Why to Have Kids Close in Age

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10 awesome reasons why to have kids close in age. A small age gap can mean you never leave the baby phase, easier scheduling, sharing toys, activities, and so much more.

Having kids close in age can in many ways be like having twins; you’ll need a double stroller, have two in diapers, eventually have two toddlers, two teenagers, and then two in college at the same time.

My own babies are 16 months apart. To me 15-18 months is the perfect age gap! This means that I got pregnant with my second when my first was 7 months old.

Some people may think getting pregnant so soon was an accident, but it was definitely very planned and welcomed. I love having my kids close in age and wouldn’t have it any other way.

So if you just found out you are pregnant with your second baby in two years, if you are planning to have your babies close in age, or are already there, consider it short-term pain for long-term gain!

Here are 10 reasons why to have kids close in age. Note that these are my personal opinions and some ‘pros’ may be another person’s ‘cons’.

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1. You Never Got Out of Baby Phase

You can’t miss what you don’t know!

If your older baby is just 1-2 years old when your second is born, you are still in the baby/toddler phase and don’t know anything different.

You are likely still changing diapers so adding another diaper change to the rotation isn’t that life-changing. Your older child is likely still in a crib, still taking a nap, and still very heavily reliant on you for most everything they do in the day. You spend your Friday nights in and know all the characters of Paw Patrol.

I don’t bring this up to make you depressed (although it can be depressing and draining), but to point out that adding another baby to this mix won’t change much of your daily routine. You are used to taking care of a baby, and although adding another one will be harder, it won’t be that different.

Newborn life is still very fresh in your mind. This can be used to your advantage as you think back to “how the heck did I do this” the first time around.

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2. Go Through The Same Phases Together

Like never leaving the baby phase, if you have kids close in age they will go through most of their life phases together. Your life will go through seasons, but once one is done its onto the next.

Although it can be difficult with two children going through these phases at once, it can also be a little easier in some ways. You will learn to navigate each season of life and help them get through it at the same time; like “killing two birds with one stone”.

There might be slight difference because of their small age gap, but they will probably start pre-school, regular school, start sports and other after-school activities, go through puberty, go to prom, and move out of the house around the same time or within the same year or two.

You won’t be running to an after school activity while navigating a newborn’s nap schedule. Their schedules and daily routines will be very similar as they get older.

3. You Still Have All The Baby Stuff

Not only do you still have the baby mentality when you have your kids close together, you also still probably have most of your baby stuff. We never got to selling or putting away most of our baby stuff, because we knew once my oldest grew out of it it would only be a short time until we needed to use it again.

Carseats have expiration dates (if you didn’t know), so having two close in age meant that we could still comfortably and safely use the same carseat without it aging out.

Note: one con of having babies close in age is the need to buy two cribs. My oldest was 16 months old when his brother was born and we felt this was a bit too young to move to a toddler or twin-sized bed, so we bit the bullet and bought a second crib.

4. They Are On Similar Schedules

Having your kids close in age means that they are going to be on similar schedules for a while. My toddler had just moved to one nap when my youngest was born and I quickly figured out how to align their schedules so that the naps overlapped! (My Newborn & Toddler Schedule)

Once my youngest was about 11 months old we moved him to one nap so that he could be on a very similar schedule to my oldest. Now they nap at the same time, go to bed at the same time and even share a room (which they absolutely love). They also wake up and eat at about the same time every day too.

This makes it so much easier to get stuff around the house, plan our day, and schedule outings and appointments when needed.

5. They Can Eat the Same Foods

After the first year or so, your younger child will be able to eat almost everything that your older toddler does. Some foods might need to be modified to be safer for young toddlers, but you won’t need to prepare different meals for everyone in the family.

Toddlers, young children, and teenagers will have different taste preferences and ability to eat different foods. This won’t be a problem for you with kids close in age! Stock up on mac ‘n cheese and move on to sushi as they both get a little older.

6. They Can (Probably) Share Clothes

There is a good chance that your two kids close in age will eventually be about the same size and can share clothes. This can be a great thing while they are too young to claim ownership over certain articles of clothing or care which shirt they are wearing today.

My 1 and 2 year old are very close to the same size and do share a few items of clothes already. This means only one size to remember when buying clothes or telling relatives what size to order. If they share a room it can also make it easier when folding and putting away their laundry.

7. Same Activities/Interests

Although a newborn and a toddler are a bit different from one another, as your children get older their age gap will appear smaller and smaller. Eventually you will have two toddlers, then two pre-schoolers, two school-aged kids, and two teenagers!

As your younger child gets older they will eventually be able to do (almost) everything that your older child does in terms of play and activities. They will likely be interested in the same things and want to play with the same toys.

This means you won’t have to keep a million different toys for different age ranges, you can consolidate and let them share a narrowed-down list of their favorite toys that are age-appropriate. They will also appreciate larger shared gifts at Christmas.

This also holds true as they get older. Although there is a possibility they will have different interest, the age-appropriate toys and activities can be shared as they get older; they can probably play on the same sports teams or be in the same dance classes or other after-school activities.

8. Only 1-2 Grades Apart

If your children will go to traditional school, they will probably be only a grade or two apart. This can make it easier to navigate changing schools as they move from elementary school, to middle school, and then high school. Once your oldest moves onto the next school, the youngest won’t be too far behind. You won’t have kids in different schools for very long.

If you are homeschooling, this can be especially advantageous since they can do most of their lessons together. They might be on different levels for some subject like math and reading, but since they are close in age they can probably learn the same lessons for science and social sciences.

9. Same Friends

If your kids are close in age there is a good chance they will have some of the same friends.

Kids generally tend to find their friends in school, the neighborhood, or other after school activities. Since your kids will be close in grade and likely in the same activities there is a good possibility they will have the same friends.

10. Built-in Best Friend

The best reason to have kids close in age is because they will always have a built-in best friend!

It’s not guaranteed that you kids will be BFFs, but because of the reasons mentioned above there is a very good chance they will be. They will be forever playmates and easily able to relate to one another because they grew up together and shared so much.

They will likely share toys, clothes, interests, school assignments, and friends. They will never be lonely and will always have a sibling to lean on. Short-term pain for long term gain!

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