On The Go With Kids

Question:

How do you go out when you have more than one child?

And does it get easier or better?

It gets better over time. 

As I write this I currently have 3 kids 5 and under. 

They are 5 years, 31 months and 6 weeks.

As many have said,  it is amazing what you do when you have to. I am a stay at home mom, so much of the grocery shopping, errands, childcare, and children related activities (school, sports, doctor visits) fall on me while my husband is at work. I've had to do outings since my 3rd was 5 days old. My first outings were mostly the Ped appointments for baby's 1 week (when he was 5 days old), 2 weeks and 4 weeks well check up. Then each of my older children got sick and we had to go into the Ped to be checked out, one had a viral infection and the other had a double ear infection, so it was important to go in. Thankfully everyone is better and the best part neither baby or I got sick, which can be hard to avoid as a stay at home mom. I also had 4-5 postpartum visits with my midwives where they made sure I was okay and they looked over and weighed baby, and focused on how breastfeeding is doing and a 6-week postpartum visit, pap smear and test my iron levels with the OB. (I did co-care with my 3rd pregnancy, so I had 2 midwives that work together and an OB). I also had to see my primary doctor check out my blood pressure. So lots of doctor appointments within the first 6 weeks. Besides doctor appointments, and a trip to the pharmacy drive through, I had to take DD to her dance classes and drop her off / pick up at preschool, drop off registration forms at DD's soon to be the elementary school for kindergarten registration. So we've been pretty busy since my baby has been born.

My favorite  on the go gears has been 4-in-1 Bliss Contours Stroller for my toddler when my oldest is going / at an activity or occasionally for my baby when I do not want to take him out of the car seat when he is sleeping, because where I am going is super quick. I baby wear 99% of the time, my carriers (Evenflo Unisom Newborn Carrier, Maya Wrap Ring Sling, Infantino Mei Tai Sash Carrier) for my baby. I love Ergo Baby too but was not a fan of the newborn insert with the carrier. I like it better when a baby is older and for a toddler. I also like to put my older two in shopping carts or my double stroller, contours optimum tandem stroller while my baby is in a baby carrier. It depends on where I am going, how long I am staying and whether DH is with me or not that determines in what way do I arrange my children and their personalities, who naps when, who acts up if they are tired or hungry. (While I was pregnant  with my 3rd and no longer baby wearing my second, it was more of a choice between shopping cart or double stroller. When I was pregnant with my second, my first was in the stroller.

I also prepare for outings either I am going to buy my older two children a small meal, snack, and drink or prepare an on the go meal, snacks and drink from home before starting outings, they can eat in the car with their car seat tray,or in a double stroller or shopping cart. Depending on how many outings, where we are going and how long, I may allow my older two to have screen time on tablets where the can play age appropriate kid games or music or screen time on their portable DVD player with an age appropriate kid show or movie. My kids  are usually fine (not to say tantrums, outbursts, fighting with each other, not following directions...type things don't occasionally happen from time to time for whatever reason) if the have had a diaper change or taken to the use the restroom, eaten a meal, have a snack, have some screen time, able to take a nap in the car, stroller, shopping cart, playing with each other, have other small distractions, like being able to color or help me with putting things into the cart that I hand them or putting small items on the conveyer belt at checking out. I tell my kids where we are going, what I expect, what activities are appropriate for this setting and what are not.The more prepared I am, the better a trip tends to go. The less prepared, how well it goes becomes more of a maybe and less likely.

And from time to time we are the parent with the child that is screaming and crying for whatever reason. It has happened to me loads of time (my child is tired, hungry, wants something we are not getting, their sibling hit, took something away, doesn't want to play with them or what they want to play) and I just try to give a smile of understanding rather than a judging looks and stares that say why can't you control your children?

Wow, that was longer than I intended. If you read my novel, I am impressed.