Threenagers: Does it Get Any Easier?

Last updated on October 31st, 2023 at 10:48 am

A MoM recently asked:

Everyone posts “how we survived the newborn stage”. How the heck do you survive threenagers?! My girls just turned 3 a couple months ago and it’s horrible! They wake up, have breakfast and usually hangout, color, and when it’s nice they play outside. I feel like they get bored fast so they trash the playroom or living room. Does this happen to anyone else? Do you clean throughout the day or at night once they’re in bed?

Here’s what our Twiniversity fans had to say:

This is life with toddlers. I don’t even bother trying to keep up with my kids’ playroom. If it gets cleaned once a week I’m golden! As far as the living room, I’m constantly managing the mess. I’m constantly putting them back into their toy box.
∼ DNG

I think 3 year olds can help clean up. We used a big tote and they just put everything in. No need to be super organized or micromanage them. Give yourself a break. Messy houses will wait. Your twins are only young once.
∼ LS

Ahhhh 3 year olds. I have identical boys that are 3 and a half. Someone with 1 year old twins asked me if it’s easier. I said kind of. You get more sleep, but there is so much more sass.
∼ MC

My boys turned 3 this September and I totally agree! I feel like 3 is harder than their first year was!
∼ KZ

I laugh because, yep, that’s what they do! They would literally just dump the bins of toys and not play with them! I made them clean-up. I set a timer and said “You clean for 10 minutes and then I will help you, but you have to be cleaning for the entire 10 minutes.” I would just sit there telling them what and how to clean. Now that they are older (5 years old) I just tell them to clean their playroom and pick up their toys. They know that if it is not clean, I’m coming in with a garbage bag and any toys not in a spot are going to be given away. This totally works! I hold a garbage bag in my hand and they freaked out, telling me to go away, closed the playroom door and spent 90 minutes playing/cleaning/playing. Their playroom gets cleaned and I get to sit and enjoy a hot cup of coffee! While some things get easier, you run into other battles. Hang tight Mama! You’ve got this!
∼ EM

Yes, 3 has been by far the hardest! My boy/girl twins are total destroyers. They break and get into everything. I have a lock on so many doors. Their latest thing to get into was 5 lbs of flour and powdered sugar. What a mess!
∼ AS

This is truly the worse stage so far. Mine are totally psychotic and feed off of each other. I spend my day trying not to have anxiety attacks over the constant screaming, fighting, and cleaning. That’s it, that’s all I do. I long for the newborn days. Mine will only tidy up if I threaten to take away their loveys.
∼ CAM

Pick your battles, stay flexible, and offer guided options. I consider myself strict but say yes to everything I can.
∼ AB

My girls have to help pick up after themselves. We have a toy box and a bunch of those canvas bins. They throw all the toys in there. Done. Only twice have I had to go in with a trash bag because they weren’t picking up. Set your standards very low. It gets better!
∼ JT

This is why I called that stage “the soul sucking 3’s”. It’s tough! As much as I used to hate it when people would say it to me, enjoy it as much as possible, life was much easier when my 4 kids were all under 5 years old!
∼ KN

It’s like shoveling in a blizzard trying to clean up after twins! I do not think that aspect has got any better at age 7, just a different kind of mess (hockey equipment, clothes,etc.) By far 3 was the hardest age to date. 3 year olds are insane!
∼ NM

I have identical twin 16 year old boys! It was easier when they were 3 years old than now. Try to enjoy it. I cleaned after they went to bed and at nap time if I didn’t need a nap also.
∼ CB

Mine are are just over 2.5 years. They run amok all day. I pick up at nap time and bed time. Usually, I try and limit how much stuff they have available. They have one doll, one stuffed animal, one bag of Mega Bloks and a box of matchbox cars. Everything else gets locked up! I find they keep themselves just as engaged with fewer toys as they do if they have all their toys accessible. It’s just less mess. Normally, they are made to clean up one play session before starting another. It’s not easy but on the days it works it’s like the heavens opened up and are singing to you!
∼ KP

My boys aren’t quite three yet, but I do have them clean up after themselves either throughout the day or at night before bed. I do bribe them with one Skittle though. They’ll do anything for a Skittle! Granted, I don’t just say “clean up and you’ll get a Skittle” because that wouldn’t work. I will help them by pointing out small sections at a time like “take this truck to the shelf where it belongs”, “let’s build all your puzzles”, “where does this ball go?” It takes a little guidance and about half an hour before they finish, but I want them to learn and this works well for us. I have their toys sorted and organized by types and certain toys go in certain rooms. Now they know where everything goes.
∼ BEL

People say “terrible twos” but 3 was the worst. However, once you get through potty training it starts to get a bit easier. Get them outside as much as you can. Other places to burn off energy: McDonalds play areas, inside play parks, bouncy houses, children’s’ museums and science centers, and mall play areas. If they’re out of the house they’re not trashing it! Hang in there and take all the help you can get! You can do it!
∼ TBS

Over the years I developed high tolerance for messiness. You just cannot control threeangers. It’s literally impossible!
∼ JF

3s are definitely the hardest! Everyone says terrible twos, but I noticed with my first child singleton that it was really terrible 3s and the twins didn’t prove me wrong!
∼ JW