Harman interviewed 950 parents from a wide range of family set-ups, and concluded that the happiest families were those with four or more children. The main advantages cited by these parents were increased positive social interactions within the family and high levels of support among siblings.
Parents with four or more children were the most satisfied with their lot, enjoying, rather than feeling overwhelmed by, the chaos of a big family.
Here, researchers tracked people over 20 years and found that parents were actually happier after the birth of their second baby. With their first child, life satisfaction dipped for several years, then increased to levels higher than before. But a second child steadily 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.
Trends in ideal family size
Two children is always the most popular choice, followed by three children, four or more children, and one child or no children. Chi-square tests, however, indicate a significant difference in responses over time.
Stress. 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.
It's subtle, but it seems the more siblings a person has, the likelier they are to be happy. Sibling related happiness seems to even out past three siblings, but it's interesting to note that that the “3” response group also features the largest “Unhappy” response.
Four is the magic number
In a study conducted by Dr Bronwyn Harman from the Edith Cowan University in Perth, it was found that parents with four or more children are the happiest parents.
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.
While, according to a TODAY Parents survey1, having three kids may be the most stressful, it doesn't mean that being a mom to three doesn't totally rock. You don't just have one kiddo to love, you have three and three kids that get to grow up and experience all the adventures of childhood together.
Grow your family to at least four children! 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.
An actual study revealed one to two children is the ideal number for “happiness”, but with two you don't have to deal with the aforementioned only child issues.
One of the biggest decision married couples face is how many children to add to their family. Some may choose one or two kids, while others may want four or more children. There are pros and cons to both, but according to a study on happiness in family life, those who are in larger families are happier.
Bounty.com, a popular UK parenting website, polled parents across the United Kingdom and found that families with two girls were more harmonious and had fewer arguments. The study also found that two girls were more well behaved, got along better and were more likely to help around the house.
Researchers came to the conclusion after examining the lives of families with different combinations of children, both male and female. The results show of all the variations, two girls make for the most harmonious family life as they are unlikely to fight, will play nicely and are generally a pleasure to be around.
Moms who have girls are much happier than those with boys, particularly when the children reach early adulthood, according to a study from the Journal of Family Issues.
These little ones are developing their language, memory and imagination, and it's a time of discovery, as parents begin to see their kid's personality shine. It's also a time when both kids and parents struggle with unpredictability, expectations and boundary setting, particularly in uncertain situations.
According to some random online survey, the most stressful number of kids to have is three. In fact, having four is supposed to be less stressful than three kids.
Seems a little harsh but parents say this is the age where those tantrums intensify and it's really hard to deal with. What is this? Obviously, each child and family is different but overall, parents think the hardest years are between 6-8 with 8 being the hardest age to parent.
National Well-Being.
Across Europe and the United States, unhappiness reached its peak in the late forties, specifically at the age of 49 years.
For our lifestyle, I just love having 4 kids around. An Australian study found that parents with 4 or more kids were the happiest. You could probably find just as many studies showing 1, 2, or 3 kids are best.
According to a study published in the Social Indicators Research journal, we're the happiest between the ages of 30-34, and midlife (our 40s and 50s) is not perceived as the least happy period in life.
Potential challenges of a 3-year age gap
This can be a difficult age gap for parents, as the older sibling isn't capable of caring for himself but has needs that aren't as easily met as a younger firstborn's are. Sibling jealousy can still be a problem.
Research shows that only children tend to be closer to their parents and to regard them with more warmth and respect than people with siblings do. They may feel more at ease interacting with teachers, probably because they speak mostly with adults at home.
Medium gap (two to four years)
With this gap, you'll have the lowest risk of having preterm birth and a low birth weight baby . Your body will have had time to get back to normal after round one . You'll be (mostly) up-to-date with your knowledge about all things baby-related.