Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does a parent need to go to the kids' practices and activities? I get that you may want to go to games or recitals, but every practice?

We have three kids with a smaller gap, 3, 5, and 7. DH and I split up as necessary. Before COVID, we sometimes had babysitters take the older kids to lessons and practices.

Playdates were drop-off for the older kids. But since COVID, we are only doing outdoor playdates, so often we just invite other whole families to play in our yard with our whole family or vice versa. The kids naturally divide up by some combination of age and interests.

I would usually take an extra child (or children) to practices/games and then use that as time with them. Read about dinosaurs to Little Brother, with a few short breaks to watch Big Sister bat.

Anonymous wrote:Does a parent need to go to the kids' practices and activities? I get that you may want to go to games or recitals, but every practice?

We have three kids with a smaller gap, 3, 5, and 7. DH and I split up as necessary. Before COVID, we sometimes had babysitters take the older kids to lessons and practices.

Playdates were drop-off for the older kids. But since COVID, we are only doing outdoor playdates, so often we just invite other whole families to play in our yard with our whole family or vice versa. The kids naturally divide up by some combination of age and interests.

Anonymous wrote:Does a parent need to go to the kids' practices and activities? I get that you may want to go to games or recitals, but every practice?

We have three kids with a smaller gap, 3, 5, and 7. DH and I split up as necessary. Before COVID, we sometimes had babysitters take the older kids to lessons and practices.

Playdates were drop-off for the older kids. But since COVID, we are only doing outdoor playdates, so often we just invite other whole families to play in our yard with our whole family or vice versa. The kids naturally divide up by some combination of age and interests.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you need to switch with your husband more often and have him stay with the baby and you go with the older children.

This will be the normal for the foreseeable future.

+1

My kids are 11(DS), 9(DS), and 3(DD). Dad has been as much of a default parent for DD as I am. In fact, he did more of the staying home with the baby than I did when we were splitting duties in the first couple of years.

It does get a little easier to bring the youngest along once they're closer to PK age. I remember taking the boys to practice when DD was a new toddler was especially frustrating, but she's now to the point where she brings her Paw Patrol toys and play by herself if she's a tag along or I can take her to a playground nearby and come back for DS at the end of practice. The boys are also in the age now where "playdates" with friends are sans parents. Fortunately they both have friends in the neighborhood, so I can just send them over.

One thing I do feel bad about is DD doesn't often get the activities that are just for her .. like the little kid play gyms and playgrounds that I used to take the boys to when they were her age.

One thing I think I've done well is get all of the kids used to going and doing routine (i.e. boring) things together like grocery shopping. It's hard in the early toddler age range, but getting everyone used to the rules and expectations makes things easier later on and the older kids also get used to being helpful with the youngest.

This is all very, very familiar to me. My kids are 13, 10, and 4.5 now (DS, DS, DD). My DD got really used to tagging along to all of her big brother's activities and I think I can literally count on one hand the number of times she's been to a little kid play gym. Of course just as I was going to add that as a regular weekend activity for her, COVID struck. We do typically do things that work well across different age groups like visiting Udvar Hazy or hiking on the weekends or going to the beach on vacation. It is nice now on the weekends I can just send my 13yo to the playground with my 4yo while I have a relaxed morning or clean up around the house or I can send my 13 and 10yos to play with their friends while I take my DD somewhere.

How are you both handling not treating same sex older siblings as a unit? I am thePP with two older girls and younger boy (7.5, 5.5, 2)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you need to switch with your husband more often and have him stay with the baby and you go with the older children.

This will be the normal for the foreseeable future.

+1

My kids are 11(DS), 9(DS), and 3(DD). Dad has been as much of a default parent for DD as I am. In fact, he did more of the staying home with the baby than I did when we were splitting duties in the first couple of years.

It does get a little easier to bring the youngest along once they're closer to PK age. I remember taking the boys to practice when DD was a new toddler was especially frustrating, but she's now to the point where she brings her Paw Patrol toys and play by herself if she's a tag along or I can take her to a playground nearby and come back for DS at the end of practice. The boys are also in the age now where "playdates" with friends are sans parents. Fortunately they both have friends in the neighborhood, so I can just send them over.

One thing I do feel bad about is DD doesn't often get the activities that are just for her .. like the little kid play gyms and playgrounds that I used to take the boys to when they were her age.

One thing I think I've done well is get all of the kids used to going and doing routine (i.e. boring) things together like grocery shopping. It's hard in the early toddler age range, but getting everyone used to the rules and expectations makes things easier later on and the older kids also get used to being helpful with the youngest.

This is all very, very familiar to me. My kids are 13, 10, and 4.5 now (DS, DS, DD). My DD got really used to tagging along to all of her big brother's activities and I think I can literally count on one hand the number of times she's been to a little kid play gym. Of course just as I was going to add that as a regular weekend activity for her, COVID struck. We do typically do things that work well across different age groups like visiting Udvar Hazy or hiking on the weekends or going to the beach on vacation. It is nice now on the weekends I can just send my 13yo to the playground with my 4yo while I have a relaxed morning or clean up around the house or I can send my 13 and 10yos to play with their friends while I take my DD somewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you need to switch with your husband more often and have him stay with the baby and you go with the older children.

This will be the normal for the foreseeable future.

+1

My kids are 11(DS), 9(DS), and 3(DD). Dad has been as much of a default parent for DD as I am. In fact, he did more of the staying home with the baby than I did when we were splitting duties in the first couple of years.

It does get a little easier to bring the youngest along once they're closer to PK age. I remember taking the boys to practice when DD was a new toddler was especially frustrating, but she's now to the point where she brings her Paw Patrol toys and play by herself if she's a tag along or I can take her to a playground nearby and come back for DS at the end of practice. The boys are also in the age now where "playdates" with friends are sans parents. Fortunately they both have friends in the neighborhood, so I can just send them over.

One thing I do feel bad about is DD doesn't often get the activities that are just for her .. like the little kid play gyms and playgrounds that I used to take the boys to when they were her age.

One thing I think I've done well is get all of the kids used to going and doing routine (i.e. boring) things together like grocery shopping. It's hard in the early toddler age range, but getting everyone used to the rules and expectations makes things easier later on and the older kids also get used to being helpful with the youngest.