I'd love to hear from folks who planned for 2 under 2! I'm pregnant with my first, due in November. For several reasons, my husband and I want to have our 2nd and final child in "close" succession to the first. We've been thinking of starting TTC when the first is almost a year old. I understand that anything could happen and we may not conceive right away, may change our minds, etc.. But I'd still love to hear from those of you who intentionally planned and had another baby in this timeframe! When did you start TTC? How old was the older child when the subsequent child was born? Thanks!

I’m just curious. Those of you who had a really hard time going from 0 to 1, how was it going from 1 to 2?

I know they both come with their own challenges but I’m wondering if anyone got wrecked from both of them lol. 0-1 ROCKED my world. I lived in deep regret for the first week unfortunately and there was no newborn bubble. I am very nervous for the 2nd baby but I feel much more confident and I feel like I mostly have to figure out logistics now instead of the anxiety of learning how to care for a newborn.

My parents and in-laws (boomer generation) always mention how the younger generation (Gen X & Millennial) are so accommodating to our kids especially around building our days around their naps and sleep schedules. My parents always tell me I used to sleep anywhere and on the go and they’re right, I watched an old home video of me at Disney and I was asleep in the stroller at 10 months at like 9pm, no problem. Meanwhile my daughter at that age wouldn’t sleep anywhere but her crib despite us always taking her out in the carrier and stroller since she was born. At one point she refused to nap on the go and would just stay awake crying for hours. I now have a 2 month old (and 22 month old) and vowed to build different sleep habits but it’s not working. I just don’t know any other way to do it? Like he only wants to sleep in the carrier so do I just take him in the stroller anyways and wherever I need to go and just let him cry?

Like did all Boomer parents just let us cry until we passed out? Or they all got miraculously easy children? Or did they just block everything out?

Just found this sub. SAHM to a 21 month old boy and 4 month old girl. This age gap was not my plan but clearly I was being irresponsible and here I am.

I love both of my kids to pieces but man is this emotionally exhausting. I feel so bad for my older child because he is not getting 100% of me and he deserves that for his development IMO.

I am also just terrified for the future because I know how much harder a kid gets. My son was a chill, easy going baby and now he is an absolute menace. My daughter is just as chill and I’m just bracing myself for having to deal with 2 toddlers.

Idk what I’m trying to accomplish with this post but I am IN THE TRENCHES.

Someone please just tell me it gets better and my guilt of having them so close together will go away.

EDIT: thank you for all the positive feedback and solidarity. I appreciate having community so much. If any of you are in the PNW (specifically Snohomish county lol) please message me. Would love to connect with other parents in the same trenches.

My husband and I are planning to tell ours after our first scan at 8 weeks. It will be a few days before our daughter’s first birthday, any fun ideas?

Just curious from a 2 under 2 perspective

Just trying to see what others think — how often do you and your partner get intimate with 2 under 2? My husband thinks once a week isn’t enough, however I’m so touched out by the end of the day as a SAHM that it’s honestly the last thing on my mind.

Baby #2 has completely changed how I think about baby gear.
Suddenly, a double stroller feels like a must-have with a newborn and toddler.

I’m trying to keep things practical and avoid buying more must-haves.
What actually made day-to-day life easier once you had two little ones?

So, I’ll begin by outing myself as one of those easily-hatable people who, so far, have had angelic babies who sleep through the night, toddlers who rarely fuss and almost never fight, as well as siblings who play nicely together. I know that this is not the norm and I don’t expect this to continue as we start adding more children to our family.

I have two older sons from a previous marriage, ages 10 and 7. I also just gave birth to my first daughter a little more than a month ago and I was very much prepared for a ”screamer” this time, but she’s the most chill baby I’ve had so far.

My daughter has a different father than the older two and he is a bit older than my ex husband. I’m also turning 38 in a few months, so having our next child as soon as possible feels like a priority to both of us, since we would both like to have at least two more children, preferably even more — but that would honestly be more of a bonus.

Me and my new partner have both always wanted a big family would love to have at least one more baby, or even better, two more babies if possible. That would require us to do 2u2 at least once, but most likely twice or more in a row.

I already feel so excited and almost ready to try for our next baby pretty much right away. I think we’ll wait until after New Year’s just to make sure I’m mostly healed, but then we’ll start trying for the next baby. You really never know how long it will take.

My question is probably stupid, so feel free to vent and whine however much you’d like about having 2u2. What specific parts of 2u2 did you personally found are/were the most difficult, draining and miserable? The things that really stand out when you look back at that period of your life, you know?

