2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30
Want babies close together who will play together or take your time between two children to make the most of the time we spend with each other? Objectively, which is better?
Once you have had a child and know what it means, you have a better overview of what family life is like. We can conclude that one child is enough, we can be afraid to go through the pregnancy again or we can choose to expand our family. When this is the case, one can choose between a condensed family life or a very long journey. Of course, questions of fertility, blended families and other vagaries of life do not always give you a choice, but here is something to think about what awaits you in either of the two cases.
Children very close together…
There are many advantages to having children very close together. First, we are already in the saddle. All the stories of birthing, breastfeeding, bottles, diaper, diaper rash, colic and teething are fresh in our memory and it's easier to go back to it. We also haveall the equipment and the rooms are already organized in such a way as to accommodate a baby without any problem. A second child closer to the first, it is the continuity of the family life that we have been leading for several months already.
With younger children, activities are also easier to plan. Games at home go without saying, children have several common interests and early friendships will turn into confidences in preadolescence. He's someone to build igloos with, he's a water war opponent, and he's a friend to play board games with and share a room with. For children, it is an almost guaranteed playmate throughout childhood.
On the other hand, children who are close together will feel more often in competition for their parents' attention, since they will almost always be at the same stage of their development. If they have very different temperaments, they may also feel like they are stepping on each other's toes at home, since they will be "forced" to play together.
… tired parents
For parents, it will be a little more difficult at first. Two children close together require a longer period without sleep and a lot more supervision. If your couple is doing very well, sharing tasks allows you not to burn yourself out completely. Otherwise, caring for a child who begins to climb and who puts everything in his mouth at the same time as an infantbreastfeeding can be quite a challenge.
On the other hand, with very close children, you will emancipate yourself more quickly from your family. The children will grow up at the same time and you will regain a little freedom as it happens. For frequent travelers and people who like to go out a lot, the retirement from parenthood and the return to these activities will come sooner. For others, the sudden loss of the children who need you may come as a shock.
More distant children
With distant children, the benefits and challenges are different. First, your family life extends over time. For those who savor every second of their family life, this is an undeniable advantage. It also anchors teenagers in this family unit, through the little brother or sister to entertain or occupy.
Financially, this decision has an impact, but not necessarily the one we think. At the very beginning, baby things will have to be bought back, that's for sure. But after that, expenses like extracurricular activities and the price of schools - if you choose private -, will always be singles, rather than doubles. You'll pay for longer, but for smaller amounts at a time.
Eventually, the age difference will seem less and your children will be able to play several things together, as if they had been brought closer together. The major difference is that they will still want to have their own little world,appropriate for their age.
Two worlds, that's really what it's been like for several years when you have two children of very different ages. If they are more than five years apart, they will not go to school at the same time, and when the first starts secondary school, the second will always be at the start of primary school. They will then experience very different things, which can be entertaining and dizzying at the same time.
Is there an ideal?
Looking at it all closer, you can't say that one choice is better than the other. Each has its advantages and disadvantages and your family being unique, with children and parents who each have their own character, it will be what you make of it and you will love it anyway.
The dynamic between several children is very different from that with an only child and, whatever you choose, you will not regret it or be bored. And for those who are worried, the welcome the new kid will get depends a lot on the personality of the other children, but no matter how the first few days go, they soon won't be able to imagine themselves without him.
