Sibling age gap

[MCMP13]

Ds is nearly 2 and considering baby number 2. What are everyone’s opinions on the best age gap?

** I know ttc can take a while but I am just wanting peoples opinions and what works for them

I've got exactly two years between mine. I personally wouldn't want a bigger age gap (especially not 4+) as then they will have such different interests that they will basically be two only children from my experience.

I'm currently pregnant, and it will be literally 3 years gap, as the baby is due around my child's birthday. I think it'll be a good gap 🤞

From what I’ve observed with friends - 3 years is good.

4 years the gap is a bit much, they are at different stages of life for too long as the older one heads towards teens.

I have 18 months gap, and they don’t get on at all, my house is a battle ground (they are teenagers now), I think because they are too close in age, combined with their competitive personalities. Also the older one was never expected to help the younger one, so there is no caring aspect either. Though there are several things that are easier logistically.

2 years apart and I love it. Activities are generally.for the same age group i.e. 3-5 or 5-7 etc. They are mostly into the same things and play together a lot. It's a lazy option for me as I didn't want to raise 2 different age groups. Another example is they both love seeing the latest kids movie at the cinema.

3-5 years. The lives of people I know who have had a toddler and a baby at the same time have been absolute carnage for the early years. I wouldn’t do it to yourself…having an older sibling can be helpful and the age gap as long as not too great really has no bearing on how close they will be when they’re adults.

Mine are 2.5 years apart. DD is 3 and DS is 9 months and they have a lovely bond. We have the occasional times where she forgets her own strength and is a bit 'too loving' towards him ie verging on suffocating him but overall they've got a great relationship and I'm glad we've got this age gap

I have 3 dc, all 2 years apart. I'd say the best gap is 4 years - when I had dc3, dc1 was starting reception and it was brilliant! I was on mat leave so logistically the transition period was easier (they don't start full time right away) and dc1 didn't have to do any breakfast or after school clubs while he settled in. He also had something special that was all about him - he was so proud to be at "big school" and it gave him a real boost so the new baby didn't really bother him in terms of jealousy / attention. Also, dc1 and dc3 play together loads - in fact they adore each other- they are 2yo and 6yo now.
Personally I have an 8 year gap between me and my middle sibling and a 13 year gap between me and my baby sister, which I think was also totally fine! I adored my sisters when I was at home and we now meet for coffee/catch ups and text regularly. My parents thought my 2 year age gaps between my kids was far too small 😅

Avoid going to the other extreme: my younger sister and I are almost 8 years apart. This was absolutely fine until I was a pubescent 11-year-old and she was a bothersome 3, and it just got worse until I left home (the day after I got my A-level results). We communicate out of politeness.

My partner's two sons were born 17 months apart and get on pretty well, despite being very different indeed. But, as he says, most of the credit for this belongs to the family cat, who had raised kittens and knew how to keep them in order.

Mine are 8 years apart, we just couldn't get pregnant and then dd came along.

I have 2 siblings and we're all close in age. We don't speak to one another.

If I’d known then what I know now I’d have left bigger age gaps. Mine are 1,3 and 5. I love them so much but my life is chaos. I think 4 years is a good age gap.

Complete nonsense.

I have a 6yr age gap and I think it's perfect. My older one is so independent and I was able to give him all my attention. With my baby, I can give her alot of my attention again because my older one is doesn't need that much. My 8yo reads to my 2yo, plays with her and is also so helpful. She is learning so much quicker from older sibling. Ds sleeps on his own, showers on his own, feeds himself, and that gives me the time to focus on my baby.

My dsis has a 6mo and 2.5yo and says it's utter hell. She needs to feed, bath, entertain, naps with one pair of hands. She is stretched and always says she wishes she waited a bit.

So I think that bigger age gaps actually work out better to me.

Exactly what I've got too.

DD is about to turn 5, and DS is 2.5. The first 18 months were incredibly hard, but that may have been more down to DS being a very difficult baby more than anything. Thank goodness DD was the easiest toddler in existence. They have (most of the time) the most wonderful bond. Naturally the occasional sibling squabble, but nothing major. I think he's going to miss her when she goes to school.

Two and a half years was the absolute minimum I wanted. I would have preferred a few months more, but not much more than 3 years.

I have 4 younger siblings. 2 years (sis), 4 years (bro), 7 years (bro), and 13 years (sis) difference. None of us are especially close, but I'm closest to the 4 year gap and the 13 year gap. I think personality is far more important than age.

2 year gap and i love it although potentially 1 year with 2 at uni at the same time fills me with dread!

First 2 have a 3 year age gap - they fight and argue.
2nd and 3rd have a 5 year age gap - fight and argue all the time (two girls)
3rd and 4th have a 10 month age gap - they are super close and like twins.

I was given the advice, that if you were planning to have more - have them as close as possible. I agree, they will be close, and days out are easier.

My mother will tell you that she had the perfect age gap with 4 and 6 years between my siblings and I. I think she found it easy.

I remember a very lonely childhood and being dragged around to activities I wasn’t old enough to do. And by the time I was old enough my parents had lost interest. I remember them being desperate for me to grow up and be off their hands.

So I have <18 months between my own children. And I love it. My kids have always been at a similar stage in life. Holidays and outings were fun for everyone.

There isn't any perfect age gap, it's as much personality as anything else. There isn't any sort of guarantee that children are suddenly going to have things in common just because they are close in age.

I have two brothers a twin and one four years older. As a family, we always played together, did activities together, days and holidays were never an issue and my eldest brother certainly never grew up an only child! I actually was never close to my twin. We had nothing in common and barely spoke to each other as teenagers. Even now as barely speak. I was much closer to my older brother but if anything it was always them pairing off and leaving me out as they had much more in common wirh each other even though there was a bigger age gap with them!

My husband is 5.5 years older than his brother and I've never met a pair of closer siblings. They've got many shared interests and even now speak every day, go away together and as teenagers went to football and gigs together.

You get the age gap you get. Ignore the nonsense and narrow minded views on here that seems to imply that anything more than 2 years means they don't have anything in common, that they'll grow up like only children etc etc.

Its personality, not age. Its luck of the draw whether they get on or not.

20 months between mine. Generally they get on, some difficult bits.

Exactly the same gap as my brother and I... who didn't get on as teens, but rather close now. And also DH and his DB... and the only reason world war 3 hasn't happened is they live on different continents.

Agree with the last posters. Oddly enough, the friends I had with 2 year gaps, said that they did it because they wanted to get the baby years over with. I have 6 year gaps, first was caused by illness. Then because I worked PT by I had to accrue maternity leave. Then second marriage 9 years,DKs were told we were hoping for a baby DH didnt have any. Never any jealousy. I used to get complete strangers coming up to me in parks, asking if they were mine, telling me I had 3 separate generations. 2 of my dgks are a year apart,cat and dog (actually all my cats and dogs got on fine) just reading a poster on here with a 23 month old,who has always been a bad sleeper,still wakes 3/4 times in the night and is having another baby soon. I wouldn't entertain the idea of another till I had the sleeping situation sorted out. I breast fed mine, maternity leave in the 70/80s was only 3 months after the birth,not like now

No more than 3 years. I missed that window which is why I only have one.

15 months between first 2 and just under 3 years between 2 and 3