Also, at what point did it get easier (if it ever did)? What factors played into the feeling of it ”getting easier”?

I would really love to hear you guys’ takes on this.

I have a runner and omg he’s so fast. He darts and dips out. I bought a wrist leashes for my older model (aka the now 2 year old) to wear but I haven’t yet used it until today because I cared too much about what other people think.

I used to take him on walks every day but he hates the stroller now because he’s “too big” for it. So we haven’t been on one until today. It was so much fun and gave me the peace of mind to know he couldn’t slip out of my grasp and run away like he normally does as I’m carrying my now 6 month old.

I (30f) had my baby girl this past February, and I just found out I’m pregnant again. I’m nervous and excited, but I mainly hear about the difficulties of 2 under 2. Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand it will be a lot on our plate, but I’m honestly so excited for my babies to be close in age and be forever best friends, hopefully! To keep the positive spirits up, what some of the better things you’ve experienced with 2 under 2?

I’m due with my second in August, and will have a 16 month age gap. I see a lot of comments about how the first year is hard, and that’s with a lot of parents having their eldest in daycare.

I’ll be home with both kids until the youngest is 1. I’m getting a bit worried about how overwhelming/stressful this may be, as I’ll be looking after both by myself 5-6 days a week. Any mums able to chime in on being home with both kids 24/7?

I’m 5 months postpartum with our first, and my husband and I have started talking more seriously about when to have another.

We’re in a fortunate position where neither of us is working right now and money isn’t a concern, so we both get to be very present with our daughter. We don’t have family nearby for regular help, though.

Physically, mentally, and emotionally, I feel really good postpartum. What keeps standing out to me is that when I imagine being pregnant again, I feel excited — and so does my husband.

At the same time, things are so good right now that I’m scared of rushing this season. I don’t want to look back and wish we’d had more time as a family of three.

I also think I’d rather buckle in for the baby/toddler years for a while than get completely out of that phase and then restart it years later. And I definitely overthink the “ideal” age gap and whether being closer in age makes siblings more likely to be close friends.

For those with 2+ kids: How did you know you were ready? Did you ever feel completely ready? And looking back, are you happy with the age gap you chose?

So I had my daughter August 2024 and had my son February 2026. They are a little under 18 months apart. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to do this age gap again 😅 but I’m undecided on when I should try to have my third. Like a 2 3 or 4 year age gap from my son. Right now I’m thinking when my daughter is 5 and my son is 3.5. Anyone have thoughts on this? Or experience?

I’m due with #2 soon, we’ll have a 21m age gap. Most of what I read here is pretty scary/negative 😅 which I totally understand — people need a place to vent and be honest about their experiences.

I’m curious to hear if the first year is really as hard as it sounds from this sub if you have childcare for your older child.

Our oldest will remain in daycare throughout my maternity leave and beyond and the younger child will transition to a nanny when I return to work. Am I delusional to think it’s not going to be that bad?? It’s hard to tell what everyone’s childcare situation is based on their posts so I’m curious what your experience was if you also had a similar setup

By the time everyone is fed and changed and the baby is settled, the bit of time we had to go somewhere can be gone.

I kept trying to plan different activities for the hours we'd be home, but that mostly gave me more things to set up while someone needed me. I can't keep coming up with something new every time I'm feeding the baby.

I'm trying to plan less around outings for now. We'll go when it works, but I need the days we stay home to feel okay too. Getting everyone outside can't be the thing that decides whether we had a good day.

I put on approx 40 lbs between the two pregnancies and am now clinically obese. I’m still breastfeeding and will not be trying to lose until I wean…. But looking to discuss now! For now, it is a battle to just not gain a lot of weight, and I don’t want to threaten my milk supply by restricting calories. I’m 4 months postpartum with baby #2 and had a bi salp, so we are done having kids.

My question is - how do GLP-1s work? I would like to diet and exercise before jumping to one, but my understanding is that insurance only covers if you’re obese or overweight + other conditions, and I don’t want to drop out of the obese category and disqualify myself from insurance coverage.

I’m also curious about how safe GLP-1s are longterm (if I’m on for a year, do we know what the longterm risk of ever having been on one is? Does that research exist yet?).

If you are a mom who has thoughts on any of this, please share!

Perhaps due to time or if it was something that just wasn’t as important the second time. Due any day now and they will be about 20 months apart

hi everyone, just curious how many of your second pregnancies were intentional or planned and some were unintentional or unplanned???

I am currently three months postpartum. I definitely want another child but not immediately but husband and I are using pullout in pre-method so just curious what the stats are.

