Perhaps the most significant benefits to starting a family young are the greater chances of conception — and lowered risk of miscarriage, pregnancy complications, gestational diabetes and birth defects — compared to older-than-average mums.
Your fertility naturally declines as you get older, which could make it harder for you to conceive. And starting a family later in life could pose greater risks for pregnancy complications. Experts say the best time to get pregnant is between your late 20s and early 30s.
06/6Verdict. VERDICT: As per World Health Organization, a gap of at least 24 months should be there between your first and second child. By this time, the mother's body gets fully recovered from her first pregnancy as she replenishes the nutrients she lost in her first pregnancy.
A lot of families who hope to have two or more children aim for a two year age gap as the best age gap between siblings. They're close enough in age to play together but it's slightly less of a shock to the system than tackling two under two (at least in theory)!
A 2-Year Age Gap
Sibling rivalry is strongest during these years and parents are often already struggling with a toddler who is developing a strong sense of identity and loves to use the word “No!” On the upside, a 2 year age gap works out pretty well as the kids get older.
Having two children is good for your health
Three different studies looked at thousands of older adults and found the same thing: two kids was the sweet spot for health. The risk of an early death increases by 18% for parents of an only child. Also, the risk is higher for parents of three or more kids.
"The survey finds that the majority of respondents believe that two children is the 'ideal' number for family happiness, but the majority of respondents also have two children.
Two children. Research suggests that having two children is still most people's idea of the 'ideal' family size.
Studies have found partners with more than a 10-year gap in age experience social disapproval. But when it comes to our own relationships, both men and women prefer someone their own age, but are open to someone 10-15 years their junior or senior.
Adolescent mothers (aged 10–19 years) face higher risks of eclampsia, puerperal endometritis and systemic infections than women aged 20–24 years, and babies of adolescent mothers face higher risks of low birth weight, preterm birth and severe neonatal condition.
You're More Likely to Get Your Kids Off to a Healthy Start
They learned the children with older moms had fewer accidental injuries, fewer social and emotional difficulties and were further along in language development.
Dating Age Rule. The dating age rule to determining a socially acceptable age difference in partners goes something like this: half your age plus seven (40 = 20 +7 = 27) to define the minimum age of a partner and your age minus seven times two (40 = 33 * 2 = 60) to define the maximum age of a partner.
A relationship age gap bigger than 10 years often comes with its own set of issues. “While there are always exceptions to rules, a good rule to remember is that dating someone more than 10 years older will present challenges now or later that add to the preexisting challenges any relationship has,” he says.
Stereotypes aside, many women cite maturity, wisdom, and financial stability as good reasons to date men who are older. But is there too much of a good thing?
According to a Gallup poll, 4 in 10 Americans say three or more children is the ideal family size.
Child number two or three doesn't make a parent happier. And, for mothers, he found, more children appear to make them less happy—although they are happier than childless women. For dads, additional children had no effect on their well-being in his study.
In terms of happiness, a compelling argument for having an only child comes from science that strongly indicates that mothers with one child are happiest.
A TODAYMoms.com survey of more that 7,000 mothers found that the least stressful number of kids is four, while the most stressful number is three. Scary Mommy blogger Jill Smokler told Today that she wholeheartedly agrees.
“Throughout the lifespan, people who have close sibling relationships have better mental health, better psychological health, and better social relationships, generally speaking.”
Only around 10 percent said they were happier after having a second kid, compared with more than 30 percent of women.
Two kids require more time, more attention, and more energy than one, which means you have less of all of those to spend on each other. Date nights, romantic evenings, and even casual conversations are harder to come by. You also have more things to disagree on.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises against getting pregnant within 6 months of giving birth to your little one—and many providers say that waiting 18 months or so after delivering a baby is the “sweet spot” for you to get pregnant again.
Medium gap (two to four years)
You'll be (mostly) up-to-date with your knowledge about all things baby-related. You can save cash by re-using the baby equipment your first child doesn't need any more. It's the most common age gap so your mum friends are likely to have second children at a similar time too.
There's just as much chance that children much closer in age won't get on, either as children or adults. Seven years is really not too big an age gap at all.