Baby number two, give it to me straight....

[Beautitude]

Dh and i are discussing baby number two as we always planned to start trying when ds was 1. That date is coming up and some days i am ready to try for number 2 all gun blazing and other days it basically scares me!

DS and i are fairly social little creatures, most of the time we are out and about visiting friends, shopping, mothers group, swimming etc and i think this is what keeps me sane. How will i manage this with two little tackers?

What are your experiences with two babies, was it harder than 1? Was it as difficult as you thought it would be? What age gap do you think was the best? Just looking for experiences, warts and all!

[Bathsheba]

I had a large gap between my first and second children... then a traditional 2.5 year gap between my second and third children.

Personally I prefer large gaps. Purely because of what you posted about it being harder to do things. Giving it to you straight: yes, it was. Plus I find that with a smaller gap they compete/fight more. I miss the peace of the first two. Of course I love all three.. but you know...

I'm not telling you to have a large gap. Mine was 9 years!!! I'm just relating my experience. I recommend TTC when everyday you are obsessed with having another baby all the time

[Beautitude]

I recommend TTC when everyday you are obsessed with having another baby all the time

Ha ha, i guess ill be starting tonight then!! lol

[misty]

It can be very hard at times, BUT it can also be very rewarding, and It does get easier.

[~Trish~]

I found two children pretty cruisy once we got a good routine happening. It definitely wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but maybe I just got lucky? I have a three year gap between my first two which was great, DS1 was toilet trained and pretty independent by then. I didn't find it difficult to visit people or pop into the shops or post office with two, THREE is a different story LOL!

The only issue we had was that DS1 took a while to adjust to no longer being an only child which I guess is normal. He was quite naughty for a while because he was trying to gain attention, but he eventually calmed down.

Good luck deciding

[MrsFabuloso]

For us, our gap was 16months, DS was not planned and was (a very beautiful) surprise. It was REALLY hard in the beginning for me. We live in a 3rd storey unit, with stairs. I didn't go out alone for months. I found it really difficult. I still do some days. If they are both in bad moods, doing things like cooking and cleaning is all but impossible. It is definately easier now DS is 1. He can play more with DD and they absolutely adore each other. Most days I love it now, but the early days were a bit of a blur until about 5months in. But that's for me. I don't think I have a very high tolerance for adversity or challenge, lol!

[sneakysparkle]

My two are 21 mths apart, and TBH it took me about 9 mths to really feel like I knew what I was doing! Its really hard - we TT DD1 as soon as she turned 2 - and that was hard work!
It is easier now, and they just adore each other which is lovely! But - I don't really feel like I'm an active member of society we stay home a bit!
HTH

[Arimeh]

Can't be that bad if I'm already preggers with #3

It is hard, but any age would be hard as they all represent their own challenges. I think #3 for me is going to be the hard one, Miss M is going through an extreme clingy stage at the moment and only wants me, and DS is acting up a lot because... well.. because he's a 2 year old.. LOL

For the most part it is hard and I absolutely collapse into bed at the end of the day and LOVE it when they are both asleep at night (well until they both wake up during the night still), but they do play pretty well together, and I love hearing them giggle together

ETA - forgot to mention, going to the shops and everything is pretty good now - DS will walk on his own, he wouldn't do that when Miss M was a newborn so I would have to carry both of them at once to get into the shops - that was hard. So we stayed in a lot. Now its easier because he walks everywhere and rarely wants to be picked up. I'd go out more if I had a car!!!!

[Doing my best]

I have 21 months between mine, and DS is 3 weeks old.

At the moment, it is so hard. DD is acting up cause she doesn't have my 100% attention. I had a ceaser and can't do a lot that I want to, and I am sick with a bad cold. (and DH went back to work this week)..

There have been a few moments when I have thought, this is ok (and yes they were awake ) and I am sure it will be when I am not sick anymore.

As DD was such a good baby/child, I had a false sense of optimism that it would always be good and easy..

But I wanted them reasonably close in age when it was decided that I wasn't going back to work for a while..