Why It’s Fun to Have Kids Close in Age

I think most people these days have more than one child. I think it’s important that our children have someone their own age around to play with and show them through life. Plus, all children are wonderful and bring joy into our lives, and all joy is good! If you decide to have more than one kid, I think it’s best to have them close together. Here’s why it’s best to have kids closer in age.

1. Your children with face the same challenges together.

Life is a lot easier when you have someone beside you who is facing the same struggles. They can figure things out together, like where to sit at lunch, which bully to avoid, and how to approach mom and dad about the dent in the car.

2. They’ll have a lot of fun.

There’s nothing more heartwarming than watching your children play together. They’ll get each other better than anyone else. They’ll develop silly jokes, play their own made-up games, and have more than twice the fun than if they played alone. Plus, you have a built-in playdate whenever you need it. You can get a load of laundry done, answer a friend’s call, or a read a book for an hour without feeling like one of you children is neglected.

3. Your body will thank you.

Younger bodies bounce back from having children better than older bodies. There’s no doubt about that. Ideally you want to find that balance point in your life when you’re financially and emotionally mature enough to have children, but your body is young enough to bear the strain. If you find that sweet spot, I recommend having all the children you plan in this timeframe.

4. You put diapers and potty training behind you.

Changing diapers and potty training staples of any parenting experience, but they get old… fast! If your kids are close in age, you get through this phase in your life much faster. Also, you can use one child to reinforce the other. The older child can serve as an example (but don’t compare) to the younger child about growing up.

5. Nap time is the same time.

When your kids are close in age, they’ll probably be napping at similar times. This means one won’t keep the other up and you’ll get some free time.

6. You get your freedom back sooner.

Don’t get me wrong: I don’t think children are a prison. But later in life, once the kids are out of the house, you look forward to those years with just your spouse. You won’t have anyone to look after or protect, and there’s no shame in admitting that it sounds liberating. When you spread out your kids’ ages, the years of childcare stretch on.

7. All that baby gear is still around.

Obviously, you don’t want to re-buy everything you need for the second or third babies, so you’ll keep it around. But all that stuff can take up a lot of space. If you have your kids close in age, you’ll keep all the gear around and be able to sell it, donate it, or toss is sooner.

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Written by Stephanie Parker from Sleepingbaby.com, inventor of the Zipadee-Zip

The motto for Sleeping Baby, makers of the Zipadee-Zip, is: "Inspiring Dreams One Night at A time," and that, in a nutshell, is how it all started…with one little dream that has since become the Parker family's reality. When Brett and Stephanie Parker's daughter, Charlotte, was born, the feeling that welled up inside of them was indescribable; they never realized until first looking into those baby blues of hers that they were even capable of that kind of love.

When it was time to transition baby from swaddling, the Parkers tried every sleep sack on the market and every swaddle weaning trick they could find for nearly two weeks and nothing worked to get baby Charlotte to fall and stay asleep.

Stephanie became determined to restore sleep and sanity to their household and set out to find a solution that would soothe Charlotte's startle reflex and provide her the cozy womb-like environment she loved so much but still give her the freedom to roll over and wiggle around in her crib safely. Out of sheer desperation and exhaustion, the Zipadee-Zip was born. The first Zipadee-Zip(R) Stephanie put together on her little sewing machine worked like magic!

To date tens of thousands of Zipadee-Zips have been sold and all from word-of-mouth marketing. It is so rewarding for the Parkers to see other parents and babies getting the sleep they both need and deserve!

For more information, visit sleepingbaby.com.

Interested in writing a guest blog for Sleeping Baby? Send your topic idea to pr@sleepingbaby.com.

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