As many of you know, it is a well documented fact that the third baby often gets the shaft. From hand me down clothes to stained crib mattresses, the third kid shuffles through their early years blissfully unaware that toys come in fancy packaging, that new clothes have tags, and mismatched socks are aren't actually a valid fashion statement.
Things that were unthinkable with the first baby somehow become second nature by your third child. For instance, you would never let your first baby cry it out at night. No, you'd feed, rock, pace, with that child for hours until they finally fell asleep and you could place them ever so gently in their crib before tiptoeing out of the room as your precious angel slept. By the third baby, you close your door, turn on a fan, and put a pillow over your head to drown out the screaming.
For baby number one, everything is brand new and sanitized, after all nothing that has touched the floor shall ever come in contact with the lips of your heaven sent one. Unless you count rubbing a dropped paci against my pant leg before putting it back in Baby E's mouth, I haven't sanitized a baby item in years. Cleaned and washed? Yes. Boiled? No.
Those willing to watch your precious first went through a thorough background and reference check. By the third baby you briefly consider calling the anonymous neighborhood tween who left a card on your door advertising their babysitting services just so you can have a quiet evening out.
All of that brings us to this evening when poor third baby got a bath. If you don't count baby wipes or a damp washcloth, third baby gets thoroughly cleaned maybe 2-3 times a month... In a good month. Embarrassing, but true. First baby got nearly nightly baths, but by third baby you are lucky to get all your children clean at the same time.
None of this means that third baby is loved any less. It just means that all the time and money you devoted to one is now spread across more littles and you know what? That's ok.
