Is it going to be two, and then one?

[allhailtheaubergine]

I have a 5yo and a 3yo. 24 months between them. They are very close, play together constantly (even when the game is to annoy the crap out of the other - it's still playing together).

Baby #3 is due in February. There will be 46 months between middle child and new baby.

I am totally pointlessly worried that I am going to have two children, and then an extra one.

6 yrs - 4 yrs - mewling baby

8 yrs - 6 yrs - 2 yr old

10 yrs - 8 yrs - 4 yr old

Is the little one going to be too young to be in the gang?

awww you lovely thing

I dont think the young one will be too young to be in the gang at all

I dont think it really works like that

but I am prepared to be told differently

mine are 11, 6 and 4 and are all playing together as we speak

I suppose it's hard to imagine the baby as a real person in the family. I know they'll love it, but it's impossible to imagine them as close to anyone else as they are to each other.

I was the middle one of three with similar age gaps - by the time DBro stopped being a mewling baby and got a bit more interesting, we varied a lot in who played with who - older sis and little bro had a lot in common and would play together on some things, sis and I had other things in common, then when older sis hit puberty and got stroppy my bro and I played together much more.

I don't think you need to worry that it will automatically be 2 + 1 in this situation - they will probably go through different phases of who is getting on better or worse.

I grew up with family friends with those age gaps...

Their games seemed to always involve one of the older two on the same side as the 'baby' ganging up on the other one :)

In some ways the 'baby' of the family was the most involved as the older ones knew they are not allowed to be mean to her and she didn't get involved in the rivalry between the two older dc. As adults, she is still the central character IYKWIM.

IMO it all depends on personalities rather than actual ages.