New research from Finland indicates that having children with little age difference can pose a health risk for the entire family.
Jenni Ollitervo's first child, Vesa, was born 20 years ago. Not long after his birth - a year and a half later - her second child Virpi arrived.
Ollitervo says that having two young children close in age was a benefit as they could play together while she took care of housework.
Competing for quality time
Venla Borg, a researcher with the Family Federation of Finland, says her research has shown the opposite.
“The closer in age children are, the more similar needs they have, which means they end up vying for their parents' limited resources”, she says.
In the Family Federation's recent research project, children born close in age were found to pose a threat to their parents' marriage, as a higher incidence of divorce was reported in such families.
Pauliina Ruotsalo, the mother of a 7 year old, 3 year old and 11 month old, says she's not at all surprised by the study's findings.
“There's little time for yourself or your relationship, so of course that causes tension,” she says.
Although there are no official recommendations in Finland on the suitable interval between the birth of children, the World Health Organisation recommends two years between pregnancies for reasons of women's health.
