DC's with coinciding birthdays

[mama*pisces]

Should I try to avoid this? Does it matter?

My ds is two. We've started TTC, I really want to try next month, which would make my DC's pretty much exactly 3 years apart(and they would both be Tauruses...!!). Would that be a potential problem? I see it as kinda being easier on us, if they agree to have joint birthday parties, we could just have one big birthday blow-out each year and then be done till Christmas. But seeing as that we are going to be trying for a girl and have a boy already, I can kinda forsee some issues as far as: "I want a Princess birthday party" versus Power Rangers or something. (No, he doesn't watch that, just an example. lol)

Tell me your experiences.

[akaisha]

i have cousins with close birthdays. they are year and a day apart, one male one female. they always had joint parties no problem. and i know a lot of girls who would rather have a power ranger party, myself included growing up i didn't know any girly girls at all though, so we're out there!

[Carlyn]

I don't think that's something to worry about. Babies will be born when they are ready - you can't really predict or plan exactly when their birthday will be. In one month our family has birthdays on the 5th, 9th, 10th, and 19th. We think it's fun! (And if you count my dh's family, then we add in the 8th and 20th). Then in an opposite season the others are 8 days apart. We've done a variety of different ways of celebrating...some together, some individual.

[CanidFL]

My sister and I are 3 years 10 days apart. We always did the big family party with grandparents/aunts/uncles together but we had separate parties with our friends. I don't see it as an issue. When I TTC again, I will try for a Sept. baby again. I just loved how the mat leave worked having 4 months off then starting back at work right after new years.

[Collinsky]

My first and my fourth have birthdays within 10 days of each other.

I don't foresee that they will have shared birthdays, but that's because we decided to have the girls (my older dc) share a birthday party in the fall, and the boys (my younger dc) in the spring. And on their birthdate, we'll do a nice little dinner and special night for them at home to mark the occasion.

I think kids' sharing a birthday party is a great idea. And I don't think it will be difficult to just do a two-theme party. Basically, you would just have colorful balloons and streamers, play some kind of bean bag toss, and then a special cake for each child. That is usually enough to make a kid feel like they got their "Dinosaur" party, if the cake has a T Rex on it! Or you could go all out, and just have half the room be the Princess theme and the other half be Power Rangers. Whatever works for you!

[Kat_shoshin]

My DH is in University and when he is done he will be a professor.

It was no co-incidence that we conceived right after school was done for the year, after a year of trying. I expect all my children to be born in the spring because of this.

And don't worry too much about the details! Trying for a year made me realize I wasn't really as in control of the situation as I had thought!

[Peony]

My sister and I are 2y and 10d apart. We HATED having a party together, and wanted nothing to do with it unless it was separate parties for each of us.

I actually don't know anyone with close birthdays in children that have one party, every one does two or more parties. I know one mom who has three DC , the 3 B-day's are all within 10 days! They choose different weekends, party for A the first weekend, party for B the next...

[Marilde]

The twins were born May 30 and DD4 was born June 3. We do a little reunion for the 3 after Elisa's birthday. I also have a feeling that this new baby will be born around DS's birthday and seriously I don't see a problem with them sharing birthdays

[Twinklefae]

While you don't have to have one party, I knew a family growing up who had three girls all within a week. They used to rent the whole pool, or the pool and rink for their parties and invite everyone! It was awesome.

[hmkrueger]

Originally Posted by Kat_shoshin

And don't worry too much about the details! Trying for a year made me realize I wasn't really as in control of the situation as I had thought!

So so so so so true!

#2, #3 and #4 all have October bdays on the 21st, 12th, and 5th respectively (toooootally unplanned that way) and while we certainly celebrate their bdays we don't do a big party for each child, joint or otherwise, every year. For the most part we stick to separate family parties so far, with the occasional friend party for the older ones so far.

I'd say it depends on their temperaments/personalities and which birthday they're celebrating and what you and DP want in terms of a celebration. Some children would love banding together and having a joint party, some love to have their own special day. And, no judgement, but I got reallllllllllly turned off by the showboat-y bday parties we went to when the kids were littler and we decided our parties would almost always be very low-key. So far the kids are OK with that most years and we step it up every couple bdays.

[Nathan1097]

Its a lot of money at once. Christmas is a couple months later so its a lot of money in a hort amount of time.

Originally Posted by mama*pisces

Should I try to avoid this? Does it matter?

