Life with quads and a 5-year-old: rare look into one mum’s very busy day

If you think being a mum is exhausting (which it definitely is) just take a look at the life of Dayna Childress, mother to not only a five-year-old, but also two-year-old quadruplets. Her hands are certainly full to the brim, and she’s taken to social media to share her story.

Going for number two

After US couple Dayne and Colby had their first child, Lincoln, they decided to go for baby number two. After experiencing fertility issues the couple eventually became pregnant again, but this time they got quads: Simon, Willis, Willow and Otto. Dayna has now gained global fame by posting gorgeous clips on TikTok and Instagram, capturing the chaotic life that comes with so many toddlers.

@helloquadruplets

Day in the life with quadruplets #momlife #quadruplets #motherhood #toddlertok #toddlersoftiktok #dayinthelife #myday

♬ original sound – Dayna

A day in the life

However, in one particularly honest post, the busy stay-at-home mum runs through her day. And while the routine seems familiar, the amount of kids she cares for is far from the everyday, giving us a little insight into just how exhausting her life must be.

“So here is my day in the life with quadruplets and a five year old,” she begins. While that’s enough to make anyone feel instantly tired, she goes onto explain how the morning unfolds. “My husband makes the coffee in the morning and I make the kid’s breakfast so it’s ready to go before they’re up,” she says. “I wake up my five year old who helps me wake up the quadruplets and my husband has long gone to work by now,”

From there, they all come downstairs, change nappies, have breakfast and a bit of playtime. Dayna heats up her “now cold coffee”, gives the kids a snack and changes their outfits. “There’s usually a tantrum,” she continues, “And the house is destroyed.”

All this, and we’re only halfway through the day.

Dayna goes onto explain how it’s then time for naps and she has a (very small) window of ‘me time’ before making lunch. “Then they’re back downstairs for diaper changes and their lunch,” she says. “They play some more then we take them outside and then another snack time, usually another tantrum by now.”

At least when it comes to the evening meal, Dayna takes a well-deserved short cut. “I order dinner out because I’m too tired.”

After that, it’s time for bed, until the next day when Dayna does it all over again.

“How does she do it?”

The post brought about a huge response from TikTok viewers with around 830,000 likes and over 10,000 comments. Many viewers simply could not imagine caring for multiple toddlers.

“I’m EXHAUSTED watching this”, said one TikTok user. Another said, “You’re running your own daycare for no pay”. Another got straight to the point: “I ain’t scare of dying, I’m scared of this”.

Other viewers had nothing but admiration and respect for the busy mum. “You make it look so easy!!! You’re doing great mom! I bet y’all are just pooped at the end of the day! Such a cute family.”

The video does actually fly through the day, and while it may seem easy-going, every parent of even just one child, knows that it’s far from easy. In fact every parent (me included) is clearly thinking exactly the same thing: “I don’t know how she does it!”