• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sengerson - Home DIY, Motherhood, and Family Vacations Blog
  • Tour My House
  • Home DIY
  • Cricut & Silhouette
  • Travel
  • Motherhood
  • Crafts
  • Meet Seng
  • Shop
  • FREE Resource Library
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Tour My House
  • Home DIY
  • Cricut & Silhouette
  • Travel
  • Motherhood
  • Crafts
  • Meet Seng
  • Shop
  • FREE Resource Library
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Motherhood » What It's Like Having a Family of Four Kids

    What It's Like Having a Family of Four Kids

    Last Updated Date: February 20, 2022 | Published Date: April 4, 2019 by Seng Nickerson

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Now that my fourth child is almost going to celebrate her second baby, I wanted to share with you guys our journey, the joy and the reality of the chaos that is our lives as working parents with having 4 kids.

    We are proud parents of four BEAUTIFUL kids. Ryan and I are so very lucky to have them in our lives. If I'm being honest, sometimes I think we were insane.

    family with 4 children

    We both went into our marriage knowing that we wanted at least two kids. At the time, I would have never imagined that we would be blessed with four beautiful kids. Did we plan having four kids before marriage? Absolutely not.

    We had four kids in less than six years, and we both work outside the home!

    Our children are 13 months, 34 months, and 23 months apart. And all of them were very much planned.

    For those that are contemplating on going from 3 to 4 kids, here is what you need to know from a working mom's perspective.

    In This Post

    • Family with Four Children What It's Really Like
    • Reasons to Have  Four Children Close in Age
    • Two Year Update with a Family of Four Children
    • Are they all yours?
    • Learn More About Having Four Kids

    Family with Four Children What It's Really Like

    I am listing the top things that come to mind when someone asks me what it's like having a football team as a family.

    dad with 4 children

    You and Your Spouse Will Laugh as You Cry

    There are tough days. And there are amazing days. Right now, we are in our second year as a family of six, and we've gone through so many emotions. The emotions are the same as when we had three kids, but they are much more intense these days.

    The House Will Always Be Messy with Piles

    We have a cleaning service, and the house is STILL messy. All the photos you see on the blog, that's pretty much what it looks like for about five minutes.

    Daycare Will Be Expensive (Especially in the Summer)

    You'll have a decade long car payment wit no residual value. Summertime gets quite expensive when the older kids go to all day summer camps (when the cost was offset by public school).

    Your House Will Be Loud All The Time

    Our house is VERY LOUD. Sometimes, it's unbearable, and I have to tell the husband to deal with the chaos while I lock myself in the bedroom for five minutes to regain my sanity.

    Every Kid Wants to Come To Your House

    When you have four kids, all their friends will drive by your house and want to come in. And you'll not want them to come in because the house is messy. The kids will all plan playdates at school with one another, and you end up somehow being the hosting house because there is already an embedded party.

    You'll Feel Guilty Not Having Enough 1:1 Time With Each Kid

    Even after work, I feel like we do group things as a family, and when they get tucked in, each kid gets about 10 minutes of "tucking in" time. So I normally combat this over the summer by taking vacation to spend one-on-one time with each kid during their birthday and another random day!

    Reasons to Have  Four Children Close in Age

    With my kids all being at most 3 years apart in age, I was basically pregnant for almost a decade 🙂 There are a few reasons why I did this:

    what its like having 4 kids

    Strong Sibling Bond

    As I watch my kids interact with each other, I can see that they have a very close bond that's pretty unmatched as compared to their friends.

    Built-in Playmate

    I love the fact that they can pair up and play together. I remember when we just had our oldest, I had to be her playmate. With having a built-in playmate, it was just amazing to see the kids interact with each other and entertain one another.

    Similar Stages of Development

    I absolutely loved having four kids close in age because I never actually threw away any of their baby stuff, so I kept using them one the next one. However, as my last baby grows out of things, I am excited to purge!

    Similar Interests

    They share very similar interests when their close in age, especially those that are the same gender.

    Learn to Share and Compromise

    As they grow into their own, they've learned and master the techniques of compromising. They know that even if they ball their eyes out, their sibling might not cave in like Mom does. I have a feeling that they are going to be masters at negotiations as they get older.

