10 Truths About Raising Two Under 2

On a hunch, I took a pregnancy test while my four-month-old daughter napped. It was positive. I immediately ran down the stairs and shoved the test in my husband’s face. “Look at this!” I yelled at him. “Do you see this?” I know my voice was half-excitement, half-panic. I think it actually took hubby three days to respond.

Really, we shouldn’t have been that surprised. I mean, we all know what can happen if you don’t use a condom (but, it was just one time!) Apparently I didn’t listen very well in health class. Nevertheless, I was excited. But I was also worried- how were we going to manage two young babies?

Our kids would end up having a 13-month age-gap. When my son was born, my daughter had not yet taken her first steps. She barely talked and she was still, very much, a baby. It was an exhausting, busy and chaotic time.

Despite the chaos, I do remember a thing or two about that crazy year. So here I will present to you my 10 truths about raising two under 2:


1. People will forever ask if they are twins. I was once walking to the park with my 2-week-old and 1-year-old and someone asked if they were twins. They are close in age but, uh, there is a bit of a size difference. I guess some people just see two babies and think, “must be twins.”


2. You will feel guilty about having another baby so soon. I worried that there wasn’t enough of me to go around and that my eldest would inevitably get the short end of the stick. She would feel left out! I wouldn’t be able to spend enough time with her! She would be traumatized forever! I was wrong, by the way.


3. Your older child will be of no help. Articles on having baby number two would suggest that my eldest could become involved by “helping” with the care of her younger brother. Suggestions like; Get your eldest to help change baby’s diaper or let them bathe the baby. Not really practical when your older kid has the motor skills of, well, a baby.


4. So. Many. Diapers. We had two kids in diapers at the same time. Our diaper genie could barely keep up with all that poop. We potty-trained early.


5. People will hail you as some kind of hero. While out and about people would (and still do) ask how close my kids are in age. When I tell them, most will exclaim “Wow, you have your work cut-out for you!” or “That must be tough, don’t know how you do it.” Others who have been in my shoes will nod knowingly and say “It’s, hard, isn’t it?”


6. It is hard. But it gets easier. I had two babies who needed constant diaper changes, napped at different times and needed lots of attention. It was exhausting. But as they got older we got into a routine and things ran smoother. It’s cliché but it really does get better.


7. You will (or should) beg people to come help. Okay, I actually didn’t have to beg anyone. Realistically, people love babies so it’s easy to lure friends and family over to help you out. Do it. No need to be a martyr.


8. People will ask if your second child was “planned”. I actually don’t mind this question; I think people are just curious. But I realize others may feel different so that’s why I’m adding it to this list. You’ve been warned.


9. The baby phase will not last long in your home. Breastfeeding? Done. Potty-training? Check! Sleeping through the night? Well… sometimes. Sure, there are times when I miss having a snuggly little baby around. But mostly, I’m glad to have gotten the infancy stage over and done with. Obviously, this won’t apply to you if you are planning on more kids (you are a brave woman, please note truth #5).


10. Your older child will show very little jealousy. My 13-month-old barely noticed her little brother. I think she was just too young and too wrapped up in her own world (learning to walk, practicing new words etc.) to really care all that much. She never acted out and seemed relatively unfazed. This was definitely a saving grace among all the craziness.


My kids are now 2 and 3-years- old. The daily insanity and chaos continues but, really, that’s just mom life. Not once have I wished things were different. I’ve never contemplated what life would be like had our kids been born years apart. ¬¬Having two babies close in age was NOT a mistake or an accident. Things are exactly as they should be and I wouldn’t change it for the world.



Gayle Smith is a former teacher, current blogger and mommy of two. She loves doing fun stuff with her kids and is passionate about keeping life uncomplicated.