4.5 year age gap. What is the relationship like?

[Maybeayemaybenaw]

Just that really. My DS loves babies and I’m sure he will be over the moon when we tell him he will be a big bro, but I’m intrigued how a 4.5 year age gap is for you?
Thanks.

That's the gap between my brother and I. I doted on him!

My mum loves it. She'd had the one to one time with me, and then because I was already at school, she got to have a lot of one to one time with him too.

We aren't super close, but we get on well and look out for each other. Siblings I know closer on age tend to have much more forgiving relationships than ours!

Ahh, same as me and my darling sister! Much closer than my DH and his sister, that might be a different/same sex issue too though. Same as PP above, I started infants the month before she was born so mum had lots of time with her and I doted on her. She annoyed me from 2-16 but we're best pals now and I would've had her as my birthing partner if we weren't due four days apart!

I have 3 siblings, and there's 4.5ish years between each (now 30, 25, 21 and 16). We're really close and got on very well growing up too.

I have a 5.5 age gap. They have a great relatioship. I thought the big age gap would mean no fights but that's not the case. When my youngest was born my older daughter doted on her and was very protective over her baby sister. Wanted to do everything for her etc. She still is very protective but is at an age now where a toddler annoys her. Love each other to pieces though!

My brother is 5.5 years younger than me... Loved it. I was his second mum and did everything for him (probs too much given he's now mid 20s and expects to be mollycoddled whereas I was/am way more independent) and can remember everything about his life from when my mum was pregnant with him onwards. There was also zero competition - I was in y6 when he started reception & it's always been obvious that I was the older one so he didn't get to do the same as me.

If and when we do have another I'd want at least a 4.5 year age gap due to my positive relationship with my brother. We are very close now (although still second mum) and were growing up, we bickered but don't really think we ever had a big fight and he would always have to play the games that I wanted to play

Same as me and my little bro. We are bffs.

Perfect IMO. A big enough gap that they're less likely to be competitive. That's based on my own siblings and my own kids.

That’s the gap between ds1 and 2. When littlest ds was a baby ds1 doted on him and loved spending time with him. As they got older ds1 did start get a little annoyed with being followed about by his little brother but even that improved bizarrely enough when ds2 learnt to read because ds2 didn’t need to explain and do so much for him if they were playing a game or something.
They are 9 and 13 now and ds1 is often happy for his little brother to hang out with him and his friends. I think it helps that ds2 is pretty confident and outgoing his big brothers friends can’t help but enjoy his company.

There's a 4.5 year gap between my two. To me it's perfect as you get 4 years 121 with the eldest then they are at school during the day before 2nd baby comes along and you get 121 time with new baby.

DD has always looked up to her older brother and used to spend a lot of time following him around always wanting to do what he was doing which he could find annoying at times. They don't argue much and now at almost 10 and 14 they have a good giggle together :)

We have two girls with a 4.5 year age gap, they’re nearly 7 and 2.5 now. Absolutely love the gap! The oldest started school and a month later the youngest was born. The arguing and winding each other up has started already but they do play together often. The youngest seems old for her age though, she copies everything the oldest does which has both positives and negatives! If we had a third I’d try for a similar gap again.

Mine are 4yr3m apart, and it's perfect for our family. I don't seem to have been as stressed as lots of friends that did the 2yr age gap, by the time ds2 was born ds1 could toilet independently, dress himself and grab a bowl of cereal so mornings were a doddle. They are now 8 and almost 4, good friends, enjoy lego together and have similar interests in movies. They do have separate rooms for when they have had enough of each other but on the whole, Life is good.

Loving hearing about all these beautiful relationships.x

Same gap as my DH and his brother. They have a pretty good relationship and had a good relationship when they were kids (they aren’t mega close but I think that’s due to fundamental personality differences). The only thing is that my DH said that the teenage years were difficult once his brother left home - his parents were worried about his brother and became really intense and overprotective of him. But that’s avoidable!

Not quite the same, but I look after 3 children. There's 4 years between the oldest and the youngest, they have a great relationship, they get on really well, it's much better than the middle and youngest child which is a 2 and a half year gap. Oldest and youngest are opposite sex.