I have a 2 and a half year age gap between my girls. It was a perfect gap for us as No 1 had just started preschool a couple of mornings a week, was potty trained and was riding her scooter enough to not need a pram and i could make do with a buggy board. All these little things had given her a sense of independence before no 2 came along and I was always careful to involve her and ask her to help out with the baby, and to moan to her when the baby was having a particularly whingey day. She became quite good at rolling her eyes and saying things like "she can't be hungry again already can she?" Mellors bathtime routine is almost identical to what I used to do, and No 2 was a much better sleeper from quite an early age.