When to have baby number 2?

Question

My daughter just turned 2 on August 3rd and my hubby and I are seriously thinking about having another one. I am only 22 and don't want more than 3 children but if I have them all so young I'll be an empty nester at such a young age! But on the other hand I want my kids to be close together in age so that they can play together and relate to each other when they are older.

If there are any moms out there with advice of any kind, I'm all ears!

If you need more info I'll add it :)

Answer 1

I would say do it when you are ready! I have four children. My first is 15 then I have a 2 year old, 1 year old, and a 2 month old. So I have a huge gap and no gap! I had my first at 19 and my 2 nd at 31. I will say the second time around was much better then the first.  

Answer 2

I have 6 children and the first 5 are 2 1/2- 3 years apart. It's the perfect amount of time between kids. They are so excited about being a big brother or sister and  they absolutely love to help take care of "their" baby! I have actually found that if you potty train after the baby is born it's easier. They want to be the big boy or girl going on the potty. Instead of wanting to be like the baby with a diaper again. People think that it gets harder the more that you have and it's actually just the opposite.Easier and more fun!  

Answer 3

My mom told me that it's better to have kids closer together because like you said they'll have someone to play with all the time. My little bro and I are 22 months apart and we were at each others throats sometimes but that's unavoidable and we did always play together. We have a really good relationship now.

Answer 4

Hi Rosamor,

I can tell you this - the Child Development psychologists recommend the spacing of children to be 2 - 3 years apart.  

I have two children that are almost exactly three years apart, and I am grateful that it worked out this way as they are close enough that they can relate to each other's activities, and the older one is able to help out the younger one and be a guide as what to expect. They are best friends, too.   Also, when they were very young, I was able to give enough attention to the older one before the younger one came along.  Then the older one was old enough to share my time with his younger brother and understand without being envious.

You might want to consider any career goals you have in mind when thinking about how many children and how far apart.

Answer 5

i'm 22 my daughter is 3 and 1/2 i'm trying now... i think a good rule of thumb is to have the older one out of diapers and fully potty trained first... it's no fun changing 2 babies if not needed...

Answer 6

I had my daughter when I was 24 and am now pregnant with our second child who will be born when I'm 26.  Yep they are two years apart and like you we only want 3 children.  We feel that if we have our children young then we can enjoy them as they grow and watch their children grow!  Giving us the best opportunity to be active grandparents if our children choose to have children of their own.

Good Luck,

Momma_Bear

ps - we worry about being an empty nester too but it is fleeting knowing we will get to enjoy our children and hopefully their children!

Answer 7

Look I am 23, I have 4 kids.. step-daughter,  14 mth old boy & 4 mth old twin boys.  I LOVE them being so close bc when one graduates they ALL DO! :)  Plus being a young parents has ALOT of advantages.. but you don't need to ask us!  If your ready to have another one, then YOU SHOULD!!  :)  BUT believe me I am DONE!!!  3 in a 10 1/2 mth period is ENOUGH! I had the twins on my b-day & that was the 1st b-day present, the 2nd was getting my tubes clamped!!