Close age gap

i have 12 months and 3 weeks between mine and to be totally honest it really hasnt been hard. i have uni as well (only one paper) and apart from every now and then the house gets a bit messy ive found that me and both kids are always up, dressed and ready to face the day by 9am at the latest. the boys get on real well. if finn is crying in his bouncer, mack walks up and wobbles the top so he stops. at the very start mack tried to lean on him and stuff not realising he was breakable but now i can easily leave them in the same room knowing nothing will happen, not for a long time like hanging washing or anything but i can go to the toilet and not worry. i dont actually use my moby like i thought i would or a crock pot, and have still managed to not turn on a TV. lol. its pretty tiring but so far so good. im sure once mack hits the tantrum stage it will be a whole different story. LMAO. dont let ppls opinions get to you, everyone has horror stories but very rarely are there good ones told so i just wanted to pop in and say its really not that bad :D best of luck girls, its gonna be fab

I am so feeling ya on the being able to walk and bend part!! Some people huh, I have noticed people looking at my ring finger also haha, yes I have a nice sparkly number on it, suck on that.

I wondered too if I will be as fascinated by this baby like I was/am with Keira, or if I will have enough time for them both as Keira has had me to herself for a year... silly little things like that, I know it will be ok but the thought still crosses your mind

14 month gap here, was hard to start with, but only really because I had a CS and couldnt lift DS for a few weeks.

I too worried about how I could love another baby as much as I love DS, but as soon as I heard DD cry when they pulled her out I loved her right away and when they placed her on my chest she snuggled in and it was lovely.

I love my two equally

SpecialK- yes we dd end up getting a double MB and we haven't used it yet- its nice and quite flash looking lol but TBH I think I'll wear the baby and push Clodagh in the single MB hehe. BUT at least we have the bassinette attachment too so in theory at least I'll be out with the 2 babies walking the hills and losing my pg weight over summer

What did you go for in the end?

Hi hayley1

I've had DD since writing in here and have a 15.5 month age gap between my two. The best pieces of advice I can give are:

If somone offers help - take it!! I don't have any of my family in NZ so it was friends and my IL's that were offering to help me out (especially when DH had to go away for work for a week when DD was 6 weeks old) I didn't want people to think I couldn't cope so I politely declined and while I got through, it would have been much easier had DS gone to hang out with his Nana a day or two a week or I had said yes when friends offered to come help me out from 5-7pm for dinner and bath time.

Be organised - this is huge for me. When DS was in bed and DD had her last feed for the night I would get everything organised and laid out for the next day from a packed lunch for DS (yes, even though we were at home) to lunch for me, clothes for everyone and I'd usually get a head start on dinner or at least lay the things out that I knew I'd need for dinner. And during their day naps, I'd get their pj's sorted for that night. It sounds a bit OTT but I never once complained that I was too organised.

Keeping your toddlers routine - we still ate dinner at the table at 5pm (I would usually have to feed DD at the table) we still had baths at 6.15pm, still had his mid-morning nap - essentially, DD worked around DS's routine as much as possible and not the other way around.

Freeze Meals or ask friends to make meals instead of giving a gift - not only do you not have to cook, but you don't have to do dishes when all you want to do is go to bed!

Sleep deprivation, well I always seemed to get them down together at some stage throughout the day which was great as I could sleep too. But if your toddler can spend a day or morning/afternoon once or twice a week with a family member or friend you can sleep when baby does.

Also, DH and I took a child each for those first few months. DH usually got up to DS in the mornings and I would get up for DD (BF'ing meant this was the best way to work it). Also on the weekends DH would take DS out on boy outings so I could spend time with DD and of course - Sleep!!

All the very best, it seems daunting but it all just seems to work out