have a 5 yr old and I want to have another kid, what are the pros and cons of the 6 year age difference???

Answer 1

There are 6 years between me (I'm a girl) and my brother, and I think it was great (although there are a few cons, but that's in any situation).

I remember being so happy to have a little brother when he was born. I ended up spending a lot of time with him, playing with him when he was younger and teaching him stuff. It got a little harder as I got into high school but I still hung out with him. I'd take him to the movies or out to dinner.

The best and worst part about the age difference was that I babysat him all the time (from about when I was age 12 and on). I didn't mind most of the time, but sometimes I did. But parents were very good about it and didn't expect me to give up everything to babysit. They would get another babysitter when they knew I had plans (they also paid me, which was nice). I would definitely make sure not to treat the older child as a live in babysitter.

Now I am 26 and he's almost 20 and we get along even better now. I'm getting married in a few weeks and he's going to be my whatever the equivalent of a maid of honor is for a guy. We are very close and I've always been happy that we had that big age difference. I watched a lot of my friends with brothers or sisters a few years apart and it seemed like most of them are not as close as me and my brother are.

Answer 2

I have a son that will be 6 in Dec. and I have a son that just turned 1 on the 6th. My older son is a great help. If I need something, he can run and get it, he can help with all the small stuff and it really makes a big difference!! The down side is, He wants to act like a parent, and is always telling him what to do...which is kind of cute, but my job...lol. He also gets really aggravated when his little brother gets his toys...I think it's easier for them to be farther apart, but I worry that they won't be close. I'm 5 mo. pregnant again, so I will know the pros and cons to having kids far a part and really close together!! I would go for it if I were you...Your one is only going to get older!! Good Luck!!

Answer 3

The pros are, your 5 yr old is out of the baby stage, no diapers, pacifiers, no more baby stuff and you have spent 5 solid yrs of devoting your physical and emotional attention to this child and this child is ready for some Independence.

The cons, I had my children 13 yrs apart by accident and there still was jealousy and me being tied to the house more cut in to my taxi time.

Children with any age difference have their own challenges and issues. What you need to decide is do you want another child and run with that decision.

Good luck!

Answer 4

well actually in chinese astrology a 6 year age difference is the worst match lol. buyt not everyone bvelieves in that

personally me and my sisters are apart 15 years im the baby of the house. alot of my friends wish they had older sisters or brothers so they can go to their houses for sleepovers and to get away from parents, i think thats one of the biggest benefits. my aunt had a 6 year old and she just had a baby and they get along really well so far. Up to the olderst turning into a teen everything should go smoothly.

cons would be of course little fighting and picking on eachother when they are a bit older especially when one is 11 and the other 17, the older will not want to baby sit and probably get blamed for things the smaller one did. Also the smaller will pick on the older bother them what attention ect. also if you give too much attention to the new baby then the older will try to win over that attention in bad ways.

another thing would be to have 2 children that way when they are older they can take care of eachother, my mom had my sisters about a year and a half apart and when they started walking and talking she had a lot less work since she didnt have to find things for them to do they had eachother. of course its your choice! up to u lol.

Answer 5

Pros:
-Oldest could help out somewhat with baby, which would build responsibility
- Oldest MAY like the idea of having a baby brother/sister
- Easier to get a babysitter if not both infants
- May cause less sibling rivalry if not close together
- The more the better

Cons:
- Oldest may rebel in an attempt at attention when younger baby is born
- Different schools (Ie: middle school and high school)
- Different friends, will be going different places

Answer 6

There is a 5 1/2 year difference between me and my sister. At first I was jealous, but we became great friends, and then around teenage years we were on two different pages. Now I'm 22 she is 17, I see her mistakes and it drives me crazy but it's nice because she has someone to look up too and I always have her to laugh about all the silly things we did as a kid. It's great having siblings, I also have two sisters that are 9 and 10, and I love them to death. Just re enforce to your 5 year there your having a baby, let him play with your belly to feel attachment and included him picking out clothes and things for the new baby, it will help with the adjustment.

Answer 7

My brother and I are 6 years apart, I'm 15 and he's 9. It's not that bad because since we are so many years apart we don't fight over little things like younger kids do. It will also be convenient for you when they grow up, I know it is for my parents because I babysit my brother all the time and I can help him with his homework and things like that. It will also be nice for you 5 year old because he/she will actually remember their sibling being born. Also my brother and I dont fight that much as other siblings that have a small age difference

Answer 8

pros- 5 year old can always help out with the younger one, when they are older (15) they can babysit the younger (9), they can help out with school work, and be a role model, the older the [older] kid is the easier they will accept that there is a new child in the family to focus on

cons- 6 year difference may lack the immediate bond that siblings closer in age have, if the older one is a "wild child" the younger may follow in footsteps (or for me, my more "wild" sister helped me learn what NOT to do), the older might get jealous

Answer 9

My son was 6 when his sister was born. Looking back on it, he had a hard time adjusting to having to share the attention. It's very obvious when I look at old home videos, but I didn't see it at the time. Be sure to give your 6 year old lots of one-on-one time and attention. My son ended up acting out as a teenager and I blame myself for not doing a better job when he was younger. On the other hand, I am 13 years older than my brother, and we have always been very close. I guess we have more of a mother/child relationship than siblings, but we've always been close.

Answer 10

My daughter was 7 when I had my son. We've always made it clear to them that they are siblings and they play together like they are best friends. My daughter was just so happy to have a sibling, that she doesn't care about the age difference. One thing, make sure you do not treat them like they are two separate families! My brother is 7 years older than me (coincidence) and my folks treated us like two totally separate families and we were encouraged to play with friends our own age more than each other...we don't have any relationship today because my brother doesn't feel close to me. I'm making sure my kids don't do the same. We do a lot of family activities that both kids participate in and I let my daughter "mother" him a little. He will go find her to play with him and ignore my husband and I until he finds her! It's so much fun. He's now 2 and she's 9 and they are still very close. Just have fun with your kids!