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Absolutely not. There were many more important factors, it just happens that they coincide with our ideal age gap.

And honestly, my brother and I are 7 years apart and we've always gotten along well. So age gap is more a question of my tolerance and patience than the dynamic between my kids.

I think finances play a bigger role for most people, especially if child care is involved.

ETA: Ha, totally read the question wrong. No, I don't. I honestly think it's a coin toss as to whether they'll be close or not.

Definitely not, my brother and I are 7 years apart and super close. DH and his brother are 11 months apart and not close at all, in fact I would go as far as to say I will not be ttc baby 2 under this one is at least 3 years old because of this.

For me it was a really big one. It wasn't entirely about sibling relationship, though, because that can't be determined entirely by age gap, but also the logistical advantages throughout childhood. When we decide to take a trip to Disney, I want them to be a similar age and enjoy the experience on the same level so we aren't going every which way for different types of rides/experiences. It will be nice for them to be at the same school more often than not. May end up having similar extracurricular activities that can be done at the same time. Etc.

Nope I think it's all personality I know siblings far in age who are best friends and vice versa

I think it's a big factor. My dad is 7 years younger than his older brother and 9 years older than his little sister and they don't get along and never have. He is 18 months older than his other brother and they've always been thick as thieves.

I don't think it's a guarantee but it helps!

I think if kids are far apart in age it's hard for them to become close. But I don't think having them close together guarantees anything. My brother is almost 6 years younger than me, and first he was way too young for me to really hang out with, then there were so many years of his life up that I pretty much missed except for the occasional holiday. When I went away to college he was in junior high, and then a year after I graduated, he went away to college for 5 years. I never really fought with him, but I'll never really be close with him either.

On the other hand, DH has siblings both 2 years older and 2 years younger then him, and they're way closer with each other than he is with either of them, even though they're 4 years apart from each other. And that's totally due to personality.

Nope I think it's definitely personality driven. Maybe if they are close in age you will guarantee they are interested in similar toys and activities as young kids but not necessarily that they'll be close once they get older. My mom is one of 8 kids and closest to her youngest sister. My brother and I are 1.5 years apart and not that close bc we have very different personalities

@Radish: Yes, this!

The age gap was very important to us, partly because it's what we're familiar with. Hubs and his sister are 14 months apart, and my brother and I are 16 months apart. While we all fought like cat and dogs growing up, we also did everything together and are very close now. I want to give that opportunity to my children.

But not JUST that. I think it will be easier to do things having kids close in age, especially as working parents. If they are both in the same schools most of the time, that just makes our lives easier. If they are both interested in similar things at the same time, that helps. I think it would be hard to juggle the different interests with larger age gaps. Like going to an amusement park and one kid is old enough and wants to ride the roller coasters and the other one isn't. I think it might be harder to find the balance between entertaining them both if their age gap is too large.

Not at all.

My brother and I are 4 years apart, and we're pretty close. We weren't super close growing up, but we've gotten much closer as we got older.

We have a much better/stronger relationship than some siblings who are only a year or so apart.

A little but not much! My sister and I are 7 years apart, and while yeah, we're in different life stages and probably aren't as close as we could be, I won't change a thing!

It would largely depend on how I feel physically to see when I'm up for being pregnant again, where we are financially, etc.

Not really. My brother and I are 4 years apart and we're not close at all (sadly). Meanwhile, my cousin who is 12 years younger than I am are hella close! Even though I moved away for college and my career when he was still young, we're still super close.

My older sister is only 25 months older and we were like twins and super close. My younger sister is 7 years younger and we aren't as close. My older sister and I went through all our life stages together or close together. My younger sister and I are in totally different times in our lives and always have been.

Not as a rule, no! Personality plays the biggest role, in my opinion. Of course, being close in age generally means children will be around each other more, enrolled in similar activities, and be going through similar stages that make play more conducive but that doesn't guarantee a close relationship! My mom has 5 siblings and she is, without question, closest to her youngest sister - they are ten years apart! They call each other all the time, write letters, go on girl's weekends together, etc. My mom has siblings much close in age but their relationships are not nearly that close!

No, my sister and brother are 12 and 8 years older than me respectively and we are super close, even though we live on different continents!
That said, we became close as adults rather than as kids as they weren't kids when I was.
I think that kids are independent individuals an they will get along or they won't, just like adults and there is no predictor of it. And I really don't believe that a 2 year gap as opposed to a 4 year gap makes a difference - we all have friends that are 2 or 4 years in age difference.
IMO, it's a crapshoot and for us, we are going with spacing that works for us, finances, feeling ready etc. rather than the personalities of little people we can't control!

@ShootingStar: I disagree. Age gap can contribute to more difficulty establishing a relationship, but I think it depends more on personality.

I have a half-brother who is 10 years older than me. He grew up with his mom and step-dad, while I grew up with my mom and our dad. I always idolized him and in HS wanted to spend more time with him. I told him this, and he always made his best effort to spend time with me when he could, which wasn't often, considering he was newly married and working, and I was a teenage girl. We also had very little in common, with respect to lives and interests. But he included me where he could, and I appreciated his efforts. Today we are "closer" with respect to relationship, with each other than with any of our other siblings. I'm closer in age with our other siblings, too.

Honestly I think the way that parents treat each child and treat each in relation to one another is the most determining factor. That's just been my experience. (If one is favored, if comparison and competition and rivalry are encouraged...)

I do think it is a factor, but not the only one or even the most important one. I think the family dynamic and personalities have more to do with it, but having similar experiences at roughly the same time helps.

I think it can play a role, but that is mainly from my experience with my sister who is 18 months younger versus DHs siblings who are 7 years younger. I am very close to my sister while DH has more of a parental relationship with his siblings and is not close to them at all. There are definitely a lot of other things that will affect how siblings get along, but I really believe age can be a factor.

I think it helps to be closer in age when you're younger since you're experiencing the same things around the same time. However, I don't think it really matters at all once you are "grown up". I'm the 3rd of 4 and there are 9 years between the oldest and the youngest. We are all incredibly close now, even though we weren't always so growing up.