Two very close together!!!? (Or three or four ...)

[CaptainDippy]

Hello!! I am a frazzled mum of two BEAUTIFUL little girls: Katherine, 21 months and Sophia, 6 months - So I have a just under fifteen months age gap between my little lovelies. (Was supposed to be sixteen months, but Sophia decided to make an early appearance!!) I love them to bits and pieces, but there are days when I wonder why my husband and I decided to get pregnant when my 1st DD was only SEVEN MONTHS old. Sophia is coming up for that age now and I think someone must have slipped mind-altering subtances into my drink or something!! Would LOVE to hear from other yummy mummies who have small age gaps for advice and general moaning / chat!! Need some support - Need to know I am not alone!!

I have a 16mth gap between my two, now 5 and 6. It was hard for the first two years, but since then it has been great. I'm not entirely sure I would positively recommend it, but then I don't think that three years is particularly perfect either. Personally I think it is best not to plan, as who can really tell what will work out best for you?

CaptainDippy - Im with you - 15 months and 1 day age gap.... Jessica is 16 months and Rebecca is 4 weeks!

Its TOUGH right now, but PLEASE tell me it gets easier!!! Ive been after someone with the SAME gap for ages!!!

Hi honey!! SO good to "meet" someone with the same gap!! Yes, it DOES get easier!! There are lots of different challenges though - at the moment I am at the "weaning one and keeping a beady eye on another one who has a tendency to throw food all round the kitchen" stage. I am chuffed that I have finally got them to eat meals at roughly the same time, but is erm .......interesting. Katherine (my eldest) is rarely jealous now (although she often wants me to pick her up at the same time as holding Sophia, which can be problematic - I just have to be firm and fair!!) Katherine adores Sophia and thinks that she is wonderful. She now entertains her and is espcially sweet when she is upset and crying - bringing her toys etc. They can have a bit of rough and tumble together now, which they both enjoy - just have to keep a beady eye on them in case it goes to far!! I am looking forward to Sophia sitting up - I think it will definitely be good for their relationship. Still can't go to the park on my own though - Katherine still needs help and Sophia enevitably cries if left alone for 2 secs. I love my small age gap, but it is very tiring - I am shattered, but happy - Keep in touch JessciaandRebeccasmummy - and Congratulations on the new arrival!!

I have a 15 month, less five day age gap by-the-way!!

I had a 15 month gap between babies one and two. I now have 5 but swear to this day the hardest was going from one to two because of hte age closeness. It feels hard because it is hard, you have not one, but two babies. Here's hope, very soon they will begin to play togehter (within the year) and you will find these bursts of time when you are able to sit and breathe a little. It only improves as they grow. My two are also each others best friends and love me to tell them stories about their "time" when it was just the two of them being babies together.

age gap between 1 & 2 was 3.5 years between 2 & 3 13 mins

i hated every moment of it - that f*ck they're at school - and much much older.

i - like you, look back and think 'good god woman, were you completely sodding deranged?'

it did put my husband off for life though - he ran to the hospital for the snip.

CD - I will keep in touch.... just still "finding my feet" so to speak, and it has helped that DH still hasnt gone back to work!

The only thing that bugs me at the moment is that Rebecca just wont lay in her bouncy chair or on the pay mat or anything.... if she's awake, she wants to be held - which isnt too fair on Jessica and doesnt mean i get too much done!

there is 21 months between mine..is that close?

I'd say that was pretty close - anything under two years seems pretty darn close to me. How old are your two now?

JessicaandRebecca'smummy - Don't worry, Sophia wants to be held all the time too - Completely incapable of being left for two secs!! You find coping strategies - Don't worry!!

Captain Dippy (ace name btw), I have two dds who are 17 months apart, now aged 8 and 7. They are chalk and cheese, but get on very well, play together lots etc. Yes the first 18months or so after dd2 was born was really hard work, but then it suddenly became a lot easier.

Not only did it work for me but I am planning to do it again! I now have ds (aged 4 months) and we are planning to ttc when he is 6 months so we have another one with a 15-18 month age gap.

M - you are planning ANOTHER already?! Jeez.... good on you!

Cant ever see me wanting another baby (although deep down i want to try at least once more for a boy!) especially when my kids HATE being left alone for 2 secs!

Its the whole "going to the loo" thing that gets me, I leave Jessica downstaris playing and take Becky up with me and either lay her on the floor and let her cry or try and wee and hold her at the same time!!!