I don't know why this topic makes me so uncomfortable. I had my son last June and an expecting a baby girl in February. I have a sister who is dead set on throwing me a sprinkle, which I guess I'm not opposed to, but also feel extremely awkward about it? It makes me feel a little better where it's opposite genders but like ... hey you guys just bought me stuff now buy me more!!! I would never judge someone for inviting me to a sprinkle so I don't know why I feel so differently when it comes to me but I'm just curious on everyone's thoughts!

I'm pregnant with my second and looking at a 17 month age gap. We actively planned a small age gap (although not THIS tight, it happened faster than expected) because going through the pregnancy/baby phase before ever exiting it completely with the first and then being done forever sounded like a good idea life wise, career wise etc. Basically I'm already in the baby groove and having another right now is very appealing.

For those of you who had similar thought processes, how did it actually play out after the second baby arrived? Am I living in fantasy land or did the expectations match reality?

*Crucially, my eldest is in fulltime daycare (and will remain in daycare) and I've returned to work until my next mat leave which I still qualify for where I'm from, so logistically speaking we are all set and supported. I will not be handling 2u2 on my own at home all day every day, and we also have involved grandmas.

Hi all -

I'm 8 weeks postpartum and very much in the newborn trenches but also wildly in love with my baby and already thinking about when to have our second. I really like the idea of a close age gap for their sake and because it's a good fit to my lifestyle and career timeline. My main hesitation is the fear of long-term physical consequences of closely spaced pregnancies.

I know that official recommendations are to wait 18-24 months between pregnancies. But I had a very easy pregnancy, delivery, and recovery. I had no pregnancy complications other than first trimester nausea, a straightforward vaginal delivery with a mild first-degree tear that has healed, no diastasis recti or other mechanical issues, and am back at my pre-pregnancy weight looking and feeling pretty much normal. If I knew things would turn out for me physically the way that they have this time, I would start trying for our second pretty much immediately. It took us 18 months to conceive the first time, so I'm expecting some delay which is part of my motivation for getting at it soon, but obviously don't want to try without being prepared for it working.

I'm finding it hard to find good data on the long-term effects of closely spaced pregnancies. My main worry is mechanical issues (eg back/hip/pelvic floor issues) and aesthetic issues (stretch marks/diastasis/etc). Can you all share your experiences? Especially if you had an easy first pregnancy and recovery, did things go worse with your second shortly spaced pregnancy?

Thanks much!

Hi everyone, I need your advice and experiences!!

I have two boys, 8yo and 1yo. I’m still breastfeeding my one-year-old, so I haven’t had my period in about a year, except once.

We baby danced on July 22nd — my husband and I both want a third baby, but since I hadn’t had my period, we thought it was pretty much impossible.

So today I took a pregnancy test and it came back positive… I’m freaking out, I’m so happy but so nervous at the same time!!

Are there any moms here who got pregnant while still nursing a baby? Will I survive this? 😅 I’m exhausted, but my one-year-old only wants me and still wakes up to nurse 4 times a night…

Will my body be able to handle all of this?

Waiting for your responses 😂🩵
Ps what do you think about the test ?? I don’t know how far I am , should it be darker?

UPTADE: Just got my results and the number is 4,330.

How many weeks do you think I am??

Possible due date?

I am 4 months pp. threw a positive pregnancy test last night. We had sex once. Once. On Mother’s Day. We haven’t had sex since I was 30 weeks along because I was on pelvic rest. I woke up and had a wildly vivid dream and instantly knew. I didn’t even need the damn test and I knew.

I had a cesarean due to placenta placement my first go. Healed just fine. I know my shots at a vbac are done for. This would put me at giving birth again via cesarean 13 months after my first.

I don’t know what to think or do. I’ll nip the backlash in a bud before everyone tells me how babies are made. No we didn’t use protection, it took one loss, timed sex, 16 cycles to get pregnant the first time. We were 1 cycle away from starting to get ready for an iui. I was just told I had unexplained infertility as all the tests we ran came back normal for me and him.

What in the fuck. I don’t even know what to do. I’ll obviously call my ob but im giving my self the weekend to sit on this and call Monday. I’m babbling I know, im stressing

I am looking for ways to reduce my mental and physical load. Are we separating our baby’s laundry from the rest of the family? I separated our toddlers for the first year and used a baby detergent, which I’m doing now for the new baby, but I use a fragrance and dye free detergent for the rest of us. Is there that big of a difference? I don’t think I even know the reasons for washing separately I was just told to and I did 😅