Is having three children any different to having two?

Muamer Hodzic October 7, 2013

Apart from the obvious need for a bit more time and perhaps another pair of hands, what are the main differences between having two children and having three?

Space

The additional space required when you have three children depends on quite a number of things. The age of your children, whether you have boys or girls and to a certain extent, their personalities, are just some of the aspects that may dictate what your family needs in the way of space.

Regardless of whether you have boys, girls, or a mixture, it may be best to have them in separate bedrooms once they reach secondary school. This is not always necessary, but they usually begin to crave some privacy. This is something you should decide together with your children as it is very much dependent upon their preferences. There are plenty of children who enjoy sharing a room and don’t like to sleep alone.

Car

The average car has five seats, which on the face of it seems perfect. However, when you consider the paraphernalia necessary when you have children, especially when they are young, you might consider upgrading to a bigger car. There are a number of options, but the MPV is an example of a good people carrier. This will take out the stress of trying to squeeze everything in and make those days out a much more pleasant experience all round. Visit the Which Car website for tips on buying an MPV.
Financial

Having three children is not necessarily a third more expensive than having two. If you are happy for your children to share a room and are also good at making sure equipment lasts long enough to be passed along the line, the initial extra cost of having another baby is not as significant as you might think. However, a word of warning…they grow and the older they get, the more expensive they are.

Consider the costs involved in a day out. Picnics in the park are undeniably fun, but what happens when your children start pestering for a trip to one of the big theme parks or a meal out to a local restaurant? It certainly isn’t vital for these trips to feature regularly in the family diary, but every once in a while, it’s great to give your children the incentive to try hard at school and complete that sticker chart. With family tickets and set menus generally catering for four, the additional person potentially pushes the cost up significantly. The same goes for holidays and hotel stays, when having three children will mean you are required to book two rooms, rather than one family suite.

On top of this, there are clubs, school trips, Christmas and birthday presents and looking really long term, the potential costs involved in setting your ‘children’ up at university or in a place of their own.

It’s not all bad, however; it does mean one more pair of hands to help with the washing up and one extra person to look after you in your old age.