How many only children are there in your DCs class?

[PremiumRaa]

DD5 is an only child. For a while we were happy with one but for a year have been TTC#2 with no luck and I'm feeling extra rubbish about it tonight because her best friend at school (who was an only) has just told us she is to become a big sister. I feel so bad for DD.

Somehow it didn't seem so bad when her friend was in the same situation and I'm feeling terrible tonight. I'm 38 and wondering if it will ever happen.

I don't want DD to feel like the odd one out and I'm worried she already does. In her class there are 28 children, 8 are only children and 20 have siblings. What's the ratio at your school?

No idea. I had my second when DD was 6, so it’s still possible for you (and I had tons of issues and MCs)

No idea. At least 3/4 in each of my boys years. The ones I know are happy, DC1 and DC3 have both said they would be happy with no siblings, DC2 has said that 1 sibling would have been enough!

@mrlistersgelfbride thanks you've made me feel better. Yes we are very child centred in activities there's rarely a weekend that goes by where she isn't at a party or a child's activity centre of some kind and she has a lot of play dates.

It's funny because I grew up with a sister and we aren't close although it's some kind of comfort to know she's there. She's only two years older but I don't remember playing together much either.

Class of 20, and I think 5 are only children.

5-6 in DC’s class. Please don’t feel bad about having an only child - all the only children I know are happy and well-adjusted with no strong regrets about not having siblings. I also know loads of people who can’t stand/ are NC with their siblings, so having more than one is no guarantee!

DS1 was an only until just before he turned 8. I honestly have no idea how many only's was in his classes until then.

DS is an only, he is in a class of 31 and I can think of 4 others who are truly onlies (3 of whom are DS’s closest friends - funny how they have all banded together). There are 3 or 4 more who have much older half siblings who they don’t live with full time, so are sort of onlies a lot of the time. It’s really not that unusual anymore.

Out of 13 (independent primary) 6 only children and 1 with a much older sibling. We are close year and save for one family, it was a conscious decision to have just one by the families.

I genuinely have no idea how many only children there are.

My DD1 was an only until she got to Y2. She wasn’t bothered about others having siblings but she had started to ask for a sister whilst we were TTC DC2. Took a year for us to fall pregnant.

8 out of 31. Affluent area and older mum's.Was 9 but one kid left.

I think there are pros and cons like everything in life. My DD is a 12 y/o only and is happy out. I remember us joking with her when she was about 7 or 8 I think, maybe a bit older, about a brother/sister. She was aghast. She's very comfortable in her onlyness.

I can think of 6 out of 30 but I don't know all the families so may be missing some.
I'm an only child and I've never wanted a sibling.

I think DD was the only one in her primary class, but there were more in the other classes. Interestingly, her friendship group (which spanned all three classes) was four onlies and two with rather older siblings, and there was another only who was friends with some of that group, too. It's not the only thing they had in common - they've all applied for similar subjects at uni!

She has never resented being an only - she says she likes it.

There are all sorts of advantages to being an only, and there's no guarantee you get on with a sibling.

25 children in my daughter's class (nursery) and 4 including her are definitely only children - 1 of these not for much longer though as mum is pregnant.

Don't know and don't care really. That wouldn't impact my decision to have another or not.

My eldest only had one only child out of 60 in a state primary. My middle was at a prep and there were 4 only children. One had an older half sibling, one had a sibling when he was in year 5, one had 2 siblings when he was about 14 and one remained an only. Youngest also at prep had 2 only children out of 22.

at secondary eldest had 2 friends who were only’s. One had older parents, one had a mum with significant health problems. Middle and youngest don’t have any friends who are onlies as far as I can recall

There is one boy in my eldest's class of 14 who doesn't have a sibling - his mum is quite open about the fact that in order to get him and her out of labour alive meant not being able to have more children.

none in my youngest's class of 9.

rural area where 3 child families are the norm and 4 child families are more normal than 1 child families.

my children regularly scream at each other that they wish they were an only child.

How on earth would you know in a school with a class of 30 children? My almost 4 year old DS is likely to be an only child (even though we want another) but there are quite a few single child families these days. DS has never asked or shown interest in a sibling even though most kids he knows has them. He goes to childcare Monday to Friday and I think all the children have siblings but not 100%. Perhaps it's because you're sad that you may only have the one. No one else really cares or notices it.

I don’t know all the families in DD’s class (Y1), but of the ones I know:

2 or 3 are 3 child families (including us)
There are 3 only children I know of
And maybe 4 or 5 have one sibling?

At the nursery my twins go to, there are loads of only children (granted, they are younger of course and the parents may well have a sibling in the future).

So being an only doesn’t seem to be that unusual.

I can't believe how many people on here know this information. I do the school run most days, the only children I know who have brothers or sisters are his close friends, I don't pay that much attention to anyone else.

If this is the only time your daughter has mentioned it, I wouldn't feel too bad about it. It sounds like your daughter has plenty of opportunities to engage with other kids through parties and hobbies etc from what you have said , she's not missing out on opportunities to play with children.

How would I know if they were only children? In small towns and villages, everyone knows everyone else! You'll likely have grown up with/gone to school with some of the other parents. You will see a sibling group all going into/coming out of the school together. The children will talk about their siblings/friends siblings, and often get party invites to their friends siblings party's. It's not always very difficult

No idea, I try to stay away from the other mums 🤣

@Anotherdayanotherdollar I'm glad I don't live in a small town then!

I'm a year 1 teacher and have 27 children in my current class; 2 are only children and the rest have siblings (probably 50/50 on older/younger mix).

6 only children in a class of 22. Private school, older mums. Some parents have told me they deliberately chose to have one so they could afford to send them private. Others have had numerous rounds of unsuccessful IVF.