Second or third time moms...

KruPatel

Hi mommies

I have a 3.5 year old son and a 11 month old daughter. Just found out we are expecting third and about 8 weeks. Daughter will be 18 months when third baby arrives. Mommies with second or their babies while having 18 month old less please share your experiances. Advantages and disadvantages.

So far I'm not freezing out since my daughter is very good with sleeping eating and playing with everyone. So hoping it will not be too hard.

Thanks in advance.

lana22

loved! sons are 16 months apart. he was too young to really understand what was going on, and does not remember life without his brother. younger brother is a little over 1 now and they play together for 20-40 min frequently without needing anything. older is always looking out for younger, and is a huge help. it rocks! (it helped, for me, that older son is great sleeper and i only ever had to get up with younger ds - maybe two nights exception soon after younger ds was born)

vettymama

My boys are 17 months apart. 18 months and 6 weeks now. I love it so far! DS1 is wonderful with little brother. DS1 is also a great sleeper so that helps tremendously.

Starfish+77

The age difference bt my 2 is 16 months. DD is almost 18 mos and DS 6 weeks. Not gonna lie..it has been rough. And I even kept DD in daycare to maintain her routine while I'm on leave and to have 1:1 Time with DS. I fully intended to BF and I did for 1 month and gave up. It was so time consuming that I never had any time for DD when she was home as I was constantly nursing. As a result DD spent a lot of time with DH and now screams when he leaves. DD also has recently started throwing nasty tantrums. Now if course she's a toddler so it's bound to happen but so much more so with the baby here. The other thing I never thought of before is The baby waking DD. When he wakes middle of night I go to him quickly bc I do not want him to wake DD. Naps for him have been difficult when she is home as she makes a lot of noise :-) So just wanted to keep it real as these have been my challenges, but this all aside it has been great. And I remind myself that once he's older they'll be great playmates and I can finally sit back and relax :-)

lana22

Some unsolicited advice @Starfish+77 - I went way more quickly to DS2  b/c I was scared of waking his brother, but it kind of backfired on us, and we realized he was having more night wakings and not going back to sleep b/c I'd gone in too quickly. Better to let DD learn to sleep through the noise and DS learn to put himself back to sleep (when he's not wailing obv). I actually liked when my older son made noise during DS2's nap, b/c I wanted him to get used to sleeping through noise. White noise machines can also be helpful. Good luck!

jf198400

I'm also pregnant with my third. Dd is 3.5 and DS is 2. They were 18 months apart, and I think it's a great age gap. They are best friends and do everything together. The first couple months were much easier than I expected b/c DS would just sleep in the car seat or chill in the stroller while we were out at DD's activities. It got a bit harder when he was on more of a set 2 nap schedule b/c his naps were different then her 1 nap so it was really hard to leave the house. It was only for a few months though and then they got on the same 1 afternoon nap schedule. Honestly I think having them so close is easier in a way b/c they play with the same toys, enjoy the same activities, pretty much have the same physical abilities.

Mommy2CB

My DS1 and DS2 are 22 months apart. It was hard at first because I was constantly breastfeeding, DS2 wasn't getting enough. Once we switched for formula it was a lot easier and I feel gets easier as the youngest grows and is able to do more things, smile, laugh, crawl and play.

We are pregnant with LO3 and DS2 will be 3.5 yrs and DS2 21mos when he or she is born. I am going to be formula feeding from the get go and DS1 will be in preschool two mornings a week so I'm hoping it'll be a smooth transition.

krazyinsane

My younger two girls are 18 months apart and my youngest daughter will be 16.5 months when DS comes in early October. It isn't easy but it becomes the new normal.

A lot of the moms on here gave up on BF because it was time consuming (and I'm sure a host of other various reasons-no judgment here!!!) But I wanted to let you know it is VERY possible to have them close together and still breastfeed. I have breastfed all my girls for 12-14 months and will do the same with baby boy. DD#3 is very clingy and loves to cuddle (she's actually asleep on me right now) but that will make it easier to nurse her brother as she's already content sitting here with me in the dark.

Our biggest challenge thus time will be having a boy... Four kids in and this is our only boy!!!

Congrats and try not to worry too much... Easier said than done