I'm the opposite of @sctiger My brother and I are almost 4 years apart and are not close at all. He was only 14 when I moved away for university 12 hours away. I wonder if we'd be better friends if we were closer in age
We aimed for 2 years apart for our kids and they are 20 months. They will be 2 years apart in school and I think it's perfect!
There are 4 years between DD1 and DD2 and only 3 years between DD2 and DS. I love the age gap between my girls. DD1 was old enough to help and also kind of independent. They are really close, but still have their own "things". And it's not such a huge gap that DD1 tries to be super motherly with her either.
I voted two years but it'll be 15ish months. Our next LO is due in October. We originally planned for a two or three year gap but this baby surprised us and came about early. My SO's mom had her first two 11 months apart and she said it was hard but then theres five years between SO (#3) and his sister and she said it was hard too but in a different way.
I voted 4. My sister is my best friend and we are 6 years apart and it was really tough for me being pregnant (and practically immobile) while Bradley was just starting to get fun. They are just over 25 months apart.
My brother and I are almost exactly three years apart and are awesome friends and have always been close. The boys are almost exactly three years apart. We did that mostly for financial reasons and I could have seen having them more like 2.5 years apart but probably not sooner. I needed DS1 to have some independence going on!
I honestly don't think there is a "best" age gap, which I feel is validated by the varying responses here. I think we will plan on 2.5 years if we TTC again. I want DH to have a little independence, but I also don't want to have kids too far apart. If we go with our original plan of having 3 kids, larger age gaps are multiplied and I feel like it makes it that much harder to plan family activities/vacations that are appropriate for everyone.
We're shooting for as close as possible, but possible has not yet arrived. My brother and I are two years apart in age, but we were one year apart in school, which I loved.
Like 2.5-3 year difference seems good. If we have a second, it will be more like a 5 year gap, though, so we don't have two in daycare at the same time. That's expensive!
I voted 3 but I really what them 2.5-3 years apart. My younger sister and I were 2.5 years apart and were super close, shared some friends but still had our own. My older sister and I are 5 years apart and had NOTHING in common until we were adults, now we are really close. 1-1.5 years apart I feel is too close for two reasons: 1. if the oldest gets held back for some reason they will be in the same grade (I'm a teacher and have seen this happen a couple times) 2. If they are the same sex they share everything including friends because all their friends are the same age group.
My siblings and I are all two years apart (give or take a few months). For us, it was great growing up. And there was very little rivalry- but that could also be because we were boy-girl-boy-girl-boy- so we were never in a lot of the same sports or anything. Ours are going to be 16 months- I'm nervous that is too close!
I chose 3. My brother and I are almost 3 years apart. However, if (huge if) I have a second, they'll probably be more like 4-5 years apart. Daycare for two kids is crazy expensive.
I voted SS. I had planned on my boys being 2 years apart because that's the difference between my sister and I and we were really close growing up. To me, it was ideal. Then life got in the way and we wound up with an almost 5 1/2 year age gap. It was hard adjusting to a newborn sleep pattern and diapers again. Once Will was not quite so tiny, Jack started playing with him. Now, they are best buddies. Will absolutely lights up when Jack comes in the room and will crawl/walk down the hall to his room and bang on the door to get him to play. They run all over the house playing tag and PAC-man. Jack has also been awesome, he can help me around the house and grab things for me when I'm tied down to the couch with the nursling. He also is able to understand when I have to take care of Will and he has to wait for my attention. A younger child may not understand that. I might have just gotten lucky with the ease to which Jack adjusted to a baby but he is really an awesome, awesome big brother. And here they are, wrestling
TTC Baby Rob #1 05/07, BFP 06/07, EDD 02/22/08, Baby Jackaroo born via c-section after 22 hours of labor on 02/27/08 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TTC Baby Rob #2 06/11 BFP 11/06/11 EDD 07/16/12 Natural M/C 11/25/11 @ 6w3d Baby Rob #2 (Sloane), in our hearts always. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here comes Baby Rob #3 BFP on Cycle 17 09/27/12. EDD 06/04/12! Please Stick Baby! A/S 01/22/13 Baby looking great. Officially TEAM BLUE! Jack is getting a Baby Brother! RCS scheduled for 05/29/13. William Daryll born at 9:59am on 05/29/13. Left ovary and tube removed due to peach sized tumor found during RCS. Pathology came back benign!
When you deal with infertility, you don't have the luxury of planning sibling age gaps. I think it is what you make of it. There are positives and negatives to every gap. More importantly, I think as long as your family unit is ready to expand--financially, emotionally, etc, it is the "right" time. And no time is ever perfect!
My two are 4 years apart. So far, they adore one another. Because they are our only 2, I hope they continue to be best buddies.
Thanks for all the input. In my gut, I felt like a 3 year gap would be the best for me. Life had its own plans and turns out, I'm pregnant. It will be a 21 month gap if all goes smoothly. A little terrified, but hoping it will turn out for the best.
I really enjoy a large age gap. Perhaps it's because it's all I've known. I like my special time alone with the baby during the day while the older ones are at school.
I can't imagine having to share my time with a baby and a toddler. I like to nap, and keep a quite house during the day.
That's gonna change real fast though. I'm about to enter into uncharted territory.
Re: Sibling age gap
We aimed for 2 years apart for our kids and they are 20 months. They will be 2 years apart in school and I think it's perfect!
#Bodymber14 #Bodygate #itsMillerTime
Bradley 05-04-11 & Tyler 06-18-13
#Bodymber14 #Bodygate #itsMillerTime
Bradley 05-04-11 & Tyler 06-18-13
my read shelf:
And here they are, wrestling
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TTC Baby Rob #1 05/07, BFP 06/07, EDD 02/22/08, Baby Jackaroo born via c-section after 22 hours of labor on 02/27/08
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TTC Baby Rob #2 06/11 BFP 11/06/11 EDD 07/16/12 Natural M/C 11/25/11 @ 6w3d
Baby Rob #2 (Sloane), in our hearts always.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here comes Baby Rob #3
BFP on Cycle 17 09/27/12. EDD 06/04/12! Please Stick Baby! A/S 01/22/13 Baby looking great. Officially TEAM BLUE! Jack is getting a Baby Brother! RCS scheduled for 05/29/13. William Daryll born at 9:59am on 05/29/13. Left ovary and tube removed due to peach sized tumor found during RCS. Pathology came back benign!
My two are 4 years apart. So far, they adore one another. Because they are our only 2, I hope they continue to be best buddies.
I can't imagine having to share my time with a baby and a toddler. I like to nap, and keep a quite house during the day.
That's gonna change real fast though. I'm about to enter into uncharted territory.
I voted 5+