Go for a 4th when you are 40 years old?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you go for a 4th kid if you were already 40? Some days I just don't feel like our family is complete. Add to it the general hard dynamic of 3 kids, I feel like we should try for a 4th. BUT I am 40 and I am worried about being an older parent. Current kids are 3, 7 and 9 years old. Have a mix of girls and boys so its not like we are trying for one gender or another. If it weren't for covid we would have gone for a 4th when our youngest was 2 but I was so nervous about being in lock down again with young kids. Thoughts? If you did go for your 4th how old were you?

Do it now. It’s your last hurrah! It’s the last moment you can squeak one out before you’re officially too old. I’m 45 and regret not doing the 4th by 40. But honestly it was very busy with the 3 and I was working as well. It has to make sense with your lifestyle or else you’ll burn out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here - surprised to see this old thread! No we didn’t go for a 4th. With 3 kids in 3 different sports (travel included) it has gotten insane. Fall and spring we have 10-12 games and practices a week, not to mention other things like therapies and tutoring. I can’t imagine adding a baby to the mix. Some days I do get wistful and wish we could have had a 4th but I should have done it when baby 3 was 2. Baby 3 is about to turn 5 and I can’t imagine going back to infant hood.

Thank you for updating!

[Anonymous]

This update from OP should be sticky marked. I had my third at 38 and really never could have imagined how absolutely exhausting my 40s would be. I don’t know how we’d manage with a fourth. We’d definitely need to hire at least one driver, maybe two.

[Anonymous]

My mom had my baby sister (her fourth) when she was 40. She’s 7 years younger. Love her to pieces. Our kids are friends. Our husbands are friends.