Our three are roughly two years apart and it’s been great. They play together, sometimes nicely, and there was enough time in between for me to recover and catch my breath. Now #4 is due and it will be a circus but it’s my circus!

Anonymous wrote:We definitely want 3 and no outside issues. 1st at 30, 2nd at 32. When to have #3?

I see so many ways it works. We absolutely loved everything about pregnancy and newborn stages so it’s not something we want to just get over. Is it better to space it out? When my kids are 5 and 7 will I want a newborn? I just can’t see the future. I loved having my first 2, 2 years apart but couldn’t do that against. It was intense.

My youngest is almost 2.

I can't speak for everyone, but for me, no, by the time my oldest was 7 I did not want a newborn. There is a point where, IME, you turn a corner into big kid stuff and adding to the family is not as appealing.

FWIW, in my baby playgroup several families wanted 3, but the only ones who had 3 were the ones who had them in quick succession. The ones who waited a few years longer to catch their breath all changed their mind eventually and decided to stop at 2.

We were September 2015, July 2017 and then November 2019.

So all around 2 years give or take a few months. People think we're a little crazy but reasoning was:

1) I have really horrible pregnancies that are high risk and miserable and become more high risk after 35 so we wanted to be done before then

2) Both of us knew that if we got entirely out of 'baby' ie, no diapers or bottles or total dependence etc that we would never go back. So we knew we had to decide before we got that freedom.

The result is that yes its madness but also I can tell from the older two, who are BFF, that the three of them will all be close and that is great. I am also so looking forward to like, 3-5 years from now, when all of this is behind me and I'm SO SO happy to never be pregnant again.

Our first two are three years apart and second and third are 20 months apart. I prefer the three years apart, but I wanted to be done with having babies.

First two are exactly 3 yrs apart, third is 3-1/2.

It seemed much easier for us than the families we now with the 18-24 mo spacings. Basically only one in diapers (although its been 9 continuous years of diapers...) and needing constant eyes on them at a time.

The older two are now 9 and 6 and great playmates. The 3 yo mostly just wreaks havoc still, but I imagine it will change.

Our first two are two years apart, second and third are 2.5 years apart. I prefer ~two years apart, but what we have is great, too. I wouldn't want more than three years between the second and third in your case; the baby ends up getting schlepped around so much, and it can be hard to be integrated into the older kids' play. Not every third kid is easy and portable, FWIW.

We had a spacing of 2.5 years, then 2 years. It was intense at first, but 3.5 years later it's nice. They're close.

Among our acquaintances, I know a lot of people with 2-2.5 and then 3 year spacings. Fewer are closer. Very few are further.

Anonymous wrote:Op here well at the soonest we were thinking of having a kid next spring. So 5, 3 and newborn.

That’s my exact spread with my youngest now 7. It’s been great. The kids are bonded but they weren’t too close in age and manageable.

My first two are three years three months apart.

Nine years later I had #3. Three years after that I had #4.

That was a perfect spacing for our family. We were able to have a lot of kids but still let all of them get all the individual attention they need. But if we'd stopped at #3, I would have felt bad for her - for not having a little buddy to grow up with. So if you're definitely only going to have three, I'd get cracking now - you don't want a big gap and for everyone (including your kids) to assume #3 was an accidental pregnancy. Plus they will be left out of all the older kids fun.

Anonymous wrote:My kids are 7, 5, and 2 years old. I love this spacing. First two were old enough to be excited about the new baby and understand what was happening. Middle child is close enough in age to both oldest and youngest to play well with both.

This is us too (although mine are now 9, 7, and 4). Absolutely perfect spacing for us.

My kids are 7, 5, and 2 years old. I love this spacing. First two were old enough to be excited about the new baby and understand what was happening. Middle child is close enough in age to both oldest and youngest to play well with both.

Op here well at the soonest we were thinking of having a kid next spring. So 5, 3 and newborn.

Ours were born June 2008, September 2010, and February 2014. Each three years apart in school. I was not ready to have another until middle child turned two, but I didn’t want too big of a gap, either.

It’s been perfect.

Whenever there is a COVID vaccine?

We definitely want 3 and no outside issues. 1st at 30, 2nd at 32. When to have #3?

I see so many ways it works. We absolutely loved everything about pregnancy and newborn stages so it’s not something we want to just get over. Is it better to space it out? When my kids are 5 and 7 will I want a newborn? I just can’t see the future. I loved having my first 2, 2 years apart but couldn’t do that against. It was intense.

My youngest is almost 2.