fifteen month age gap - eek!

[ExistentialistCat]

Just found out I'm pregnant. VERY excited but also a little stunned. DD is 6 months old and we were hoping for a small age gap but I didn't expect to conceive quite so quickly.

I found the first few weeks of DD's life very hard work and now I'm a bit daunted about doing it all again with a relatively tiny toddler to keep happy, too.

Please tell me how wonderful it is to have such a small age gap, and give me any hints and tips that might make it a bit easier to cope when I'm elephantine & exhausted and when the new baby is actually here!

It will be hard. Prepare for that, save up for for 'cook' readymeals/being able to send your ironing out or whatever would make you life easy in the first few eeks.

Then once you are over the first bit and they will be in a similar routine (bed same time, afternoon nap together, meals and snacks together) and play together you can sit back and be glad you got the tough stuff over and done with.

And after age 2/3 you will have a breeze planning family days out, attractions will be appealing to them both at the same time.

There are 17 months between mine and it was hard at first (very if I was on my own), but after about six months got easier and now it's great. Far fewer arguments as same bed time, same interests, like the same things, get on with each other's friends etc etc.

There is 14 months between me and my ds and we have always been v close.

It will be hard, but it's hard whatever the age gap (i believe). Mine are also 15 months apart. When dd was born, ds took to her straight away, no jealousy, never remembered being the only one. Now they are 4.8 and 3.5 (ish) and are the best of friends. It's fab, they adore each other, entertain each other, and you haven't forgotten each stage by the time the second one reaches it.
Congratulations!

17m between mine. It will be hard, but now mine are 2 and 3 and they get on brilliantly. (You also get the odd benefit of the older one being slow to do something and being embarrassed into it by their younger sibling.)

13 months between mine! It was very hard at the beginning as DD1 wasn't walking but like annie says there was no sibling rivalry and they play lovely together now.

Mine are 3.7 and 2.6 now.

Congratulations and good luck.

Congratulations! I had 15 mths between my two and was still quite new to the area with no family nearby or friends other than those I'd met in antenatal class and a few neighbours.

As others have found, my eldest one accepted the new baby without any jealousy.

Ds is now 16 yrs and dd nearly 15 yrs. Their interests are quite different now but it was a doddle in some ways when they were quite small as they were both happy with Postman Pat or lego or cars on the playmat or whatever as they were interested in the same stuff at the same time. Dd was also far better at eating and trying new stuff which was great as I was tearing my hair out with ds who just wasn't interested. Luckily he copied her tucking into spag bol or whatever and developed an appetite at long last!

If I'd had any more children I would have wanted the 3rd one as soon as poss after the 2nd as the age gap worked well for me with the first two.

16 months btwn my first 2, 21 months btwn dc2 and dc3.

Obviously not that bad or else would not have gone back for more!! And I am virtually alone - dh works crazy hours and is often away, and I have no family in this country/ no help from PiLs. I manage fine.

1. It goes so quickly bc 2 is so much busier than one. Therefore any difficulty is over in what seems like no time at all, even if in fact 6 months

1. you don't realise how hard it is until it suddenly gets easier and you think "bloody hell, those last few months have been a bit of shocker, eh?"

1. they are so much fun when they start playing together, leaving you free to do your own thing a bit more

Biggest tip: dc1 was reasonably unbothered by dc2 at first - but when he started getting more interesting (ie doing stuff) and we were cooing and encouraging ("look!! he rolled over!! look! he clapped!!) she got a bit jealous and nasty. So we started giving her praise for his achievements. "look! he clapped!! did you teach him how to do that you clever girl!!? Aren't you a fabulous big sister!!" Knocked it on the head in no time.

Congrats!!!