Mom's Who Have 3 or More Kids Close in Age

Hi K..
There are tons of things to do. Have your oldest son in charge of reading a daily story to your little ones, having them sit on either side of him so they can see the pictures, too. My son couldn't read fluently at 4 but was able to "read" by reading the pictures (make up his own story). When my daughter reads to my boys (9yrs, 5yrs, 2.5yrs), they just listen and stare at her. They are so mesmerized by her. My 5 yr old is able to read, now, so when he reads to his baby brother, it is the cutest thing because the stories are not as complex as the stories my daughter reads to them.
Another suggestion would be to have your oldest help you decide what your little ones will be wearing that day. He can also be in charge of making sure that his baby brother has his favorite toy before leaving the house.
I have sooooo many suggestions, but I think if you just involve him in other aspects of his baby brother, he'll be bonding and being a wonderful big brother. As far as playing, you can have him sing the alphabet and count numbers to him.
Take Care!
D.

mine are 2 and a half ( sept 3 2004) and 4 year old ( christmas 2002). We had simular issues, older boy did not seem intrested in younger one for a long time, untill in fact recently. 2yr old is starting to do big boy stuff. Maybe just incourage interactive play and patience.

Hi K., I have three children close together.. 6,4,2.. My oldest and youngest are both boys... They didn't really have a bond until this past year, when my youngest started to get interested in playing hot wheels.. My oldest son and my 4 year old daughter never really had to much in common until she started to play video games with him... It's age... They dont want to be troubled by a little kid touching all their stuff and one you have to do everything for.. Hey, sometimes I dont want to either... We just try to find activities that suits them all, like the park.. Or outside activiites.. Baseball, etc might encourage the oldest one to try and teach the youngest how to play... Besides that they will find their bond at some point..

DON'T WORRY YOUR 4YR OLD WILL BOND WHEN HE GETS READY NO NEED TO PUSH HIM RIGHT NOW HE'S PROBABLY STILL FEELING A LITTLE LEFT OUT SINCE HE'S NOT THE BABY ANYMORE HE'S LEARNING HIS PLACE JUST GIVE HIM TIME. YALL HAVE PLENTLY OF TIME SO JUST ENJOY AN ONE DAY WHEN YOUR NOT EXPECTING IT THE BOND WILL HAPPEN. MY OLDEST 7YR SON TOOK AWHILE TO BOND WITH MY YOUNGEST SON 7MONTHS AN HE STILL HAS DAYS WHERE HE WISHES HE WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE WITH NO BABIES AROUND THEN 2SEC LATER HE'S HUGGING ON HIM. KIDS WORK THINGS OUT REALLY WELL AT THAT AGE SO DON'T WORRY AN TAKE CARE.

I have 3 close in age. I have a 3 yr. old, a 2 yr. old and a 1 yr. old. My husband and I didn't plan on having them so close together, it just happen that way.

K. hello mt name is H. i am a mom of 3 my childrens ages are 6 years old who is a girl i have a 4 year old who is a boy then i have a 17 month old little boy and on top of all that i have my two nephews living with me and their ages are 3 years and 16 months now the two babies the 16 and 17 month old are just 2 weeks apart and they finght constantly over me over toys sippy cups and the other siblings and the 3 and 4 year old fight most of the time but the 6 year old is like a mother hen to them all they all play well with her but the 3 and 4 year old they fight and get along in spurts one week they are fine the next week they are killing each other and the babies 99 percent of the time they are fighting so i believe it depends on the childs mood and their stage they are at like the 2 year old you spoke about my best advice is to let them all have the space they each need but try to avoid hurt feelings and body parts now with the older boys the 3 and 4 year old they have had to learn how to play well with the babies because for a while they did not get along at all. what i did was put a huge toy box in my front room and that was filled with only the babies trucks and blocks and so on, now the 3 year and 4 year old was only allowed to play in the front room and they had to learn how to share with the babies and for the first week no one hardly played they all kept getting in trouble for fighting or not wanting to play but when they all got to the point where they all wanted to play they all figured out how to get along they had to if they wanted to play now i have a 3 and 4 year old who are wonderful with the babies they play well with them so now i need to figure a way to make the 3 and 4 year olds play well with each other.. good luck i hope i helped

Hi K.,

I know exactly how you feel. My first two are 12 months apart and my second and third are 20 months apart. My youngest is 1, my middle child is almost 3 and my oldest just turned 4. My older two play very well together and always have however my one year old is TORTURED!!! My oldest in constantly teasing her and lately he is very MEAN to her. I don't really know what to do with him at this point. My 1 year old tries to pay with the other two but they just shut her down and run off with whatever toy she had. Just wanted you to know that their is another Mom out here going thru the same thing as you. Maybe we should get together and let them PLAY while we get a break!! I need a BREAK!!! Best of luck to you.