My mom and her sister are one year apart… to the day. They actually have the same birthday.  I can’t imagine growing up with a sibling that close, but I loved hearing her stories of her and her sister and her friends piling into “the car” to go to the beach or a party together in Trinidad. She talked about how they would hide under the house and listen to the grown folks talk, and how they would walk to and from school together.

I can’t imagine that my grandmother thought about what great savings she would have raising two kids so close together. She was probably trying to figure out how to manage it all since she was still just a teenager. When I found out I was pregnant again just four months after having my son, I wasn’t as panicked as I thought I would be.  I was in a very different situation from my grandmother. I was going on 30, college educated, and while my daughter was unexpected, how I would feed and clothe her wasn’t at the top of my list of worries.

I was a business major in college, and the entrepreneur in me started thinking about all of the economies of scale that comes from having two kids that would be the same age around the same time. Economy of scale is the “proportionate saving in costs gained by an increased level of production.” Well, I had increased my level of production, and there were definitely some savings. While there are some difficulties associated with having kids so close together, there are some benefits too.

1. We bought diapers in bulk. Eventually they were in the same size diapers, and my husband could go out and buy things in bulk like he likes to do. We could take advantage of sales and not worry about not using everything – it was going to get used!

2. Hand me downs were a breeze.  While the are not the same sex, there were some things that I could use again without having to store it for years before it would be worn or used. My son’s green, yellow, or plain white t-shirts, onesies, socks were used for my daughter. There is a six year gap between my oldest and my middle son, so he got a LOT of clothes from family and friends. My daughter was the first girl, so she got a heck of a wardrobe too. I still used a lot of my son’s things for my daughter because at the end of the day, it is getting pooped and peed on.

Related: My Caribbean Mom Didn’t Believe in New… Anything.

3. One followed the other.  With them being just 11 months apart, their milestones came in quick succession. If one started potty training, the other wouldn’t be too far behind. The youngest watched the oldest do so many things, that it seemed like stuff was easier for her when her turn rolled around.

4. I only had to buy things once. Babies grow up fast, so while I did have to get two of some things, like car seats, there were a lot of things that I just had to get one of. The front carrier that I had for my son was perfect, so by the time he grew out of it, my daughter was here and ready to use it. Since they weren’t twins, I rarely needed a lot of things like swings or bouncers at the same time, so I only had to get one, and as one grew out of it the other grew into it.

5. At the beginning, all the toys were the same. We used to joke that my daughter never really had a lot of toys of her own until she was about three. Baby toys are baby toys – rattles, soft books, exercisers, blocks – they were all the same. Some came in pink, but they didn’t have to. Primary colors were just fine. Neither kid would be playing with all the toys at the same time, so they shared pretty much everything.

6. Library times and play dates were fun for both of them. I loved that both of them could go to the same story time and puppet hour and be entertained. When they had play dates, they usually were the bridge between kids who were two years apart, so everyone would be able to hang out and have a good time.

Related: 5 Caribbean Children’s Books for Your Young Reader’s Library

7. Shocking transitions are minimized… or at least shorter. While my kids are two totally different kids with very different personalities, there are certain universal milestones that they will hit around the same time. I got a double dose of the terrible 2’s and why did I have children 3’s, and I am bracing myself for a double shot of puberty, middle school, and SAT prep, however, I’d rather get it all over with at once, than have 4+ years of puberty to deal with. Who wants another wave of kid craziness when you just recovered from the first one. Not I. Let me get it all over with.

8. They are each other’s best friends.  Mine won’t admit it, but they love each other to the moon and back. While they do argue, they are very close, and share a lot of great times together. They are always making plans for when they grow up, and while future occupations vary, one things stays constant, they plan to be neighbors for life.

Do you have a sibling close to you in age? Did you have kids “back to back?” What benefits did you notice? Share your story in the comments.