Do you know other families in RL with one child?

[Lasvegas]

DD's class has 20 children in it, she is the only one without siblings. It is a Catholic School though so maybe not represenative of society at large. Out of all the people I know only 2 other people (work colleagues) have sole children. I am in greater London. I am interested in your experiences.

[mollythetortoise]

in my group of antenatal chums (made when dd was baby) I am the only one with a 2nd child. all rest only wanted one for various reasons. I am the only catholic one though! most of my mum schoolgate friends have two + though and my oldest school/childhood friends have a mixture of 4 kids, 3 kids, 2 kids , 1 kid, no kids..

[AbbaFan]

I know two families with only 1 child.

One couple could not have a 2nd, but the other only wanted 1 child.

[DontKillMeBaby]

We were in an NCT class with seven other couples - the children are now 4, and only three couples have had a second child. There's us, then three couples who were older (over 40) with limited expectation of having a second child, and the fifth one-child couple split up.

I've not found anyone yet at DD's school who has an only child. Tthere are lots of pushchairs with smaller siblings at hometime, and over half the intake of 60 got into the school on the back of an older sibling, so there won't be many (there's got to be at least one other, right?!)

[MorticiaAnnSpookington]

I know 4 people in RL with one child

[MorticiaAnnSpookington]

actually,make that 5

[TotalChaos]

Hmmm have to think about this. My friends tend to have 3 plus kids. Offhand can only think of one friend who only has 1 (by choice), and a few people on my street who only have 1.

[TotalChaos]

oh a couple more friends I've made from online who only have 1 (due to splitting with partner)

[MadBadandWieldingAnAxe]

Was in an NCT group of 6 couples (eldest children now all aged 6 and a bit). Current status:

4 families with 1 child apiece
1 family with 2 children
1 family with 4 children

Otherwise, I can think of 4 other families with one child (although in one case there are older step-siblings from a previous relationship).

[MwaHaHaMhamai]

Although I'm not strictly in this category I feel as if I am because of the age gap of my dc. DD is 22 and ds is 7.

[fortyplus]

If I think of all my friends...

Vast majority have 2 children
3 families with 4
2 with 3
3 with 1
Plus my brother who has 21yo sd plus 14 yo ds of his own

[MagicGlassesFairy]

I think I posted last week about my DD's Yr1 class - where approx 1/3 are onlies (although this may change given they are only 5 or 6).
In academia there are quite a few onlies - prob due to starting later - although also many with 2 and even 3.
I certainly don't feel out-of-place with my only.
Do you think it's easier for your onlies to be friends with other onlies? I know my DD finds it quite overwhemling if she goes to play at a house with 3 kids.

[DontKillMeBaby]

Hm, good question MagicGlassesFairy. DD's best friend at nursery was another only child, and tbh they could be a bit of a nightmare together. They spent two days a week at nursery from the age of one until 4.6 and were very, very close. Like sisters almost - and I say that with my rose-tinted glasses firmly OFF. Like sisters as in they fought all the time, and fell out and made up about ten times a day. I had them both by myself for a morning (oh, such a long morning) at one point and it was really hard work - the quasi-sibling relationship, plus the fact that as onlies they're both used to a lot of adult attention. It felt like the worst of both worlds!

They're now at different schools, and we (friend's mum and I) hope to keep them in touch, not least because WE get on, but hopefully things will be a bit calmer. Hm.

She seems to get on fine when other friends have siblings. Sometimes a bit put out that the passive babies that she used to be able to ignore are now up and about and making a nuisance of themselves. Older sibs are another matter, one friend's 7yo sister seems to have told her the basics of the facts of life; one less job for me I suppose.

[CountessDracula]

I know lots actually

In fact I was out for dinner with 3 others mumsnetters recently. Each of us has one.
And it is only likely that one of us will have any more.

[Rhubarb]

Custy is an only child.

[CaptainKarvol]

I know 3 families with just the one child, and three with more than one. that's people who have 'completed' their families. Two of the only children are down to necessity (older parents), one is down to choice to just have the one child.

[MagicGlassesFairy]

Actually I think it might be me who finds families with more than 1 child quite overwhelming - there seems to be a constant level of noise that I have not had to learn to ignore.
DKMB - yes the younger sibling thing can be a problem for DD when her friends come to play - she likes to be able to keep an eye on who is going where and gets really upset if they don't do what she tells them!

[Tommy]

I know several and my DSs are at a Catholic school! (in Hampshire).

A lot of the singletons seem to be the child of older parents or people who didn't plan to have children IYSWIM

[deanychip]

yes, there are a few kids in ds's reception class who are only children, my 2 sisters have only one and my ds is an only child.

why do you ask?

[SoMuchToBats]

Yes, there are 10 or 11 children in ds's year (of 60) at school who are only children.

And I know of a few other children in other years of the school too.

[morethanyoubargainfor]

Yes most of my Ds friends are onlies! don't know if that has any relevance on my Ds but it has always been this way!

[cthea]

In DS's other class there are 2 children I know of w/o siblings. Both are boys, one is Catholic, the other is half-Spanish (so presumably Catholic too?). Only mentioning religion becauzse you did in OP.

[Blu]

Yes, I know quite a few.
However most of DS's close friends have younger siblings, and although they are all obviously very happy really, DS loves the fact that they beg to come and play here rather than him go to theirs because it is 'little-brother-and-sister-free'. I have to be very disapproving of being horrid about younger siblings! But I do hear them all commenting on it! While we parents of onlies are busy making lots of freindly situations, it's as well for parents of bigger families to be aware that children do appreciate independent time away from younger ones, sometimes!

(sometimes we have the whole clutch of siblings too - to 'return the favour' of giving another parent a child-free afternoon or whatever - and because it's fun, too)

[DrNortherner]

I know 7 in RL with 1 kid. 2 of them are in ds's class.

[DrNortherner]

I am an only child too. AS are 2 of my friends.