https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:21:51 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now/page/2#post-1109378 Wed, 25 Sep 2013 07:47:17 +0000 yellowbird 1109378@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My brother an I are 2.5 years apart. My parents had to pay very little for daycare when we were younger so it wasnt a burden.</p> <p>Our (my dh and i) child spacing has to do with cost of daycare, insurance for more than one, and just logistics of caring for more than one kiddo with two working parents. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now/page/2#post-1109331 Wed, 25 Sep 2013 06:53:13 +0000 Bookish 1109331@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Pen: yep, this. My area is mostly stay at home moms, and all the families on my street have kids very close in age. There are two pregnant moms right now with kids under 1. I've definitely been getting pressure already for #2, and she's only 3mos!</p> <p>All the parents I knew growing up had kids 2-3 years apart. I think 3 was the most common. My parents had us 5.5 years apart, but that was due to fertility problems. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now/page/2#post-1109329 Wed, 25 Sep 2013 06:50:13 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 1109329@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Most of my peers with siblings are 2-3 years apart unless the surprise baby of the family showed up several years later. I don't have that many peers with children, but there's only one couple I can think of that still had a child in diapers when their second was born. </p> <p>If we try for two we will start right away because of my age and I ak hoping to foster playmates. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now/page/2#post-1109322 Wed, 25 Sep 2013 06:41:47 +0000 Mrs. Pen 1109322@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My area is heavily concentrated with SAHM's, so most have young kids within 2-3 years of each other. I get asked alllll the time when I'm having another one and J is only 18 months! </p> <p>I don't think it's generational here. My mom Had three under two when she was my age. Most of her friends seemed to have kids in their early twenties as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now/page/2#post-1109312 Wed, 25 Sep 2013 06:27:52 +0000 cascademom 1109312@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PurplePeony: my DH and his brother are two completely different people, barely seem like brothers. My fertility would be a problem if we waited that long too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now/page/2#post-1109231 Wed, 25 Sep 2013 00:21:12 +0000 illumina 1109231@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If everything goes well with S and I feel I can cope with another, we will TTC for two under two. I am a SAHM so I wonder if that has anything to do with it? A lot of my SAHM friends (and even some that WOH) have two under two. I guess people my age and older may have left have kids til later on life, so to speak and maybe feel the need to get on with it. I know I do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1109224 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 23:54:37 +0000 PurplePeony 1109224@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cascademom: my brother and I are almost 8 years apart and I agree it's not a good age spread. We're basically like two only children who were forced to share the same house for a few years. I want to have our kids no more than 4 years apart -- we'll probably aim for about 3, give or take a few months.</p> <p>I know very few people with little ones very close in age, I'd say 2-3 years is most common and 4-5 years is next-most common (and not necessarily by choice, some of them had difficulties while trying for #2). But I also know a ton of people who are one and done. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1109217 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 23:39:33 +0000 HLK208 1109217@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Andrea: same. DD and DS are almost exactly 3 years apart and it seems like a big gap compared to most!</p> <p>@Rainbow Sprinkles: maybe 2 under 2 is like, THE thing for parents in our area! Everyone I know who has two got pregnant with their second when their first was 9-15 months! Most are SAHM's though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1109216 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 23:38:36 +0000 Mrs. Schoolbus 1109216@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My brother and I are 2.5 years apart. A lot of my friends have siblings that are about 2 years younger or older. I am of "advanced maternal age" (lol @mediagirl: I always chuckled when I went to my OB and I was referred to as that.) and will probably end up having 2 under 2 due to my age. LO is 4mo and we'll probably start trying for #2 when she is almost 1. I have friends who have/had 2 under 2 and they say it's best to just get it all over with (the baby stage)-- that it's extremely difficult but once they are older, it's more fun since they are closer in age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1109057 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 20:56:41 +0000 cascademom 1109057@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My brother and I are 18 months apart, so a 2 under 2 there. LO turned 1 in August. We're still waiting to try for #2. I worry about having another LO too far apart. DH and his brother are 7 years apart. DH hated it, so that won't happen. Sooner than later with us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1109042 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 20:51:23 +0000 sarac 1109042@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started trying when my daughter was 9 months, because I was hoping for two under two. I'd have preferred to frontload the difficult part and sooner get out of the baby years. Now that my daughter is two and I'm still not pregnant, I'm getting less and less excited about the prospect of going back to the baby years, and further derailing my career prospects. I'd far rather have a newborn now than in a year or two. </p> <p>I also wanted my children to be close in age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108758 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 18:37:24 +0000 Marfi 1108758@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My parents had 2 under 2 in the 80's though they were older (33 and 39). I don't plan to but who knows what will happen. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108750 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 18:33:20 +0000 chopsuey 1108750@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My parents didn't try or prevent and all of us around 2.5ish years apart. Good age gap imo. </p> <p>@Andrea: I think 2 yr 9 months is perfect! