Having children close in age has a lot of beenfits, but there are some challenges too. These are the pros and cons to having children close in age from a mom who had 2 under 2.

{Post by Lauren}

My sister and I are 22 months apart in age. She was my built in best friend when we were growing up. My mother having children close in age was a benefit. Sure there were times, especially in high school, when we drove each other nuts. But overall it has been such a blessing to have her so close in age!

My husband and I knew we wanted a few children, but I have to be honest and tell you we didn’t fully plan how close they would be in age. Looking back I wouldn’t change a thing!

Our daughter and son are 25 months apart. The first year of two kids under two was difficult! Our oldest didn’t quite understand how much work a baby was, and “you have to be patient” was something I spoke often.

Having Children Close in Age

Today I want to share with you the pros and cons of having children close in age. Also check out my tips on how to create a loving sibling relationship!

Here are the pros of having children close in age:

Built in Best Friend: When you have a sibling close in age you have an automatic best friend. Our kids love to play the with the same things and they are all about make believe. It helps that they are so close developmentally! It makes finding activities for siblings to play together a lot easier.

Less Sleepless Nights: You may be thinking: What? How is this possible? Initially yes, you will lose sleep. But you will get to this sweet spot, around between ages 2 and 4 where both children are sleeping through the night!! In the long run, the baby phase of sleepless nights is over in a shorter period of time.

Similar Schedules: When you can coordinate nap time, play time and even preschool it makes life so much easier. With baby number two I was able to coordinate their schedules and I got a few hours to myself every afternoon. Moms you know how golden that is! It also helps that their activities (gymnastics, school, swimming) are at the same time as well.


Now having kids close in age isn’t all fun…

There are some unfortunate cons to having kids close in age:

It’s DIFFICULT: Young children have a lot of needs and they aren’t exactly patient. So handling two crying kids at the same time is not easy! They can’t quite help themselves when they are young and before they are really independent you are often tied to both of them.

Research on body healing: There is some research out there that says there are risks to getting pregnant right after giving birth. Your body may not have enough time to heal and you may feel like you are pregnant and/or nursing for years!

Diapers! Diapers! Diapers!: Finally, our oldest wasn’t out of diapers when we had our second child. That meant a lot of diaper changes! Initially it can feel like all you ever do is change diapers. But hey things could be worse right?


Do you have children close to each other in age? Did you purposefully try for a specific age gap? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Having children close in age has a lot of beenfits, but there are some challenges too. These are the pros and cons to having children close in age from a mom who had 2 under 2.


Lauren Gaines Heart of Deborah blogLauren has a background in school psychology and recently became a stay at home mom. She loves empowering women to parent joyful, healthy, Godly children. Come find support in motherhood, faith, healthy living, relationships and more as Lauren journeys through life as a daughter, wife and mother at her blog, Heart of Deborah. Follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.