    Same Nap Time

    In our house with four littles, this is a HUGE win. Yes, my 2nd grader still takes naps on weekends. Yep.

    Parental Expertise Gets Better

    I feel like I keep creating mastering my talent stack of parental skills as I started having my kids because I never "lost touch" of that age!

    Two Year Update with a Family of Four Children

    When we were debating on having a fourth child, I know it took both of us a year to get on board once we had the thought. For me, I just HAD this feeling that we weren't done. My husband was completely opposite of me. But there was this nagging feeling, and I didn't want to have regret. When my fourth was born, that feeling subsided and I felt complete. (If you wanted to know my thought process as we planned to expand our family from three kids to four kids, you can read that post here.)

    family with 4 children working parents

    What Family Life Is Like At Two Years

    We are beyond busy all the time. As parents who both work outside of the home, it gets pretty much hectic 80% of the time. However, as the months go by, I feel as though life does get a little easier and much more manageable (and I'm saying this as my oldest is 7 and youngest is 22 months). I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Winter cabin fever is the absolute worst when you have a big family. Since our youngest is now walking, we're loving the fact that everyone can venture out and play! This was much harder when she was barely crawling.

    Daycare and School

    I feel like right now in this moment of life, time is my most precious resource and I'm trying to use it as wisely as I can while also balancing not missing out on things.  As a mom, I try to attend every class party and every field trip utilizing my vacation from work, but it's going to get harder as my younger two start school. 

    Husband and Wife

    As husband and wife, we get about 40 minutes of time after the kids go to bed just to hang out and decompress. We both know that it's not enough, but we're making room for each other as much as we can. We have dinner together as a family, but sometimes, we do hire a babysitter for us just to get away!

    Extracurricular Activities for Kids

    I cut down a TON in this space. The older kids are only doing 2 extracurriculars versus the 5 they were originally doing. This has saved a ton of arguing and chaos in our house.

    Hobbies

    This year was the first year that Ryan and I have been able to pursue our hobbies to the extend time has allowed us to!

    Are they all yours?

    mom with 4 children

    Ryan and I are raising four kids in a two kid world right now. We totally get it. Things are more expensive (let's not talk about our cruise here). We get stares all the time if one of us should go somewhere with all four kids alone. When asked how many kids we have, I always wait for the bewildered look that typically follows. 

    We are a large family, and are incredibly blessed. I wouldn't have it any other way. These kids with their personalities bring so much laughter and joy to my life. 

    Learn More About Having Four Kids

    • Reasons Why to Have Four Kids
    • What It's Really Like Having Four Kids
    • Things I Didn't Expect Having Four Kids
    The crazy truth to having four kids.

    Photo Credit: Cassandra Castaneda Photography
     

    « Personal Stylist Online Using Stitch Fix
    13 BEST Midwest Family Vacations for Summer FUN (even for younger kids) »


    Disclosure

    Many of the links on this blog are affiliate links. Sengerson.com receives a small comission when certain items are purchased, but the price is the same for you. Sengerson.com is a participant in the Amazon LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.


    Subscribe for Access to Resource Library

    Subscribe down below for access to the FREE resource library that provides access to affordable home decor, printables, and family vacation hacks. Once you sign up, you'll get access to tons of absolutely free content. You'll also be signed up for my monthly newsletter where I share tips and tricks along the way!

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Nice to meet you!

    Seng is a life and style blogger for the modern mom. She is a mom of four that works outside of the home balancing the delicate balance of her career and being present for her family.
    Hi I'm Seng - a working mom, loving wife, lifestyle blogger, family photographer, and the ultimate purveyor of the "honey do list". More »

    Looking for Something

    Footer

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Meet Seng

    • About
    • Shop
    • DIY Web Stories
    • Home Tour
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

    Ideas by Room

    • Bathroom
    • Bedroom
    • Living Room
    • Dining & Kitchen
    • Outdoor Living
    • Paint Colors
    • Organization
    • Shopping Guide

    Motherhood

    • Family Vacations
    • Parenting
    • Baby Registry
    • Productivity Tips
    • Easy & Fast Recipes
    • Mom Fashion
    • Kids Fashion
    • Gift Guides

    ©2021 SENGERSON LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Email
    • Print
    • Save