Help! 2 babies 17 months apart!

[SouthParkCovid]

Hi ladies, just found out I'm expecting again, DD2 is just 8 months.

I'm feeling very nervous about how I will cope, both with pregnancy and a toddler + newborn.

There's a huge 12 year age gap between my first two, hence why I thought it would take years to conceive our last one .

Has anyone else had a similar gap? Did you cope?

I have 11 months. It was much, much easier than I expected.

Not as a parent but there is just under 13 months between me and my bro and it was great growing up. My mum and one of her brothers only have a 10 month gap

I have 16 months between my first two. It was actually fine, tiring of course but the baby just fitted in to the older one's routine. The main advantage is how close they've grown up to be. Don't worry, you'll cope just fine.

I had a friend with four children - she said that the smaller age gaps were much better! I have 21 months between Ds1 and 2 then 26 between ds2 and 3. It was a bit crazy for the first year but as you are already in the mindset of babies it is fine. However I am now finding 3 more or less teenagers rather trickier and I am not looking forward to doing GCSE and A' level stuff for the next 7 years!!!! How I miss the baby and toddler years!!!

Exactly 18 months between our two DDs. It's a lot easier than you think! You're already used to broken sleep etc so it's easier - the hardest bit is the tidying up after them... hurricane children!🙈🙃

16m gap here, it was hard at the beginning (younger child was 10m at start of Covid pandemic) but I just focused on getting to the end of each day. I lowered my standards a lot! Things that helped:

-Mountain buggy duet
-Close caboo sling (later a buckle carrier)
-Letting the older one watch cartoons!
-not feeling bad about dummies or bottle feeding (or ready made toddler meals / snacks).
-getting out to as many baby/toddler groups as possible (until Covid ruined that)
-a tuff tray
-now, a double trike!
-sending the older one to a CM for 10 hrs a week

They're good pals now, squabble of course , it has got easier.

There are 15 months between me and my sister. It was great and we are still close.

I think my mum
Found the 4 consecutive years of GCSE and A level hard going!

18 months and it was great.

I have 16 months between DCs 1 & 2 and then 2 years between DCs 2 & 3.

In lots of ways, the smaller gap was easier! They like the same toys, same tv programs, same books etc. Days out are easy to navigate because they enjoy the same places/activities. If your toddler still naps, those short hours are absolutely golden, particularly when the baby is still in that snuggly newborn stage. My best nugget of advice is to invest in a good sling or carrier! As bad as it sounds, I would feed and change the newborn, stick him in a sling and he’d sleep in minutes few until the next feed leaving me with both hands free for the toddler.
I’m finding the smaller gap harder as they get older (they are 5 & 6 now) because they have literally everything to fight over. Toys, what game to play, what to watch on TV - in theory because they are interested in the same types of things, they should get along like a house on fire. When in reality I spend most of my time refereeing fights between them.
It’s one of those double-edged swords: they are either the best of friends and are so sweet with eachother, or they are actively trying to murder eachother. There is no grey area.

16 months apart and no bother at all. You'll be fine!

Here 5 and 7

These replies are so lovely thank you!

It will be fine, don’t worry. I had 2 18 months apart and it was nowhere near as hard as I thought it would be, little one just fit in with us. In some ways it’s easier than a bigger gap as their needs are quite similar. My 2 are 3 and 4.5 now and they are so close they are absolutely lost without each other.

12 months between mine and looking back, it was great. You get all the "stages" out the way at one time. It's as easy changing 2 nappies as 1 etc. It's a nice age gap as the kids remain close. Mine are boy/girl and now in teens. Not besties but they look out for each other at school and know similar groups of people. Tend to be dropping off/picking up at similar spots and into same kind of hobbies like cinema, trampoline parks etc. Keeps everything quite routine. I panicked too at the time but it was a wonderful way for things to pan out.

Currently pregnant again and far more concerned about the 14 year age gap than the 1 year!!