Hurrah for two under two! Ten reasons I love having a close age gap

With a 19 month age gap, I was the mother of two children under two years old for about 5 months.

They are are now five and three, which doesn’t sound too bad; before too long they’ll be five and four which does sound slightly scarier. It does however mean that with one school year between them, I’m currently waiting on my second primary school place in as many years.

This has me slightly misty-eyed; I’m almost done with the whole ‘stay-at-home-parent-with-kids-at-home’ section of my parenting journey. Shortly, I’ll get to drop them at school and go out for champagne lunches, or Zoflora my floor for the seventeenth time that week, or whatever it is stay at home mums do these days.

But ultimately, from almost four years into the future, I can look back and give the two-under-two thing a big thumbs up.

If I had to give it a short Amazon review, it would say: Love it. Would recommend. First few years are a bit pants, but give it time and you’ll be glad to went for it. 4 stars.

It would be more but but it’s a bit expensive and the volume is a little loud.

With the benefit of hindsight, I highly recommend having two under two, and so I thought I’d share the highlights:

1. They like the same things

TV programmes, books, toys… the exact same ones at the very same time, usually. But for a few years at least you can get away with putting CBeebies on without argument, and one bedtime story should suffice.

2. They can share

When it comes to a lot of things – a bedroom, friends, toys, clothes, stuff.

I mean they might not like it, but they can. It is a lot easier to re-use things when they’ve not already been put into storage and cheaper than buying it all again.

3. You might be able to wangle a double nap

In the early days, at least, the double nap is the holy parenting grail.

Two kids asleep, in the day, at the same time? That, my friend, is winning. Life does not get any better. Time to put your weary feet up and have a nice cup of tea and a Jaffa Cake. You’ll need it.

4. There’s sleep in your near future

Allegedly. Get the night feeds over and done with in one (hellish) burst. If you’re still in the ‘6am is an acceptable time to start the day’ zone then you won’t feel so swindled when it inevitably happens again. Perhaps.

5. People are more likely to offer you help

Possibly only because of your eye bags and the fact you always look like you’re about to burst into tears, but if they offer, flipping take it. Don’t be a hero.

6. The older one knows no different

Yes you may have a few toddler tantrums but they won’t remember the year or so when they were the only child and the centre of everybody’s attention. Toddlers are excellent at adapting to things.

7. You know what you’re doing

Kind of. Sometimes. Maybe. But at least you’ll be more confident in your choices. When my son had severe colic and reflux, I demanded a paediatrician appointment and I was given one almost immediately.

With my daughter it had taken almost eight weeks to come about, by which time she was dropping off the bottom of the weight charts but because I was a first time parent, I felt the doctors didn’t really take me that seriously.

I suppose you could of course find yourself with two entirely different children and in an unknown situation; wasn’t I lucky to go through it twice in two years!

8. They’ll do things at the same time

The whole one-school-year-apart thing makes it easier from a practical perspective because having to be in two places at once is a bit tricky, but also it’ll be nice for them until she’s old enough to deem him really annoying (so, about a year).

9. You have a good excuse for almost anything

Seriously; a baby is a good excuse not to do things. A baby and a toddler? Here’s your free pass to say no to everything you don’t want to do, to be late, to eat cake for breakfast…Whatever you want, really.

10. They entertain each other

It’s like having a live-in pal that you occasionally like to smack.

But at least for a few hours each day (not all at once, but maybe 5 minutes or so here and there) they are the very best of friends and the older they get, the more they seem to enjoy and not just tolerate each other’s company.

I mean, the more violent they become towards each other too, but I’m looking at the positives here.

(PS please note, I do not want anyone to utter the words ‘teenagers’ or ‘just you wait’. I have no room for that kind of negativity, Carol).

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