Age difference in children...?

Question

My oldest daughter just turned 10 and Im 3 1/2 months pregnant. Id like to hear from anyone else who has children this far apart in age...good or bad? She's really excited but has always been an only child so Im afraid she'll be jealous. Thanks!

Answer 1

I'm 13 and 14yrs older than my younger brother and sister i love it i got to have my parents to myself then got to enjoy having a much younger sibling i was old enough to feed them and bath them and look after them wen mum and dad had to leave for a Lil bit its great

Answer 2

I don't have 2 children but I know 10 years apart the oldest daughter will be a mothering influence in your new childs life. Someone that will help you raise the baby and also give good the child helpful advice when they become a teenager or adult

Answer 3

Hello! I have an 11yr old son and a 7 mos old baby. I had the exact same question. when your baby is born all this will take a back seat. my son at first was i guess kind of embarrassed with his friends an all, but know he is so proud he shows him off. One other good thing is they wont be fighting for toys as they are at completely different ages! I love the way they look at each other and smile. I am happy, hopefully one day, when I am gone they will have each other!--One good tip I heard is that you should spend time alone with each child so they don't get jealous, and never forget to tell them both you love them. I talked to my son a lot about it, but he had no idea what to expect until his little brother was born. I have to boys now, and I am sooo happy!

Answer 4

Mine are 8 years apart. I had a hard time getting pregnant or staying pregnant. I would have liked to have them a little closer but it wasn't meant to be. Now that I see how it worked out it isn't bad at all. I do worry later in life my daughters may not be as close as if they had been closer in age. But the nice thing is there is no fighting in my house over stupid things siblings usually fight over when they are closer to age like my sister and I did we are only 3 years apart.

Answer 5

My boyfriend has one older sister, two years older than him, and then two younger sisters, nine and eleven years younger than him.

In their family, it worked out well on one level because the older two kids were old enough to take care of themselves while mom was with the babies, and they could babysit for short periods, like while mom took a shower.

But on another level, it didn't flow so well, because it was, in their case, like two separate families, especially now with my boyfriend and the older sister moved out. They had a separate set of rules and responsibilities that the parents don't hold the younger two to, and the older two get angry about it. For example, the younger two don't have to keep the upstairs (their toy room) clean at all, they can eat nothing but chips and peanut butter for dinner three nights in a row if they want, and they don't do chores, at all. In fact, my boyfriend has to drive over there after work everyday and feed the pigs, because the two younger ones refuse to do it, and it bothers their mom's asthma (their dad is a truck driver, so he's gone all week and can't do it).

Just make sure that you don't go that route, letting the younger one get away with everything, and use the excuses 'but she's my baby' or 'I'm too old to fight with him'.

Now I was an only child until I was 7. Then my sister was born, and almost two years later, my brother was born. I remember the excitement, and helping to do things like paint the nursury, but I also remember suddenly becoming a built-in babysitter. Often, my mom and dad don't even ask me if I have plans, they'll just tell me bye as they walk out the door, and I'm stuck with them. And my parents use the 'I'm too tired to fight' excuse as to why my younger siblings (now 12 and 14) get away with a lot of things that I didn't at that age, like demand something different than what mom already made for dinner, or flipping off my dad.

So just be careful that you don't fall into that, too, and it will work out just fine!

Good luck, and congratulations on your pregnancy!

Answer 6

My husband was aged 13 when his youngest sister was born - he has always adored her, and now that he is grown he is very good with babies as well! My brother is 8 years older than I, and he was very protective of me as a youngster. My eldest is now 8 and I have a 4 month old baby - he also adores her and wants to protect her. I think she is old enough to be very involved with the baby when it arrives, so she will feel included and not pushed out of the way to make room for the baby. Good luck, and best wishes.

Answer 7

my daughter and this baby will be 7 years apart. I think that they will be close, acutally, I know they will. Her personality is very nuturing and she has wanted a sister or brother for so long. She adores kids, babies, pets..etc. She wants to be a grade 2 teacher. With her personality... I am confident that they will be close. Also, we are a close family and don't tolerate any disrespect. I am sure they will be fine. My brother and I are only 2 years apart and are not close at all. i thnk it has to do with the family atmosphere and the personalities involved. congradulations!

Answer 8

My daughters are 3 years aside and its perfect. they're actually 18 and 15 (nicely, they are going to be 19 and 16 in the subsequent twelve months) and they are perfect acquaintances. They get alongside tremendous, they do strive against, yet in addition they make up. They do extremely some issues at the same time and with my older daughter in college, her sister misses her extraordinarily. the three twelve months age distinction allowed me high quality time with the older one previously I had her sister and time with the more youthful one even as her sister began going to school. And best of all, I in trouble-free words had one in diapers in any given time. This for us, has been the perfect age distinction and it style of feels to be the perfect age distinction in our community. My older daughter has many acquaintances whose youthful siblings are also her sister's acquaintances.

Answer 9

My sister has two kids (14 & 13) from her first marriage and she now has a 16 month old and a 4 month old in her second marriage and the big kids absolutely love their baby sisters. They aren't jealous and they love helping with them.

Answer 10

I am 15 years younger than my oldest sister. We get along very well and I respect her very much. I think what helped is that my parents kept us all as a very close family. We did everything together.