The Official Daddies Club

[laoislad]

Number 3 is on the way in a few months.
Gonna have to change the wife's car and buy a car that will take 3 car seats.
Not much choice out there really. Leaning towards the 5008 or the Grand Scenic.
What did anyone here in the same situation buy? Would rather just get her a Passat or A4 but everyone tells me you won't fit 3 seats in them.

Have a look here Laoislad. Expensive but might save you changing car.https://multimac.co.uk/home.
I have 3 but went for a 2nd hand santa fe 7 seater. Put the 6 yr old in the very back seats and the 2 wee ones in the normal back. I find when all 3 are in the one row together they fight.

I've seen those multimacs alright but the wife's car needs changing anyway.

[OakleafCounty]

Number 3 is on the way in a few months.
Gonna have to change the wife's car and buy a car that will take 3 car seats.
Not much choice out there really. Leaning towards the 5008 or the Grand Scenic.
What did anyone here in the same situation buy? Would rather just get her a Passat or A4 but everyone tells me you won't fit 3 seats in them.

Congrats LL!!

Is anyone elses place a feckin 'mad house'?? Have a 2, 4 & 6 yr old and itchy and scratchy wouldn't have a look in...if it's not the 4 & 6 year old, it's the 2 & 4 yr old...can't leave them for a minute. We try to limit electronics but sometimes it's the only way to get stuff done.

6 yr old is a sensitive buck, can't for the life of me get him to learn to ride a bike without stabilizers. He just won't do it. Is it a 'he'll just do it in his own time' thing or anyone else have a technique? I know he's only 6 and I shouldn't be judging him against others but I don't want him to be the only one not riding his bike.

Mine aren't that age yet but I'm intending to take them to a park with a grass hill that isn't steep. Have them well padded and send them down it without their feet touching the pedals. It will help them learn how to balance. When they master balancing they can then try to pedal. Theres a good Youtube video of it somewhere.

[BenDover]

Number 3 is on the way in a few months.
Gonna have to change the wife's car and buy a car that will take 3 car seats.
Not much choice out there really. Leaning towards the 5008 or the Grand Scenic.
What did anyone here in the same situation buy? Would rather just get her a Passat or A4 but everyone tells me you won't fit 3 seats in them.

Congrats LL!!

Is anyone elses place a feckin 'mad house'?? Have a 2, 4 & 6 yr old and itchy and scratchy wouldn't have a look in...if it's not the 4 & 6 year old, it's the 2 & 4 yr old...can't leave them for a minute. We try to limit electronics but sometimes it's the only way to get stuff done.

6 yr old is a sensitive buck, can't for the life of me get him to learn to ride a bike without stabilizers. He just won't do it. Is it a 'he'll just do it in his own time' thing or anyone else have a technique? I know he's only 6 and I shouldn't be judging him against others but I don't want him to be the only one not riding his bike.

This made me laugh - we've a 7, 4 and 9 month old now when the 7 and 4 yr old get along they are the best but lately I just feel like I'm refereeing a constant fight between the 2 of them. 7 year old has got unreal for taunting. So I sympathise with you and any other parent I chat to have the same story, so you are not alone.

For riding the bike without stabilizers, we purchased a couple of balance bikes and the now 4 year old was whizzing around on them no bother so last summer I put him on a bike with no stabilizers gave him a push off and away he went - hasn't looked back. I'd recommend the balance bike to anyone saves the hassle with stabilizers. Perseverance/encouragement is the key to getting your 6 year old of stabilizers. Hold the seat and let him feel ye holding him up while he pedals away, prepare for a sore back and a bit of running and repeat don't stop pedalling :-) good times!!!

[The Iceman]

we put all the kids on stabilizers to get used to pedaling and pedaling fast. then its balance bike until they're gliding and engaging the core muscles for balance then its back on a bike and away they go...i dont even think theyve fallen in the process...
we have 5 now and its no real different than when we had 3 or 4
its all perspective - once you're outnumbered you're outnumbered. We've learned to live on hardly any sleep for now and if you don't let them go buck mad and manage your house with some tighter rules everyone works great together - we find limiting electronics and getting them outside helps a lot by the evening time. Nothing like running about the back garden with a ball or a day at the beach to exhaust them!

[Donagh]

Number 3 is on the way in a few months.
Gonna have to change the wife's car and buy a car that will take 3 car seats.
Not much choice out there really. Leaning towards the 5008 or the Grand Scenic.
What did anyone here in the same situation buy? Would rather just get her a Passat or A4 but everyone tells me you won't fit 3 seats in them.

Congrats LL!!

Is anyone elses place a feckin 'mad house'?? Have a 2, 4 & 6 yr old and itchy and scratchy wouldn't have a look in...if it's not the 4 & 6 year old, it's the 2 & 4 yr old...can't leave them for a minute. We try to limit electronics but sometimes it's the only way to get stuff done.

