Maybe an odd post but looking for your thoughts.My husband and I currently have a 4 year old & consider maybe having baby #2 soon. We’ve always thought about having a second but it’s been on hold because I’ve been in school full time, financial status not the greatest, and I have type 1 diabetes making pregnancy difficult. My question is would my 4 yr old (5 when a baby would arrive) still likely play with each other? Or would the age gap be too big? Am I silly for asking these questions? Genuinely curious. Thank you in advance
Five years is a pretty decent gap in my opinion. I feel like the 5 year old would be a great little helper, but I don’t see where they would have common ground to actually play together. When he’s 8, the second will be 3. When he’s 12, the second will be 7. Mine are two years apart and really just started playing together a few years ago, they are 9 and 11 now.
My boys are 5 years about 2 & 7 currently and they play amazing together and yes they fight but they just asked to share a bedroom!!! It’s amazing!! They are best friends!!!
My oldest two are 5 years 1 month apart.
They do still play great and love eachother but now that my oldest is 9 she’s starting to want her space.
Not silly for asking but it’s so hard to know. A 5 year age gap could be an issue as they get older. But the one you have now would be starting school and wouldn’t be around the baby during the day. But that’s not a reason to not have another kid if you want one.
It might depend on the sex of the new baby…a little girl would love a big bro…but when they get a little older they may not have similar interests. My daughter followed her big bro everywhere, but at about age 6 he didn’t want her in his room. He got the only spanking in his life, after he was mean and pushed her out of his room, lol. He never needed another one. But she wasn’t welcome in his space as he grew.
I think all family’s are different, they may be best friends or it take awhile for them to adjust. I have a 7 year old and 2 year old and they don’t really interact to much by themselves… Lucky for me I also have a 5 year old that does well with both of them haha
My girls are 5 years apart and we love it.
My kids were 4 years appart and played together
My friend had kids 10 years apart and they’ve always been great together. My kids, friends with the older sibling, always doted on the younger one as well. Depends on their personalities and how they are socialized.
So everything has its pros and cons. My daughter turned five right after my second was born. She was insanely motherly so she adored her baby sister. Struggled a bit when she became mobile and it hit that things were fair game for the baby too but wasn’t able to play the way she wanted. But everyone adjusted. You have to work between respecting the oldest boundaries and helping them understand a new norm and others playing different. Same time, now they’re seven and two. And can be absolute best friends. They can play so many interactive things together which I love because seeing my seven year old play Barbie’s or ice cream and such with her sister is perfection. But you still need to respect when the older wants to do something independently and respect the boundaries so she appreciates and chooses the time with the little one. And same goes the other way. My two year old wants to be left alone sometimes and my seven year old has to take a step back and respect it. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s a little crazy that they’re in such different places in life but it also allows them to not be in competition of one another if that makes sense?
But it’s also hard to get through all the parenting to a semi independent human and go back to a fully dependent human. Like it feels harder the second time around because it’s like I did this. But our family is just as perfect as it is because our second just brought something different that was needed. Which is what I feel any addition does. They complete the family in a way that didn’t feel empty.
there was an age gap of 7 yrs between me and the oldest of my little sisters (10 yrs between me and the baby) I played with all them all the time and still have a really good relationship with them
My 6yr old and 10 yr old have been playing together since as soon as my youngest was old enough to “play”. The 10 yr old just adjusts to the 6yr old, always has since day 1. They don’t need to play together 100% of the time but they DEFINITELY are always playing together. There’s always a way an activity can be tweeked for different age groups. Doesn’t mean they can’t play together just because they r 2 different ages.
My oldest is 5 and I now have a 3 month old baby girl and he loves her Hes a bigger helper with her also
My 12YO twin daughters still play with my 6YO son. Their 16YO brother now basically does his own thing. When the youngest was born, he was 10 and was like a 3rd parent to him. He still babysits occasionally and is great at it!! All age gaps have their pros & cons.
I have a 16 yr old and a 3 year old and they’re best mates. My big kid will drop everything to build blocks or play trains.
Age gap sibling relationships are the best
My oldest are 10 & 13 years older than my youngest and the oldest and youngest were inseparable and still are when we get together(live several states apart). Middle and youngest played together some and got a long as siblings usually do. Some days better than others. I honestly love the bigger age gaps.
I have a 6 ur age gap with my sister n my oldest two kids have a 6 year gap I used to play with my sister but my kids with the age gap never played
I was 9 1/2 when my baby brother was born. He’s my best friend.
My children are 4 years apart. They have always been close.
My kids are 5 years apart. Currently one is 20 and the other one is 15. They are best friends and always together. Makes my heart so happy