Planning for Baby # 2

My first two are more than 4 years apart. That was more of a gap that I had wanted, but it has been sooooo nice. The oldest is a great help and I can trust him to "be in charge" of his brother while I take a shower or need to be in a different part of the house. He knows what is safe and what is not.
The boys are great friends, and they play very well together (most of the time). One perk is my oldest was long out of diapers before the 2nd came along. =)
My 2nd and 3rd are 27 months apart, which is closer than I wanted, but it has also been very nice. I kind of panicked when I found out I was pregnant earlier than planned because my toddler was not talking much and was still very dependent and required constant supervision. It's amazing how much he grew up over the course of my pregnancy! By the time the baby came, he was a great talker and learned how to do many things for himself. He loves his baby brother and enjoys helping with bottles and entertainment. My 2yo is the one that remembered the baby had his Tigger toy when I dropped them off at the gym child care, and made sure I had it when we left.
Having two in diapers is a little spendy, but we buy Huggies at Costco for the baby and get the Target brand for my 2yo- that saves us a TON.
The boys, at their very different stages, love each other very much and the older ones make sure everyone is taken care of. They are aware of their brother's needs and comfort when needed. It's very sweet! They constantly amaze me.

I have two kiddos, my daughter is seven and my son is four. I wanted my kids to be 2-3 years apart, due to the experience I had growing up with multiple brothers and sisters. I have a sister two years older than me and out of the six of us, we have always remained very close. This has worked out perfectly with my two kids, my daughter has always been mommy number two, always wanting to help and watch over her little brother. They are great friends also, and even sleep together at night. I think its so sweet! I am now thinking very hard about baby number three, since my son is now four. This may sound silly, but I also swore I would NEVER have two kids in diapers at the same time!!! HA!

My 3 kids are close in age. The first two are 20 months apart, and then the third came along just before the second's 2nd birthday. So, last winter I had 3 kids 3 and under.... it's harder than if they were spread out a little more, lots of crying some days (LOL!). BUT I love them the way they are, the boys play SO nice together now that they are 4 and 2 1/2, and the baby is right there in the midst of it, and they tolerate her and just play around her great. I look forward to the years ahead when they are all going through things at the same time, and hope that they will be close in all their lives.

I pushed to have them close together because I wanted 3 (or 4?) and am now almost 37, so didn't want to be too close to 40 before I finished having babies. I also am lucky to stay home, which makes it possible to have 3 so young. I can't imagine trying to go to work. I'd never get anything done at home if I worked outside the home.

Good luck to you.

jessica

My son is 5 years old and my daughter is 2 years old. So they are 3 years apart. When she was a baby he would help out with diapers and picking out clothes. Now that she's older they play together. He watches out for her and helps out even more. He will sometimes help her use the bathroom (like picking her up and set her on the toilet) or helps her wash her hands. For me I wanted my kids to be close in age so they could have more in common with eachother and play together. I am an only child and so I never knew what it was like to have a sibling. My husband has a twin brother and an older brother (3 years older) and they all got along pretty well and still do.

I have 2 girls. They are 7 years apart and I absolutely love the age difference. My 7 year old is amazing with all the help she does for me and her little sister. She plays with her sister and teaches her things. It's financially easier as I have only 1 in diapers, 1 on formula etc. I get the best of both worlds. I got to fully enjoy my first as a baby,toddler,preschooler and then schoolage before she had to share my time. Now that I miss the baby stages it's so much fun to do it all over again.