The main issues you'll have is that the elder sister/brother will be the focus of the younger one for many years and this grates with the older child. Our 8 year old is really fed up with the 4 year old wanting to do everythign with her, I mean everything. We try explaining that she just wants to be like her, but to an 8 year, this is a royal PITA.

I come from a very large family with age gaps of 2 years between all the children. We still knocked lumps out of each other on a daily basis, into our late teens. The Eldest is 14 years older than me, yet was expected to be 'the parent' if the parents were not around. We've never had issues with each other about this. We're also very clsoe now, all of us.

I don't think, per se, that there is an ideal age gap; they will fight, they will resent each other. They are, after all, kids and will naturally think they are being hard done by...

The main issues you'll have is that the elder sister/brother will be the focus of the younger one for many years and this grates with the older child. Our 8 year old is really fed up with the 4 year old wanting to do everything with her, I mean everything. We try explaining that she just wants to be like her, but to an 8 year, this is a royal PITA.

I come from a very large family with age gaps of 2 years between all the children. We still knocked lumps out of each other on a daily basis, into our late teens. The Eldest is 14 years older than me, yet was expected to be 'the parent' if the parents were not around. We've never had issues with each other about this. We're also as close now, as we were then, very close now, all of us.

I don't think, per se, that there is an ideal age gap; they will fight, they will resent each other. They are, after all, kids and will naturally think they are being hard done by...