A TODAYMoms.com survey of more that 7,000 mothers found that the least stressful number of kids is four, while the most stressful number is three. Scary Mommy blogger Jill Smokler told Today that she wholeheartedly agrees. “Going from one to two was an easy, breezy transition,” she said.
As it turns out, having three kids makes moms the most stressed of any combination of kids, according to a TODAY Parents survey. Mothers of three (naturally) reported more stress than parents of one or two kids ... but moms with four or more little ones actually reported lower stress levels.
According to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Western University in Canada, having a third baby won't make you any happier. While parents' happiness increases in the year before and after the first and second children, the birth of third children doesn't see the same increased happiness.
Child number two or three doesn't make a parent happier. And, for mothers, he found, more children appear to make them less happy—although they are happier than childless women. For dads, additional children had no effect on their well-being in his study.
Having three kids is the most stressful.
A “Today Show” survey reported that having three children is actually the most stressful number for parents. This is bad news if you're thinking of stopping at three kids. But it's good news if you're planning on having even more children.
Third born children are usually the charmers in the family. They become the class clown and are usually good manipulators. They are also affectionate and uncomplicated. Underneath all of that charm they can be rebellious, critical, temperamental, spoiled and slightly impatient.
"The survey finds that the majority of respondents believe that two children is the 'ideal' number for family happiness, but the majority of respondents also have two children.
According to a Gallup poll, 4 in 10 Americans say three or more children is the ideal family size.
In fact, mothers who have three children are the most stressed out - even more so than those who have four, according to a. The study found that while transitioning from two to three children is overwhelming for parents because it means they are outnumbered, mothers tend to 'let go' once they reach four children.
Happiness for people with siblings doesn't stop with the day-to-day. People with more siblings are more likely to report happiness in the workplace. It's a difference of 8 percentage points of workplace happiness from only children to people with four or more siblings.
According to a study out of Australia's Edith Cowan University, parents with the most life satisfaction (which means those who are the happiest) are those that have four or more children.
Surveys conducted over the last few years on representative samples in the US and Germany suggest that the percentage of parents who regret having children is approximately 17–8%.
They become quite independent as they reach 5-6 years of age, even wanting to help you with some of the chores! This is probably why most parents look at age 6 as the magical age when parenting gets easier.
“If you want to maximize your subjective well-being, you should stop at one child,” the study's author told Psychology Today. A more recent study, from Europe, found that two was the magic number; having more children didn't bring parents more joy.
Forget the terrible twos and prepare for the hateful eights ‒ parents have named age 8 as the most difficult age to parent, according to new research. Eight being the troublesome year likely comes as a surprise to many parents, especially since parents polled found age 6 to be easier than they expected.
Transitioning From 3 to 4 Kids
I found the transition from 3 to 4 kids a lot easier than expected. If you're going from 3 to 4 kids, you'll already be used to not having enough time or hands, and you'll likely have some good strategies in place. It's only an incremental increase in loudness, stuff, and needs.
A TODAYMoms.com survey of more that 7,000 mothers found that the least stressful number of kids is four, while the most stressful number is three. Scary Mommy blogger Jill Smokler told Today that she wholeheartedly agrees.
Around 7.01 million families had three or more children under 18 living in the household in 2021.
According to a survey conducted by British parenting website Bounty, two girls are considered the best combination for parents to have a happy and harmonious family life. In their study, they surveyed 2,116 parents who had children aged 16 and under.
“Throughout the lifespan, people who have close sibling relationships have better mental health, better psychological health, and better social relationships, generally speaking.”
Having a third child can be less stressful since you've already been through it. Having a new baby can be highly stressful and challenging, especially if you're a first-time parent. But when you've already had two children, you'll know what to expect and how to handle it.
There's also a growing belief that three is the ideal number of children, not two. Twins also throw a spanner into the equation; many people are concerned about the ideal age gap between siblings, and twins don't really have one.