An almost exactly 2 year age gap?

[Beautifulblue]

I've just found out I'm 5 weeks pregnant & I have a 1yo daughter. The baby will be due 1 month before she is 2. Anyone have a similar age gap? What did you find the hardest & what are some of the best things about a small age gap? I'm a little nervous now I know how hard having a baby is & having a 2yo in tow!

There's 2 years and six weeks between my boys. It was hard to begin with. I can't really remember the very early days, it was all a bit of a blur! You just kind of do what you need to do to get through each day. I sent eldest to the childminder for the first few weeks because I had a c-section. We made sure he had lots of attention showered on him when we could and DH was great at taking him out for the day, doing bed time with him while I was with youngest.

I used to pop the telly on and had eldest sit next to me on the sofa while I fed his brother, so that made feeds easier. And he loved going to coffee shops and having cakes when I had to feed his brother out and about!

A double buggy is a good thing to have for the early days while everyone gets used to the situation. Although mine was only cheap and second hand.

I don't really know any different now and neither do the boys. They are very close now, although sometimes they do fight like cat and dog because they always have to have the same thing at the same time!

I'm glad all the baby stuff was over and done with in one go. No more sleepless nights or nappies! I don't know how I'd cope with just going back to having another baby now that eldest is 5!

Two of my children are 23 months apart and are both boys. It’s a wonderful age gap in a lot of ways because they are now both school age and into the same stuff so play well and entertain themselves. The only downside is they can fight like lunatics

Mine were newborn, 1 and 2. Seriously it will be wonderful and exhausting equally. Pm for top tips.

There is less than 19 months between mine and I would say some of the hardest parts were:

shopping - trollies where I am are usually equipped with seats for two toddlers or two babies but rarely one of each.

Buses: the oldest is still a baby and will often fall asleep in pushchair. It's impossible to fold a pram and hold a sleeping baby and a sleeping or sleeping toddler if a wheelchair user gets on the bus and you have to move. Add into that shopping bags or swimming/changing bags and you have had it. It was easier to walk the 3 miles into town!

Oldest does have to grow up faster and can't be babied - that has its benefits too.

Sleep, just forget sleep for a few years 😀

But my two have always been close and love each other (usually) and are very protective of each other.

We planned it this way but I wouldn't change it.

The guilt is so strong and I haven't even given birth to the second yet so can only imagine what is to come! I've also felt so guilty all through pregnancy for not having the energy to do as much with the eldest as I wanted to.

I've picked up a second hand double buggy because I know my eldest isn't strong enough to handle the buggy board when out for longer and like a pp said, I'm certain she will want to sit in the buggy purely because baby is in it.

@bluetrampolines you must be some sort of warrior! I couldnt, I couldn't, I just couldnt!! 🙈

And I threw my bad h out. Do i get points for that too?

@bluetrampolines lord Jesus. Well done you!! Honestly I couldn't imagine how hard that was/is. I'm cracking up at the thought 🤣

Much easier on my own. And I have friends with big age gaps between their kids and I think that is much more difficult.

I took my 1 year old and newborn to my midwife appointments!

@bluetrampolines respect 🙌🏽

Thanks. My stbxh thought I was lazy so your kind words are genuinely appreciated.

Ds1&2 are 23 months apart in age, both planned. Ds1 benefitted from my undivided attention as a small, but doesn’t consciously remember that. Ds2 always shared us but remembered things we did together when ds1 was at school.

It’ll be fine. The first six months of having another is always hard and everyone has to adjust. But you get there. We went on to have a third when Ds2 was just about to turn 4, so we doubled our age gap and the first six months was still hard.

There's something quite special about the fact that older child doesn't remember life without younger, and vice versa.. they are all each other have ever known and they are really close - so far.