My ds is two. We've started TTC, I really want to try next month, which would make my DC's pretty much exactly 3 years apart(and they would both be Tauruses...!!). Would that be a potential problem? I see it as kinda being easier on us, if they agree to have joint birthday parties, we could just have one big birthday blow-out each year and then be done till Christmas. But seeing as that we are going to be trying for a girl and have a boy already, I can kinda forsee some issues as far as: "I want a Princess birthday party" versus Power Rangers or something. (No, he doesn't watch that, just an example. lol)

Tell me your experiences.

[flapjack]

We had the midwife who caught Alex at his seventh birthday party because my prodromal ramped up another gear on his birthday. Skye was born 2 days later.
I did have a stretch and sweep on the Monday though, to try and avoid the situation (birthday was Thursday and I was already at 41 weeks.) I figured it gave me the best chance possible of avoiding having two kids with exactly the same b'day.

[mama*pisces]

Thanks for the replies, mamas. I actually forgot about this thread and just checked it on a whim.

Well, we'll see what happens I guess. DH and I have been talking about TTC all year, but I wanted to give DS a full two years of breastfeeding on demand before I got pregnant, because of the possibility of losing my milk supply. Now he is 26 months and nightweaned , we tried last month and nothing yet, so...we're just going to keep trying, and I'm really hoping to be pregnant by the end of this year! If it's meant to be that I have two Tauruses, so be it.

[SwanMom]

Originally Posted by Kat_shoshin

My DH is in University and when he is done he will be a professor.

It was no co-incidence that we conceived right after school was done for the year, after a year of trying. I expect all my children to be born in the spring because of this.

And don't worry too much about the details! Trying for a year made me realize I wasn't really as in control of the situation as I had thought!

Just wanted to say that my DH and I are teachers, yet both of our boys were conceived during the most busy time of the school year for us: the middle of May. And we DTD less often during that busy stretch.

My boys' birthdays are 5 days apart, and we did a joint party this year, with separate celebrations on their special days. My neighbor's children are 1 day apart and they do fine as well. I think as the kids get older, they'll want their own celebrations, and we'll go with the flow.

I have twin siblings, and they ended up doing both separate and combined celebrations, depending on the year.

[anne1140]

My sister and I are 2 years and 2 days apart. (Aug. 14 and 16) My mom's birthday is Aug. 11. It was never a problem, although some people thought my sister and I were lying.

Edited to add that we also had birthday parties together, and I actually thought it was a lot of fun. The only time I remember disliking it was at my 2nd birthday party. I remember feeling sad, because everyone was paying more attention to my sister than they were me. (She had just been born.)

[kriket]

DH and I are one day apart and on the 4th of july! (mines the 5th) honestly, it's harder to share a bday with a holiday then another person! I don't know how many people say "aww you just missed the 4th of July" or DH get "Ohh firecracker baby" (yeah, evident by the huge scar he has from playing with them as a child ) I understand it's just conversation but holy crap. I've heard it a million times!

I wouldn't worry about it, I wouldn't have LO induced on siblings bday but short of that, you can't help it.

[Phantaja]

My stepchildren were born on the same day a year apart. The only big problem is that it's right after Christmas and that time of year our money gets so tight that it squeaks. They don't care that they don't have separate celebrations because it's not like one wouldn't be at the others anyway. Only one time has my (now) eight year old requested his own birthday, when he was four. And so that he could get presents on his brothers birthday AND on his new birthday.

ETA: I nearly forgot that my brother's and my birthday are five days apart. Never bothered us one bit.

[ameliabedelia]

[QUOTMy DH is in University and when he is done he will be a professor.

It was no co-incidence that we conceived right after school was done for the year, after a year of trying. I expect all my children to be born in the spring because of thisE][/QUOTE]

My dh is a teacher too, and both dd1 and ds were concieved within days of the end of school...I mean within days. And this was also after months of trying with both. :

[tempestjewel]

My Dd's are 3 years 2 days apart (12/21 and 12/23). I don't mind the birthdays together, but having 2 birthdays and then Christmas is a bit exhausting. We might just start doing a combined party in the summer to spread things out a bit.

[Collinsky]

Originally Posted by tempestjewel

My Dd's are 3 years 2 days apart (12/21 and 12/23). I don't mind the birthdays together, but having 2 birthdays and then Christmas is a bit exhausting. We might just start doing a combined party in the summer to spread things out a bit.

Actually this is true for us too... I'm December, Dh and two of my kids are January - so with that and Christmas the birthdays tend to get way overlooked. It's one reason we decided to start doing my January-born babies' birthday parties in the spring and fall instead.