What to Expect With a Third Child?

My wife and I are blessed to have two wonderful little girls, and my wife has been getting the itch to have a boy. So I thought it would be a good idea to look up what people say about having a third child. I found a great article from Babble.com, that compares how parenting changes from child one, two and three.

I have already seen how our parenting style has changed from our first and second child. When our oldest was younger, we were what people call helicopter parents. Always there to make sure that our little girl was safe and protected from the unknown. As we gained more experience, and had our second child, we implemented we learned. We learned that we don't have to be there to protect and guard our child for everything. Little girls are strong, and everything, good and bad is what shapes who they will become.

But from what Babble shows, the third child that comes along need to learn to "roll with the punches," and their experiences are different from the other kids.

Mealtime

• First child: Served a bouquet of every food group methodically cut into bite-sized pieces. Every meal served pristinely on $15 Pottery Barn Kids monogrammed plates, matching sporks provided.
• Second child: Chicken nuggets aren’t that bad, are they? I’m certain there is chicken in there somewhere. As long as I serve them with an apple and occasional vegetables, he should be just fine.
• Third child: You want ketchup and Goldfish crackers for dinner? Sounds reasonable. Do you mind eating that in the car? We are late.

Toys

• First child: You spend hours online researching the perfect mix of educational, colorful, and safe toys to fancy your child’s every whim. You carefully inspect each toy for possible choking hazards. All toys are scrubbed each night with a mix of vinegar, water, and breastmilk siphoned from virgins.
• Second child: You hit up local garage sales, carefully cleaning each toy with spit in advance of playtime.
• Third child: Here’s a box of tampons kid, get creative.

Clothing

• First child: Each outfit systematically laid out, careful to include matching socks and hat, pre-washed in Dreft and dried by unicorn whispers.
• Second child: Boys can totally rock pink pajamas. And pink socks.
• Third child: A Batman cape and swim diaper are perfectly acceptable for Mother’s Day brunch. Hurry your ass and get dressed, we’re late.