Well, my LO is almost 10 months old, and looks like we're expecting again This little squishy caught us by total surprise but we're strating to warm up to the idea.

I'd be curious of people who had similar situations:

What did you find nice / difficult about having 2 babies under 2?

Did they share a room? If yes, did it work well?

Were there any routines you wish your elder was into while having the baby?

Will my then 18-months old girl be aware of the fact that she's getting a sibling - do I have to prepare her like older kids for the new arrival?

Any other tips/tricks etc.?

My DD's are 18 months apart although it was a long time ago (they're teenagers now!)

It was hard as you are tired in the first few weeks but with a toddler you can't have a lie down when baby sleeps. And we had a few occasions where the eldest would hit the baby but that wasn't malicious, just a typical toddler tantrum.

I remember it being really hard. It all got easier as they got older and they always had somebody to play with and now they get on so well. I still have fond memories of watching the girls go out to play holding hands :-)

My girls shared a room and we didn't really have any issues with it until they got older and we realised one was very untidy and the other was a clean freak to the point of being OCD. We just designed the room layout so they both had their own areas but this was only necessary when they were bigger.

Congratulations. I'm sure it will be great for you and your family x

My first 2 boys are 20 months apart and they are such good companions. When Kyne arrived Caleb didn't even really notice him much. There were no jealousy issues because he was so young and it is as if he had always been there. I did find changing nappies a challenge because there were so many ! What really helped was just before Kyne was born we put Caleb into a small playgroup from 8-12 which he loved. That gave me the morning alone with Kyne so I could try catch up on sleep. Then Caleb would come home and have a good 2 hour nap. The only problem was he woke up really grumpy which was a little tricky with having a newborn to deal with as well. It was a bit crazy, but I wouldn't change it for anything. They have always shared a room and refuse to separate even now they are 6 & 7 yrs old. In fact Caleb usually climbs into Kyne's bed in the middle of the night and in the morning they are all cuddled up ! Too cute They share all their toys willingly because they've always been together and after a while they even forget what belongs to who ! The great thing is they are so willing to share even with other kids because they've never really had everything to themselves. They are fantastic playmates and I think a close gap is great. I feel a little sorry for my youngest being so far apart in age so maybe we'll just have to have one more !

My DD is in a small family daycare, as I had to come back to work (damned 20 weeks maternity leave in Belgium) - she absolutely loves it though, always squeels with joy when we're going in the morning. So I'm thinking about leaving her in daycare when we have the new baby - maybe at least for a half day, like you said.

It's so nice what you said about closeness - my brother and me were 5 and a half year apart, and though I helped my mum loads with his care (picking him up from kindergarten, etc.) we could never play together very well. Now it's a bit better, but we're still not as close. I'd love for my kids to have a different experience.

What did you find nice / difficult about having 2 babies under 2? it was difficult as DS was 21 months and still wanted a lot of mummy time. it was nice as they have grown up to be really close

Did they share a room? If yes, did it work well? they dont share

Were there any routines you wish your elder was into while having the baby? a good bedtime routine is a godsend

Will my then 18-months old girl be aware of the fact that she's getting a sibling - do I have to prepare her like older kids for the new arrival? dylan sort of knew i had a baby in my tummy. i read him books like 'the new baby'

Any other tips/tricks etc.? get a good light double buggy. we ha one that was super heavy as i wanted a carrycot bit for the baby but we soon moved to a much lighter one (aria twin)

What did you find nice / difficult about having 2 babies under 2? i love seeingm them together gabrielle adores noah he adores her also sleep wasnt to mmuch of an ajustment i was used to waking up through the night. difficult is when we are out shopping gabrielle can chick her tantrums and he will be getting restless

Did they share a room?yes we all share a big rom size of 2 rooms tho

Were there any routines you wish your elder was into while having the baby? yes i wish i had daytime naps sorted and bed time

Will my then 18-months old girl be aware of the fact that she's getting a sibling - do I have to prepare her like older kids for the new arrival? gabrielle got the idea when she was 15 months 2 months before i had noah i made a point to introduce her to lots of babys at playgroup and exsplain to her that i had baby she got rather fasinted by it also brought her a doll and showed her how to be gentle ect and how to treat babys

Any other tips/tricks etc.? get a good routine with lo i somtime wear noah it can help to get things done involve your lo she baths her dolly when i bath noah and she loves helping change his nappy she will pass me a nappy or i will ask her to hold his hand or do round and round the garden to him also try preparing ur lo about babys i showed gabrielle my baby books she would look at all the babys it made her more aware of what a baby is and i would play dollys with her

Getting a doll is probably a great idea. Bibi has no dolls yet, but I was thinking about buying one for her first birthday.

I'd love to see them grow close to each other!

Wow thanks for posting this thread I'll soon have two under two myself in May (: It been great reading everyones responses.

I will reply to this in a bit... have my stepgrandaughters party to prepare first!!

Congrats on your pregnancy!

Looks like our babies are/will be pretty much the same age!