Curious about age gaps between kids...please share!

[maximbella]

Hi ladies! I am so lucky and blessed to have two DD's, 5 and 6.75 years old. I would LOVE to have another DD, but it doesn't look like this is the cycle for us. I'm worried that the longer we try, the larger the age gaps would be between the older two and the youngest (DD1 would be 7.5 years and DD2 would be 6 years if we were to get pregnant now). I am close to 100% sure that my DH will not go for a 4th, as much as I would love to, so that would mean a pretty large gap between them and the 3rd, and growing every month. My question to you ladies...does anyone have this type of gap between their kids and have it work out nicely? I really wish for them to all be close and worried that it won't be possible with this many years between them. Would appreciate any thoughts/experiences!

[skillet04]

My boys are 13 yrs apart....due to being told when the first was 2 that i may never have another child and sent on my merry way out of the doc office with a "good luck" ... so yrs of not preventing and then apparrently all conditions were finally right .... yeah it would have been nice for them to be closer (entertaining an only child is exhausting!) But still hoping when they are both adults they will be close bros also hoping conditions will be right to have another child so this young one can have a playmate closer to his age i also think age span should not be the deciding factor but not wishing you could go back and try when you had the opportunity. Hope that gives a different perspective (i would have loved to be a fertile myrtle who could just say oh this month we will get pregnant and in 2 yrs get pregnant again and so on and so on but alas i do not have that)

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[MiaMelb]

My DPs family have 3 kids with this kind of age gap and they all get along really well and surprisingly always seemed to even as kids where the age gap seems more significant. DP is #2, he is 20 months behind his sis #1 and then it's 7 years to his brother #3. I think for them the fact that #2 and #3 were both the same gender and have very similar personalities and interests meant they got along even when physically and mentally they were at very different points.

[Throwaway_panther]

I think I answered this to you before, or maybe this was asked by someone else, but my two cents: I am almost 3 years older than my middle sister and almost 8 years older than my youngest sister. I'm close with both, whereas my middle sister and youngest sister are not close to each other at all. I think personalities play the biggest role -- I think all kids play to some extent under 10 with each other, whether it's as playmates or as "older" sort of caregiver roles (as I had with my youngest sister when I was younger), and personality matters later in life (which is how I ended up being close with my youngest sister despite our age gap).

[atomic sagebrush]

I think that girls LOVE babies and they'd have sooo much fun with a baby that it would be nothing but good times had by all.

I was 11 years older than my sister and 13 years older than my brother and it was a BLAST!! I loved it. I also had a large age gap with my own kids, 13/15 years between DS 1 and 2, and DS 3. They were ok with it, very helpful, babysat and stuff but it wasn't the fun fun fun that I had with my siblings. Still close and got along well, though.

My 3rd son and my DD are 5 years apart and they play really well together.

[Erin514]

My sister and I are six years apart and while we might not have as much in common as a result of being at different phases in our lives, we still get along well and have a good bond. When I think of the siblings I know and how they get along, I think personality plays a bigger role than the age gap, plus your parenting style to some extent (by encouraging family activities based on their common interests and setting up the older ones in their role as a helper instead of a rival, etc.)

[Greydore]

My youngest sister and I were 6 years apart. We had a really amazing bond, and I loved being a 'little mother' to her. Her and the middle sister were 4 years apart and fought like cats and dogs. I really think personality plays a big role in sibling bonds. My grandma's four kids are all 2 years apart to the month, and none of them are close at all.

[maximbella]

Thanks ladies, and I think you're so right!! Such good advice....

[cosmosis]

I'm the only girl of 3 and the eldest as well. I get along the most with my baby brother who is 11 years younger and I don't get along at all with my middle brother, or should I say, he doesn't get along with me u_u . It's about personalities really and when they become adults, their life choices may bring them closer or distance them and that isn't in your control. Best you can do is encourage good relations and help them bond