taking 4 kids out at once and keeping everyone happy

mumof4our

As the name says, I have four as well. I do find it difficult taking them all out at once. Its like herding sheep around..... althought they don't like to stick together.

Swimming is difficult without someone to help out as, and I don't know if its the same everywhere, you can only take two children under 8 into the pool at a time per adult, and my eldest is only 8.

Savvy_Sue

mumof4our wrote: »

As the name says, I have four as well. I do find it difficult taking them all out at once. Its like herding sheep around.....

or cats ...

Does anyone else just count continually? Even now, when we're out with the boys, or out with the boys plus the grandparents, I'm obsessively counting to see we haven't lost anyone ...

Oh, and we sometimes used to take other people's children to Legoland for a birthday treat, and I would write down what each child was wearing and their hair colour in case I 'lost' one. And then count obsessively, all day. :rotfl:

miserly_mum

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

or cats ...

Does anyone else just count continually? Even now, when we're out with the boys, or out with the boys plus the grandparents, I'm obsessively counting to see we haven't lost anyone ...

Oh, and we sometimes used to take other people's children to Legoland for a birthday treat, and I would write down what each child was wearing and their hair colour in case I 'lost' one. And then count obsessively, all day. :rotfl:

Do any of you think you subconsciously worry MORE about losing someone elses's child than your own

My youngest one is a wanderer, I really have to watch him like a hawk or he'll just "DISDAPPEAR" as he puts it , awwww bless :rolleyes: When we are all out together all you hear every 5 mins is me saying "where the hell is he now? "

charlottecarter

I have an 11 year old and 2 3 year olds. The best thing we ever got were some decent long distance two way radios - they were only twenty quid or so in an Argos sale. We generally take a friend along on a day out for our eldest son and then give them both a radio, and then both my husband and I have one each too. It means that we can constantly talk to them when we are out, but also give them a bit of freedom.

We make sure that each child has the chance to choose what we do once a month and also that each child has one-on-one time at least once a week. It can be tough fitting it in but it does seem to help. That way they do get to do what they want to sometimes and the rest of the time it is about enjoying what others enjoy - it seems to work!

Savvy_Sue

miserly_mum wrote: »

Do any of you think you subconsciously worry MORE about losing someone elses's child than your own

My youngest one is a wanderer, I really have to watch him like a hawk or he'll just "DISDAPPEAR" as he puts it , awwww bless :rolleyes: When we are all out together all you hear every 5 mins is me saying "where the hell is he now? "

SUBconscious? No way, it's extremely conscious!

I did once 'lose' DS2 at the top of a steep river bank, and goodness knows I was in a state, but if that had been someone else's child I would have been far, far worse.

He'd done the sensible thing, as it happens, and found another mummy with children, told her he'd lost me, and she'd rung the police who came and picked him up in a police car and brought him back to where he'd last seen me, thus re-inforcing the first message of What To Do When You Lose Your Grown Up - Stay Where You Are (because they know where they last saw you and can come back there to find you!)

BTW, the next step after Stay Where You Are is to find an appropriate adult. The list of appropriate adults (because you can't use that term with 3 year olds which is when I picked these tips up!) is someone who works in the shop (if that's where you are), a policeman in their uniform, or another mummy with children. Being pedants, my children had to have this expanded to a policeman or lady, or any adult with children.

So our first step at Legoland or wherever was to run through the What To Do list, point out what staff would be wearing (primary colours and name badges at Legoland), and make sure they knew our names and what WE looked like! Also we'd always make sure we knew what the attraction would do with 'lost' children - at Legoland for example they don't lose children, it's parents who get lost, and children are taken somewhere central to await your arrival.

It didn't help me relax much more, I don't think, but I never did lose anyone.

sooz

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

BTW, the next step after Stay Where You Are is to find an appropriate adult. The list of appropriate adults (because you can't use that term with 3 year olds which is when I picked these tips up!) is someone who works in the shop (if that's where you are), a policeman in their uniform, or another mummy with children. Being pedants, my children had to have this expanded to a policeman or lady, or any adult with children.

Fantastic tips! :T
I always tell mine to find another mummy with a buggy. They are still too little to understand the differences in uniform, and tbh we see more traffic wardens than police men/women here!

Recently in legoland, I saw overprotective parents in full action. These two poor children were made to spend the whole day wearing florescent yellow safety jackets (adult sized) on which their names and both parent's mobile numbers were written in 4 inch letters in permanent marker :eek: . I bet their photos from the day look great . And they were never let out of sight...they were even being followed on the slides!

Oldernotwiser

sooz wrote: »

Recently in legoland, I saw overprotective parents in full action. These two poor children were made to spend the whole day wearing florescent yellow safety jackets (adult sized) on which their names and both parent's mobile numbers were written in 4 inch letters in permanent marker

Putting a child's name on public view seems incredibly stupid; you're not even supposed to put a dog's name on it's disc!

bestpud

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Putting a child's name on public view seems incredibly stupid; you're not even supposed to put a dog's name on it's disc!

Quite! Tell them never to talk to strangers but they didn't because that 'lovely' man/woman knew their name... :rolleyes:

bestpud

Ds was 10 and DD1 was 9 when we had our youngest and we found splitting up to be the best option most of the time tbh.

Either that, or as someone has said, allow the older children to bring a friend as then they will entertain themselves.

With films it is a simple case of choosing a multi-screen and you and DH tossing a coin for the best film!

The other thing we have done a few times is get a babysitter for our littlie so we can take the older two somewhere.

It is easier, I think, if you really want to stay together, to find somewhere for the older children and then take toys or whatever for the younger ones as they tend to be easier to entertain. Nothing worse than a moping/whingeing teenager imo!

It's hard, I agree - it's certainly something we were unprepared for when we signed up for the big age gap!

Won't be for long though - they grow up so fast and then all you have to worry about it where they are and what they are up to when not with you!!

bestpud

miserly_mum wrote: »

Do any of you think you subconsciously worry MORE about losing someone elses's child than your own

quote]

Oh yes!! I worry much more about other children I am looking after - I think it's because they are unpredicatable and we don't know what they might do in certain situations?

I make them sound like wild animals but you know what I mean! :rotfl: