DC are 3 and 1...

[Herat1986]

My daughter turned 3 and my son turned 1 this week (so 2 years 3 days apart). We are not having any more children. I feel like this is a big milestone - dd no longer a toddler, 1st year of babyhood over for the last time...
So tell me, wise parents of children with a similar age gap, does it get easier now?
I found a 2 year old and a young baby bloody hard work. And obviously the first year is always tough, even with "easy" babies.
Am I right in thinking easier times are coming?

You know this but easier in some ways, harder in others.
They might start to sleep
But you might have both pooing on the rug
And you have to physically lug your youngest everywhere while making sure your older one is not on the road

But they can snuggle up and listen to the same story :o closest I get to that is watching horrible histories with dd while ds plays on his phone in the ame room. I do miss story time

Yeah the lugging him about is difficult for sure! It'll be nice when he's walking confidently.
Aw I love storytime too 😊

Error nope sorry, they both have to get to school age before life gets any easier. Babies are comparatively easy x

Mine are just under 2 years apart. 5 and 3 in the first week of September. And I would say that it's just starting to get easier. They're playing nicely together now (75% of the time). You can reason with them a bit more. Or at least bribe them. Days out are starting to be fun for everyone, rather than fun for them and a huge amount of hard work for me. I am still bloody knackered, but I'm hoping that will wear off eventually!

5 and 3 does feel like it'd be nice. We decided not to bother going on holiday until they're 5 and 3 😂

3 and 1 year olds here (DD was 3 in May, DS 1 in March).. not much easier yet 😂 DD has always been hard work but as a baby DS was sooo laid back and chilled out. Unfortunately he's now getting to that climbing and 'into everything' phase. To be fair to her, DD is getting ever so slightly easier in that she will now listen to me sometimes. She's still the most defiant and strong-willed child ever but the tantrums are definitely getting less and it is easier to reason with her she will also sit and watch Paw Patrol unlike her little brother

I was hoping that maybe 4 and 2 would be easier? at least she will be off to school then and I'll only have the one to deal with

I think it gets harder before it gets easier as they develop their own personalities. Mine are 6 and 3 and slowly think the end might be in sight

I have 4 and 5 year old dc (19 month gap)and mine are really easy now, have been for a year or so.

Mine are 5 & 3 now, its definitely got easier this year. They paly nicely together ( some of the time) and can toilet independently (some of the time). DS finely sleeps through too. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. 3 and 1 was really hard ( especially when DD started tantrumming at 3 the same week as DS (at 13 months!). 2 year and 5 weeks between mine...

Mine are 20 months apart and are 2 and 4 just now. I'd say it's got a bit easier since the youngest turned 2 and can talk, they now play together and make up games and chat away, it's lovely. My friend has two children the exact same ages as mine and said the same recently - that she can see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

For me, I'm pregnant again so will be throwing another grenade in the middle of it in a few months!

I think 3 is still a toddler! I found it quite hard having a 3 year old and 1 year old. My 3 year old DD was very much a toddler and had epic tantrums whist my 1 year old DS was cute but mobile with no common sense so I had to spend my life running after him. He was also becoming a toddler and had plenty of tantrums himself. The only thing that was easier was that they were both sleeping through the night (that was a HUGE deal). Life becomes soooo much easier once they're at school.

Mine are now 6 & 8. How did that happen?! 1 & 3 was when they both still napped but I had to wrestle them out of playgroups etc, as I tried to do too much!
Awesome times though, I'd go back in a heartbeart. Apart from when chickenpox hit, DH was away and was heard to tell his mum that "it wasn't that bad". Not sure how he survived that.

Mine suddenly became easier at 7&4 - mainly because DD was a delightful 2 year old but a total threenager! Now they’re 7&10 and are each other’s best friends (have been for a long time) and in general it’s all brilliant and easy and has been so for the last few years really....waiting with baited breath for hormones and teen to kick in though so am just enjoying the sweet spot!

6 and 4 here (22 months gap), definitely easier! Best of friends (most of the time), they share a room, 4 year old thinks he's 6 too. Chuck them in the car and go away for the weekend - double bed in a hotel room for them, one for us. No faff, no nappies, no push chairs. My favourite stage by FAR!

I think dd being 3 and well and truly through the toddler stage has lured me into false optimism! Haha. She is soooo much easier now but ds is being a right pain today. Makes sense that a lot are saying it's when the younger one is around 3ish is when it actually starts getting easier.
There is a lot I love about this stage though. Plus I'm relieved to be through the young baby stage - both kids sleep now and I didn't enjoy breastfeeding at all.

To those saying your kids get on better now they are a bit older - did they fight when little? Mine started fighting when the little one became mobile...

It was exactly when they were 3 and 1 that they starting fighting! They fought over toys a lot and also over me. I hate to say they still fight a lot now and it's exhausting (aged 6 and 8) but life is still a lot easier than when they were younger. I used to have terrible fights with my brother until late teens so I'm not expecting it to end any time soon!

2 years 1 day here and it got easier when they were about 2 and 4 I would say, when you could leave them playing independently and they were both toilet trained day and night, I really enjoyed getting rid of nappies.
From 3 and 5 in some respects it was super easy - they got up, got dressed, went downstairs and got their own breakfast. 4 and 6 now. Half the time they play together beautifully and keep each other entertained. The other half of the time they wind each other up though and I spend my evenings listening to complaints about what one or the other did that was totally unfair..

Mine weren't friends until the little one turned two really, before that he just annoyed his brother. Him starting to talk was the turning point because now his brother can see the 'point' in him!