6 yr old is a sensitive buck, can't for the life of me get him to learn to ride a bike without stabilizers. He just won't do it. Is it a 'he'll just do it in his own time' thing or anyone else have a technique? I know he's only 6 and I shouldn't be judging him against others but I don't want him to be the only one not riding his bike.

We have six now, 7,6,4,3,2 and a few months. We ended up scrapping screens and video games a while back. Their behaviour after being slumped in front of a box for an hour or two was too much to tolerate. They all became lazy, mean, complaining little teenagers. Now they get a movie on a Saturday evening and maybe a Sunday if it's raining. Behaviour has been much better ever since.

With a larger family they all have their allies and enemies depending on which siblings are around. They'll all be angelic on their own or in single pairs but if they're all together the 7&6 and 4&3 year olds will tease constantly and be mean to each other. It tends to be the older ones trying to assert themselves. I think we make the mistake of treating them all equally - like older pair do everything together, same school, same football & hurling team, same music lessons, so the older one in particular doesn't really get a chance to 'be the oldest'. I think he tries to express that by trying to boss the other one around. Trick is just to notice the signs before he goes off on a 4 hour sulk after being told off for annoying the others. Usually worse in the evenings after a school day, so tiredness a lot to do with it as well.

As mentioned the balance bikes are good advice. We got one for the third oldest, let her fly around on it for a bit and went straight onto a bike without any bother. Her little bother was the same. The 2 year old is onto it now.   

[Donagh]

Number 3 is on the way in a few months.
Gonna have to change the wife's car and buy a car that will take 3 car seats.
Not much choice out there really. Leaning towards the 5008 or the Grand Scenic.
What did anyone here in the same situation buy? Would rather just get her a Passat or A4 but everyone tells me you won't fit 3 seats in them.

I had a Passat when we had three car seats, depends on the size of the seats. You might not get three 5-point seats in the back but we normally move them into a 3-point seat when they were about 3 or so anyway. The Passat will easily take two 5-points and a 3-point in the back (has an integrated booster seat as well) and another 5-point in the front passenger - can switch the air bag off for the rear facing seats. When the wife was driving on her own she always preferred the youngest in the front passenger anyway so she could stick a dummy in when needed.

[ONeill]

We have six now, 7,6,4,3,2 and a few months. We ended up scrapping screens and video games a while back. Their behaviour after being slumped in front of a box for an hour or two was too much to tolerate. They all became lazy, mean, complaining little teenagers. Now they get a movie on a Saturday evening and maybe a Sunday if it's raining. Behaviour has been much better ever since.

Holy smokes.

Were neither of you in the form for it 5 years ago?

[seafoid]

The Uncle books by JP Martin are great bedtime story material for 7 /8 year olds

[J70]

we put all the kids on stabilizers to get used to pedaling and pedaling fast. then its balance bike until they're gliding and engaging the core muscles for balance then its back on a bike and away they go...i dont even think theyve fallen in the process...
we have 5 now and its no real different than when we had 3 or 4
its all perspective - once you're outnumbered you're outnumbered. We've learned to live on hardly any sleep for now and if you don't let them go buck mad and manage your house with some tighter rules everyone works great together - we find limiting electronics and getting them outside helps a lot by the evening time. Nothing like running about the back garden with a ball or a day at the beach to exhaust them!

May try that approach with my young lad. He had started on the stabilizer set up before the winter, so once we get him back out and well used to the paddling, I'll see if a balance bike would help.

[dec]

With my two I unscrewed the pedals from the bike and let them do a few days on that as a balance bike.

If you can find somewhere with a very gentle slope it allows them to learn how to balance while coasting down the slope.

[gawa316]

Cheers for the advice...he has a balance bike and can fly around on it (even though it's far too small now) but it's a kicking and screaming match to get him on the bike...he'll just do the falling in stages crap, start whinging and at that stage it's impossible to refocus him, so he gets his way and acts as an enforcer.

Out of ideas...might have the brother try with him when he's over. It might even take his wee brother to do it first (which isn't too far away) before he realizes it

[Hereiam]

Lads in the market for a 7 seater as i get strange looks pulling up with 4 kids me and the wife all squeezed into the ole Audi.

Have been looking at the S-Max,
anyone have one are they any good,
whats the build quality like
anything to look of for

[The Iceman]

I would go for a people carrier like the VW
More boot room than any of them, real seats, plenty of storage throughout the vehicle and more comfort than squeezing in to any kind of crossover or expanded suv
once you get passed the stigma of having one in your own head you'll not regret it

[offtheground]

Can anyone recommend some good bedtime story books with Irish myths and legends? The Julia Donaldson books are absolutely great, but I'd love to introduce a some Irish stories about Cuchulain or Queen Medb etc.
I've searched Amazon, but the ones on there aren't great - not very well Illustrated.

[The Iceman]

theres some great audio on youtube if you do a search  -my youngest boys love hearing about finn mccool