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Two Under 2
Advice from 2 under 2 moms?
My DH and I are expecting our first LO - I'm just in the second trimester.
Recently some issues have come up (won't go into that here) that have prompted us to talk about how quickly we want to expand our family.
Pros/cons of 2 under 2?
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Re: Advice from 2 under 2 moms?
There are good days and there are bad days but overall I love having mine so close (16 months). As DS gets older it gets easier since he doesn't need 24/7 attention/holding/feeding.
It's stressful, but I love that we are getting the baby stage out of the way in just a few years, and we won't have to go back to it.
My first two are just under 14 months apart and my second and third will be about 16 months apart. When my second was born, my oldest was young enough to not really care that there was a new baby. No jealousy issues at all. And now that they are getting bigger, they dig the same toys, games, movies, etc. so that's nice, too.
My only "con" is that it's tough having two that don't really "understand" everything or communicate with you that well yet. My oldest is getting better now, but when they were younger it was frustrating that I sometimes felt like I was leaving one hanging while dealing with the other, and they couldn't understand why.
Other than that, I love having my kiddos so close together.
My e are 21 months apart. So far, I think the first 6 months were the easies. (I only technically had 2u2 for 3 months though!) It's when the baby started being awake more during the day, and more of a threat to my time with DS1 (in his eyes) that things became difficult. Also, we transitioned DS2 from his bass. to crib @5 months and that was HELL- he didn't STTN (and I'm only talking 6-8 hours) until he was 9-10 months (I was nursing too) and that was soooo hard b/c I was so sleep deprived. Now, they are 3 and 15 months and this has been hands down the hardest part of having 2 young ones. DS1 is SO SO SO demanding of my time, and he is always taking stuff from DS2 and DS2 is starting to fight back. And he is climbing EVERYTHING. So, I literally can NEVER turn my back on them. It' is very exhausting. I'd go back to the first 6 months anyday. But they also have their moments when they are nice to each other and play together and that is about as precious as you can get! So, in hindsight, I would do it like this all over gain, b/c I can't imagine having a newborn right now with the way DS1 is- bossy, demanding and so possesive of me and my time. it would never fly!
Granted I have only been at it two weeks but so far so good! Actually surprised with how easy it has been...I guess it helps that DS is super easy and DD barely cries and sleeps really well at night!
Mine are 13.5 months apart. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have spaced them further apart. I think even 2 years apart would be better than just 1 year. Like a pp mentioned, it is hard when they can't quite communicate with you yet and they don't completely understand what is going on with the new baby. I think my DS is at a much better age right now to introduce a new baby than he was 6 months ago. He can communicate with me, he understands more, he listens better, etc. So I guess my only advice is if you want them close together, I would say shoot for the 2 year difference rather than 1 year. Of course I am sure there are others who disagree, but that is just my take on it
I had a really hard time (for lots of reasons) the past 6 months, but it is finally getting a little better. It is the most amazing thing ever seeing how much these 2 little boys love each other already. They make each other laugh and smile all day long, and seeing big brother give little brother hugs and kisses just melts my heart. I am really hoping they are going to be best buds growing up
I'm a SAHM who had a hard time getting pg with #1 and was VERY lucky with #2. Its hard, but not impossible. What I love about it, they grow up together. They are each others company (when we are not around other kids or at playdates), they learn from each other and since they are both very different, they teach each other things.
Its hard to find someone to babysit 2 under 2. That's one of the downfalls especially NOW when they are both into everything. My son doesn't listen and my daughter, well she's better but I assume that in the near future the roles may reverse.
Regrets, none
I'm glad I had them close in age