17 months between 1 & 2, then 23 months between 2 & 3. DC4 due with gap of 21 months. Would have had closer had my body gone along with it. They play together great, there is still a gap in what they can do together as youngest is still a baby really. But when older I think it will be so much easier.

My sister is 13 months younger than me (have older siblings too, There are 5 of us with 9 years between the oldest and youngest)

Lots of people I know prefer a bigger gap though. Each to their own...

3 years between no2 and no3 and it's ace - close but not too close. 6 years between me and sis - we never knew each other beyond her primary age

I have 24 months between DD1 and DD2 and 26 months between DD2 and DS. I planned a 2 yr gap and was lucky enough that things worked out as planned. The main down side was the prospect of about 6 and a half years of uninterrupted nappy changing (as it happened I did manage to get DD2 out of nappies before DS arrived, but that only gave me a couple of months off before starting again!). I really wouldn't want to have to have a double buggy as they look as though they must be such a pain. I think with a gap of less than 2 yrs it is difficult to avoid the necessity for a double buggy.

It was extremely hard work for the first 3 months or so after DS was born, but it's all settled down now (he's 7 months).

You may not be able to choose exactly when you want DC3 to arrive, but you can choose when to avoid - and I would say make sure you avoid timing the next one to arrive any time too close to when your DC2 starts school / nursery, a few months before or after that time is fine though.

You can't really guess at who is going to be closest to whom, e.g. my mother is one of 4 and is closest to her youngest sister (10 yrs younger), you could find the same - i.e. the oldest and youngest end up closest, you just never know, so I wouldn't let that influence you too much.

I also like my sleep. I also wondered if I did do a short age gap would dd be closer to dc3 than to ds as there is a 3 and half yr gap.

If I could have all my time again I'd have the min of a 3 year gap, anything less I found exhausting but I like my sleep and have a 6 year gap this time

18 months between DD1 and 2 and 2 1/2 years between DD2 and 3, personally I prefer the 18 month gap, hard at first but they are so close and into the same kind of things, theres going to be 22 months between DD3 and DB4 as well.

16m between dc2 and dc3, 15m between dc3 and dc4. I enjoyed it. They all played together once they got old enough.

Damn my strike through failed let me try again to get it -right-