I have two boys, they are 2.5 years apart. My oldest just turn three and the baby is still an infant. The brotherly bond is so sweet. My oldest son wakes up looking for his baby brother. When my oldest wakes up, he peeks in the bassinet and asks for his brother. Other times they will both snuggle in my bed, and my oldest will gently stroke his baby brother’s cheeks. Mimicking the way I stroke his cheeks and the very loving way. This makes my heart met EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Pregnancy and Conception
I got pregnant with my second son about 2 months before my oldest son’s second birthday. My 2nd son was born full-term when my oldest son was 2 yrs and 7 months old. So my boys are about two and a half years apart.
To be honest I didn’t necessarily miss having a baby around when we started trying for our second baby. I knew I wanted more kids, but as a full time working mama I was burnt out. I literally took a leap of faith knowing that it would be challenging having two kids so young and juggling a full time job outside the home.
I was worried at two that he wouldn’t understand what I was talking about. He would repeat baby brother when I pointed to my growing belly.
Preparing to Be a Big Brother
One of the things I worried about with the two and a half year age gap was my oldest son being jealous. He was the center of my attention for two and a half years and now he would need to share the spotlight. Fortunately so far there hasn’t been any jealousy.
My oldest son started daycare when he was just four months old. He was used to being around other kids. He was in the infant room until he was 18 months old.
For 4 to 5 days a week my son saw his caregivers at daycare attending to the smaller babies. This prepared him for life as a big brother. I haven’t seen any jealousy from him yet. When he asks for something and I am busy with the baby, he will just say okay and wait a few more minutes. I was pleasantly surprised The first few times this happened.
If you don’t pln to put your oldest child in daycare, perhaps you can help another momma out and babysit their little one. I’m sure the momma would enjoy the break, and your child can get used to sharing your
Potty Train Before the New Baby Arrives
My biggest regret is not potty training my oldest son before the baby got here. There are a lot of diapers everyday. My son was probably ready to be potty trained a little after his second birthday. However I was pregnant and exhausted and kept putting it off.
Now we’ve initiated potty training a few times since the baby has been born. However keeping an eye on the toddler and remembering to put him on the potty has been a challenge. We get preoccupied with cooking, cleaning, and caring for the baby.
I’m so nervous to put my son in underwear. Time flies by so quickly and I forget to remind him to use the potty. Right now I am working from home, so meetings and emails pull my attention away too. The baby is sleeping for longer stretches at night, so I hope to be able to spend more time potty training.
Another challenge of the two and a half year age gap is keeping my oldest son quiet while the little one is sleeping. Eventually, I think their nap times we’ll be in sync. Right now they are not. If my oldest is being loud and rowdy while the baby is falling asleep it’s not an issue.
You May Need to buy New Baby Clothes
2.5 year Age Gap at School
My boys are three calendar years apart. My oldest son’s birthday is in September. If your oldest child’s birthday is earlier in the year, there will only be two calendar years between them.
When my oldest is in 5th grade my little one will be in second grade. When my oldest is in 12th grade my little one will be in 9th grade. They will overlap a few years in elementary school, but will only share one year together in high school.
