Moms of more than 1...I need opinions please!

Thanks ladies for all your insight. I am leaning more towards waiting until at least middle of next year when my LO will be 2. That way my LO will be able to go to preschool for a couple hours a day when the new LO gets here.  I hope by then he's potty trained. I really wouldn't want 2 in diapers. My LO right now is VERY demanding. I'm a SAHM and some days I can't go potty without him right on my lap...other days he's fine.

But I have to admit I'm starting to get baby fever..seeing all the baby bumps and ultrasounds.

I have two girls, they are 16 months apart, and I love the spacing! If I was having anymore I would've done it the same but I am not so that is neither here nor there. Nylah will be 2 on April 4th and Vannah will be 6 months next Friday. Nylah didn't much care about the new baby and didn't seem a bit jealous. Now she loves the baby, she says that Vannie is her baby and wants to hold her constantly, of course "gentle" is used daily at our home as well. LOL Nylah is already potty trained and not yet 2, so it is nice to have only one in diapers. I have to say it would have been quite tough if #2 was like #1 with the colic and non stop crying for 3-4 hours EVERY night until she was 2 months but #2 didn't have that so I was relieved! Good luck, waiting until he is two is not a bad idea either.

My first was 2 years-3 months when the 2nd was born and they are serious tag-team brothers.  It was a perfect age spread.  There was no jealousy or transition issues to deal with and as the ped. pointed out after a month or two my 2 year old couldn't remember a time before his baby brother was born.  It all worked out perfectly.  I had hoped to repeat that spread but surgery and "life" happened so the 3rd came 3 years-7months after my 2nd.  The oldest (now 6) has very little interaction with the baby (he spends all his time playing with the middle brother) but when he's at school the middle and the baby are super-buddies.  My second born can't get enough of his baby brother.  It's awesome.  I agree it was tougher "getting back" into baby mode after having regained full-sleep nights and no diapers between #2 & #3.

On a side note, my sister and I are 10.5 months apart (it's tough to get any closer than that) and being exact opposites we HATED being so close in ages.  People either treated us like twins or expected one of us to be significantly older/younger than we were.  There was TONS of judgement comparing us to each other (especially by teachers in school).  That I hated.

Depends on which kids you're asking about, so yes and no. There is 3yrs between our boys and it was PERFECT!!! I had always heard that 2yrs was good, but it sure wasn't for us...DS#2 and DD#1 are 2yrs 4mos apart and it was the WORST timing possible. It really should have been at least 3yrs, but we were stuck on 2yrs. Our girls are 3 1/2yrs apart, but had been planned on them being 4yrs apart due to my surgery. Well, God had other plans. (3 forms of birth control so she was went to be!) It's worked out fairly well in general, but looking back, had the surgery not been a factor, both DH and I feel 3yrs would have been better.  DD#2 is basically like an only child and will be that way for the next 2 yrs based on her birthday. (just after x-mas and before new year's) The older 3 are all in school while DD#2 is home w/me. Next fall she'll get to go to preschool for a couple of days and then kindergarten the following year, but if the school district doesn't make some changes, she may not be going to K.

My DH and his older brother are 16mos apart in age, and while my MIL can share some good things about it, I know, and she'll tell you, that it was very hard on her. Very demanding and challenging on a daily basis. My DH will tell you it was hard for him when they were in school, around birthdays (his brother got to have b-day parties since he was older, DH didn't get the same # of b-parties) and in general he says he felt like he was just "there". He does have some really good memories too that he would trade for anything, but the basic experience he had left him not wanting to have our kids close together.