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108739 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 18:26:35 +0000 Andrea 1108739@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know lots of people IRL with 2 under 2 so I don't know why people would make a big deal out of it? In fact, it made me feel weird about having a 2 yr 9 month age gap. Like I was so far behind! LOL. :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108714 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 18:18:29 +0000 erinpye 1108714@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I purposely aimed for the 22 month age diff we got. I think it's pretty evenly divided- I know lots of fams that like a 1.5-2 yr age gap, and some that prefer 3-5. Growing up so close to my sister who's 21 months younger- that's exactly what I wanted for my own kids. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108712 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 18:16:19 +0000 Sunderling 1108712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Me and my sister were 2 under 2, but my best friend's parents spaced out her and her brother by a few years. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108238 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:12:01 +0000 pastemoo 1108238@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My MIL had 3 under 3.... :O </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108223 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:06:07 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1108223@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Irish twins and the like we're much more common in the past. I think people are surprised now with the birth control options that we now have. But it's all about the fact that we have *more* choices now, not less... So people should be accepting of whatever spacing decisions parents make, knowing that it is more likely than not by choice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108220 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:04:11 +0000 sslm 1108220@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My sister and I are 4 years apart, and we want to have 2 under 2. I think both of our families will be shocked if that does work out! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108215 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:02:52 +0000 Mrs. Bee 1108215@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>my brother and i were 2 under 2. charlie and olive were 2 under 2, and all my friends with 2 had 2 under 2 as well!</p> <p>i feel like most kids are actually spaced out more these days though than they were back in the day.... almost all my friends were 2 years apart. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108213 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:02:04 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 1108213@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Really? This hasn't been my experience either. I thought it was more common back then to have 2 under 2. I know so many!</p> <p>Both DH and I came from families of 2 under 2. We're both 19 months apart from our siblings. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108202 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:57:41 +0000 Dandelion 1108202@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My mom had 2 under 2 for about a month...I'm 23 months younger than my brother.</p> <p>My bff has 2 under 2. I don't think it's that uncommon. I think it just comes down to personal preference. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108199 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:56:46 +0000 littlek 1108199@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If we have a 3rd, it won't be till B is in K or 1st grade. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108196 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:55:03 +0000 Smurfette 1108196@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Rainbow Sprinkles: You are very lucky </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108195 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:54:01 +0000 Chillybear 1108195@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>my mom and her sisters were born 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, and 1969. </p> <p>My brother and I are 9 years apart (mom had 2 mc's between us though) </p> <p>Hubs and his brother are 3 years apart. </p> <p>I'd like to space them in the 3-5 year range. This would give us a chance to increase our earnings to the point where i'd be a SAHM, maybe move into a bigger house in a nicer neighborhood and avoid having 2 kids in day care or college at the same time. I also think if we had a third we would have that baby closer 1-3 years apart from #2 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108180 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:45:41 +0000 Rainbow Sprinkles 1108180@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This thread is making me feel lucky for not having to pay for daycare </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108170 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:42:45 +0000 Smurfette 1108170@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My parents had 3 under 3 when my brother was born. We are exactly 18 months apart.</p> <p>All my friends are spacing so their kids will be at least 3 years apart. 2 under 2 is not common at all to me. </p> <p>And like PP have said, we could never do it based on day care costs. In fact we might not be able to have another because of day care. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108151 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:37:34 +0000 MrsCastro 1108151@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>not sure...but my mom had 3 under 3...this was 40 years ago... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108005 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:02:13 +0000 avivoca 1108005@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know anyone personally who has 2 under 2. My friends who SAH with their kids have two each, but the spacing is a bit bigger. With daycare costs being what they are, I would have to SAH if we had kids that close together. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/child-spacing-then-and-now#post-1108000 Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:01:15 +0000 GrapeCrush 1108000@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>my mom had 3 under 2 1/2! i have 2 under 1 1/2! my family wasn't too surprised, but DH's family was floored! most of DH's family is one and done or the kids are spaced out more. my siblings waited until their first was 2 1/2ish before started for their second, but they were both young when they had their first. DH and i were 30 when we had our first, and knew that 2 under 2 was a possibility, but we were not expecting our BFP at 6 months pp. i wouldn't change it though. </p>