Mumsnet Talk

My dd asked me to buy a baby brother from Tesco when she was about 3 yrs. Needless to say I couldnt find any on the shelves .

She mentions a sibling from time to time and says there is only her and two other kids in her class that are onlies.

I feel for her sometimes but have explained there wont be anymore and most of the time she is very happy being an only.

I was an only until I was nearly 9 and hated my dsis. It wasnt until we were adults that we started to get on but I know so many people that do not get on with their siblings in adulthood and they may as well be onlies

My (only) DS has made the odd comment over the years about wanting a brother or sister but as he gets older he has worked out the benefits for himself (including the financial ones ), like rolling's DD he is also incredibly outgoing and is the first to get a game going at the park, organise something, join a team etc etc.

There is absolutely no guarantee that siblings get on with each other, my DH rarely speaks to his family, there is certainly no real 'relationship' there and I hardly ever see my siblings .

Piffle! My only DD is far more gregarious than I was as a child with three siblings. If she wants to join in with a group of kids then she just graces them with her presence and gets stuck in . And she's also very happy to occupy herself when she's alone.

I hate all this lonely only crap on MN.

im an only child...my daughter gets excluded a lot as lots of mums come to park with their 2 or 3 kids and she so badly wants to join...i was lonely when i was a kid...drove my mum crazy who always had to take me out for playdates...
even as an adult ...i am soooo very lonely .....i never used to be this bad when i was a kid....
having a younger sibbling a boy or girl makes you less lonley so you try to reach out less to others and when you get rejected it aint a big deal as you are not going home to be alone ...it makes a huge difference...
im having a boy soon i wish to have another girl as well
i think if you are happy to have another ..it would do wonders for your son !!!!

You shouldn't have another child because your child wants you to!

I was an only child for 8.5 fantastic years until my brother came at my request and ruined things...

I don't know if OP is still reading but I'm in the same boat. DD (4.5yo) has started asking for a baby sister. I've pointed out all the negatives but she has an answer to all of them! It's on my mind a lot at the moment. I've been adamant all along that I don't want another baby and feel I haven't coped very well with the one I've got (PND, work life balance etc) but DD's pleas for a sibling have got me wondering if I'm making the right choice.

Doesn't matter if OP is reading it or not - it's all interesting stuff

This is a thread from January-is OP even reading it?

My dd is 3 and asked for a brother last week, as her friend at nursery has a new brother. I said that if I had a baby then it would have to live in our house and sleep in my bedroom and she would have to share her toys etc she quickly changed her mind! Good job too as I am a LP so not going to have another!

My DD would love a little brother or sister - she's 5 too, I've pointed out the downsides, but she is adamant that she would love one and would be a great big sister etc...I'd like to oblige, but it's unlikely to happen! She does have older sibs though, who are 17 & 18, so good for certain kinds of fun, but not others!
It might pull at the heartstrings a bit, but it can't be the only reason to have another child.

I have one child. She's now 10y.

She went through the odd phase saying she'd like a sibling, and then other times saying she wouldn't like a sibling. Children generally do - even those with siblings often say they'd like a bigger/younger one at some time or other.

Even if you did have another there is absolutely no guarantee that they would get on - either as children or as adults. Hopefully they would,. but they equally might not.

Don't have another child just because of what a child says. The only reason to have another child is if it is what you and your partner want.

Oh - and yes, do consider the financial aspects of it. Only you know if you could realistically keep the same kind of lifestyle with another child. And if you can't then you must decide if you are happy to reduce your lifestyle, or change it. It is a VERY good idea to consider the financial aspects of having a child before deciding if you want one.

What it sounds like to me, OP, is that your DS wanted a playmate. At his age of 5, any subsequent babies wouldn't be, particularly, playmates as the age gap would be rather big (7 years between me and my sister).

I begged for a brother or sister till I was about 10 and then begged them not to! The real nail in the coffin was when my french penpal came for a month rather then the usual week and I hated it. Having to give up the front seat of the car, wait for her to get ready, do what she wanted to do! I then really understood what it meant to have a sibling and I hated it!

I too love the closeness I have with parents and the fact I can talk to them about everything and have always been able too - poor Dad had to listen to far too much personal girly stuff and would not change a thing about my upbringing. The only odd bit was begging to go to boarding school but they were having none of it - all Enid Blyton's fault

My DS is also 4 and the last few weeks has been asking me when will I have another baby as he wants someone to play with. This breaks my heart but after 3 years of nothing and me being in my forties I have to accept it's not going to happen but it makes me sad for him.

Just say you did have another, by the time the child is born ds is 6, by the time they are old enough to play football ds is 10, will he want to play football in the garden with a 4 year old when all his mates are going to the park?
what if you have a girl that only wants to play dolls?

Yes SB - Quite amusing really when they ask for big sisters or brothers - 'fraid you'll have to make do with your cousins there DCs - No can do !

Reminds me too of when DBro said he'd like twins - I'm not sure they come to order DBro ! - And he was well into his twenties, with no DCs yet, when he told me this

My 6 yr old daughter often makes impassioned pleas for two big sisters. She is completely serious and her emotions are very real. But I'm afraid I can't always give her everything she thinks she wants. She has to make do with 2 little brothers instead.

Make up your mind about whether you want another child, but don't base it on one outburst from your son. As has been said, that baby could just as well be a girl and may never be much of a playmate because of the age gap.

I've been posting this article from yesterday's Guardian all over the place, because even if you don't share Adele Park's views they are thought-provoking.

If he's lonely, then concentrate on friendships and nurture them for him, with sleepovers and days out and potentially holidays.
What would happen if you had another baby and then he cried and said that he didn't want one anymore?!

Oh Colditz my DS loved his siblings and still does. He went to watch his brother play football today as he does most weekends. I always made time for him and we have always had a great relationship.

This really comes down to whether you want another one. Like a lot of other posters have said, there is quite a big age difference so they probably wouldn't do too much playing footie together.
That said, I'm planning another DC and always knew from the beginning that I wouldn't want to only have one. The reason? I've always thought one of the best things my parents ever did was give me sisters. Not everyone feels this way about their siblings but there is something special about having a peer with a shared heritage and that blood bond can make you so much closer than just friends.

Gosh, Ruby, I could have been your eldest child! I desperately didn't want siblings, and she had two more children after me. There's a five year gap between each of us, so ten between me and my sister.

I cannot lie - it sucked. I hated sharing my space, my parents, being tied down to only doing what babies and toddlers can do, constantly being made to "Play with your brother, that's why I had him!" (no you didn't, you liar, you had him because you were broody)

And he wouldn't necessarily get a brother, what happens if you have a girl? Try again? And again, maybe?

He'd never have anyone to play with anyway, there'd be a six year age gap. have a baby if you want one but don't do it for him because he will be bored with it within 3 hours.