Finding Time for My Oldest After Having Multiples

One of the biggest challenges I have with 4 kids, is the ability to make sure I am spending enough time with each one of them and making sure my time is divided equally. I know it will never be perfect and I know it will never be 100% equal, but I know how important it is, so I always try my hardest everyday.

Going from 1 child to 4, was a huge shock and a big adjustment for myself, so I can only imagine how it must have been for Emily. Emily was only 17 months when the triplets were born and as much as we made sure to involve her in everything, it was still a big change to go from being the only child to 1 of 4.

I never want Emily to feel as though I have forgotten about her or I don’t have time to spend with her, so I have come up with a few ideas of things we can do together. I almost always take her to the store with me if I am running out by myself to pick up a few things and when the triplets are napping, I use that time to do an activity such as coloring or even having her sit in the kitchen with me if I have work to do. Just the other day when Olivia, Jackson and Levi were napping, Emily and I spent some time outside on the deck and had some lunch together. I was able to talk to her, listen to her and just be there for her if she needed something or wanted to ask me something. I know there is no need for the activities to be so complicated and I really do think she enjoys the little extra focus just on her.

It will be challenging at times to divide myself between 4 kids and all their needs individually. Finding the extra time during the day to give each one of them a little more attention and focus, will help to make sure I am letting them know I am there. When the triplets were born it was hard because when they needed me, I had to multiply that time by 3. Now that they are older and are capable of playing on their own and not relying on me for everything, I have the time to dedicate to Emily. In a way, I can now make up the time that I couldn’t give to her when the triplets where born!

If you are subscribed to our YouTube Channel, The Baby Gang, then you would have come across our videos of In The Kitchen with Emily & Mummy. They are fun videos of Emily and I, baking or cooking some fun recipes together and then trying them at the end. Some videos include the triplets, but most of them are just of Emily and I.

I love to cook and bake and I am so excited to teach Emily some of the basic skills and techniques and of course the triplets, when they are old enough. Making the videos of us cooking or baking in the kitchen has been so much fun and Emily has really started to enjoy them. In our latest episode, we made chocolate chip cookies and I thought it was so cute to see Emily picking up on the way I say things or introducing ourselves. At some parts it may have been unclear as to what she was saying, but I know she was explaining the steps of making the cookies and it was just too adorable!

The recipes we chose are not complicated and only take a couple of minutes to throw together and I think that helps to keep the focus on the fun, which is what they are all about. It has taken me a little bit to get over the fact that the video may not go exactly how I imagined or planned, but even after the extra mess and extra time, everything has turned out great.

Baking or cooking is such a great hands on activity to do and allows Emily to learn while having fun. I think it is important to teach basic cooking skills and I find it keeps Emily engaged and eager to do more, as I am sure it would with every child! Not only does it help with learning to cook, but even with her vocabulary, learning new words and new foods and also being able to give directions when telling each step in the recipe. 

Sometimes it is a little bit of a challenge to find the time to set everything up and make the video, especially during the day when I am home alone. We have to wait for Jackson, Olivia and Levi to fall asleep and even then we only have a limited amount of time to record. The other option we have is to set up the chairs and have all three join us for the video! It is fun to have them included as well and I like to think Jackson, Olivia and Levi enjoy having a snack and watching us cook. It will be interesting to see how the videos will go when all 3 are old enough and ready to join in on the cooking!

When we started In The Kitchen with Emily & Mummy, we were wearing our matching Christmas aprons. I had actually found them before we started the videos and they worked perfectly, but we needed an upgrade. Last weekend when we were in Buffalo, we were walking through Macy’s and in the corner of my eye I spotted an apron that said “mama” on it and as I was looking at them, I found a matching one that said “bebe.” They were so cute and exactly what I was looking for and on top of that they were on sale! Now we have some new aprons to wear and they add that much more excitement to each episode!

At the end of the day, the main purpose of In The Kitchen with Emily & Mummy, is to have fun and spend some quality one on one time with Emily. Even if we decided not to record the videos, we would still be cooking together and having fun!

 

I encourage everyone to try baking or cooking with your kids. If you have multiple kids who are ready to get in the kitchen and start baking, set up a day every few weeks for each child to join you, that way you can include everyone in the fun, but still have the one on one time with each of them! And if you only have one child who is ready, but have little ones who aren’t, set up their high chairs, set out some snacks or toys and have them watch what is going on!

To check out all of our episodes of In The Kitchen with Emily & Mummy, visit our YouTube Page, Youtube.com/thebabygang and look for the Playlist IN THE KITCHEN WITH EMILY AND MUMMY.

We are always open to trying new recipes and any suggestions, so please leave any you have in the comments below! (We will give you a shout out too, if we make your suggestion!)

Here is our newest Episode of In The Kitchen With Emily and Mummy!

We are baking The Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies!

*Emily was too cute and has really started to pick up on how the videos go!