms post how exhausted they are and it’s because we know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Also, we won’t brag about our good sleepers since we know that can change at any point in time.

17. You learn that you don’t always agree with your friends on best parenting practices, and that’s OK. Learn to accept the way they see things, and move forward.

18. You don’t rush milestones. Shoot, you don’t really recall when babies are “supposed” to be doing things. You understand it all will come eventually.

19. You no longer freak over flu outbreaks. I mean, the other two survived, right? And there is something new that goes around every.single.year.

20. And the best one: You see amazing sibling dynamics that happen with three. The kids always have a playmate, and you’re so used to operating with chaos, adding a third to the mix is no big deal at all. Except when you have to go somewhere alone with the kids and cross a busy road. Then, three is a crowd 😉

{*Please note: Your experience may totally differ.}

I mean, how could I not be obsessed with these three little faces, even if they do make me a little crazy at times?

Chime in moms, what has changed as you’ve become a more experienced parent?