Ah you see, I've had about 5 years off from all that - no way could I have had four close together .

15 months between my twins and ds, so I had three under eighteen months. They all slept in the afternoon though so i always got a couple of hour off!! This was 4 years ago now, but would love to go back, think they are harder at 5 and 4 than when they were little.

13 months between my two youngest and it is hard, but they are so funny it makes up for all the hard times. When baby first born it was hard because had to carry them both everywhere (dd didnt walk til 19 1/2 months) Now they can both walk 2.10yr and 20 months its hard because they run in opposite directions, or one runs off while putting other in the car. But when they make each other laugh its all worth it.

My friend has 3 aged 3,2,1, exactly 12 months between them all she is pregnant again (mad woman) and she's only 20 then again 14 yrs ago i had more energy to deal with my eldest 2 with a 20 mth age gap.

Differnt stages differnt heart ache but soo much fun (most of the time)

Small age gap is great in the longrun though. (Mine aren't very close in age, but less than two years.) There are loads of advantages now - they both are interested the same toys/books and share everything; at holidays they want to do the same things; usually they can go to the same extra-curricular activites - rather than having to ferry them round to lots of separate ones.

This is soooooooo cool - Lots of nutcases!! My DD1 couldn't walk when my DD2 was born and it was a NIGHTMARE - Soooooo glad she can toddle around by herself and she is an independant madam too, which helps a lot (though the tantrums when she doesn't get her own way can be HUGELY scary - ARGH!!!!) Miaou - you are doing exactly what I am planning to do!! I love my small age gap (even though they drive me crazy at times!!) I would like to get DD1 at school, then have two more close together - and then I will cut DH's w*y off in his sleep!! I would love to have a boy next, though four girls is cool too. I like girls!

mine are 15, 13, 11 almost 3 and just turned 1
21 months between 1 and 2 22 months between 2 and 3 and 21 months between 4 and 5.

WOW!! You ROCK!!!

Boy! I have to admit as soon as dd was born dh and I decided that he should go and have the snip - and that was before we'd even taken her home! Although that was partly because I was under the impression that I could only have 3 c-sections, and I felt that I would like to have another "pair" if I ever had any more kids (now I know from zipper I could go on and on...)

On another note, my dd was incredibly clingy and much more difficult as a baby than ds ever was - is this a common experience for "short-gappers?"

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I am not sure - my youngest is a much happier baby than DD1 was - She's a real cutie - DD1 was really whingy and clingy so this is actually a relief - So if she is clingy then she's nothing compared to my 1st!! (NB: I DO love my 1st, now she is 21 months is a crazy, happy, gorgeous little toddler!!)

none have mine have been particularly clingy

CaptainDippy I have a similar age gap to you. My DS3 & DS4 are 13 months apart and are 3 months and 16 months at the mo. I have 4 DS's alltogether and there is 5 and 1/2 years between all 4 of them. I also have 3 stepkiddies and there is 4years between the 3 of them and the youngest is only 3 years older than my oldest (how confusing is that). Basically they are:

3 months
16 months
4 years (two weeks ago)
6 years (in a couple of weeks)
9 years
10 years
12 years

I love it though

Sometimes it can be hard and chaotic but I find the bigger problems are the 4 & 6 year olds who fight and argue (just for my attention) when I am dealing with the babies. DS3 is 16 months now and he loves DS4. I have found the 13 month age gap the easiest so far. Ds1 & DS2 were 22 months apart and that was quite hard as DS1 was a fully fledged toddler with the terrible twos. I waited longer before having DS3 thinking it would be easier if DS2 was a bit older and had a 2 year 8 month gap BIG MISTAKE!! DS2 was a nightmare and sooo jealous it was awful.

13 months is great and I am loving the fact they are so close in age (didn't plan it that way though, DS4 just "popped along")

WOW!! You are pretty amazing!! What a hectic lot - Your house must be really crazy, and good fyn, I expect - I am loving my small age gap! Particularly today when I left Katherine and Sophia in the nursery together while I went to the loo and came back to find them "playing" together DD2 (6 months) was rolling round the floor smiling while DD1 (21 months) ran around her, laughing and handing her toys and then rolling on the floor beside her. They are sooooo gorgeous and adorable, bless them!!

JARM and CD - in approx 2 weeks I will have two with a 15 month age gap. Am terrified!!!!!