What No One Tells you About Having a Second Baby

Deciding if or when to have a second baby can be a difficult time for many parents. There is a lot to consider when thinking about adding to the family. Some parents face pressure from their family, their partner or even from wider society to add to their family sooner rather than later. Here, we take a look at some of the facts about having a second baby, to help parents decide whether to try and become a family of four!

1. Pregnancy will be harder the second time around. You might think your body will cope better, but with another child to run after, pregnancy won’t be as relaxing the second time around. You won’t be able to rest too much even when you go on maternity leave – unless you wait until your first is at school.
2. You might be surprised how quickly you ‘forget’ about newborn feeding patterns or how often they need their diapers changed. Even if your first is still a toddler, dealing with a newborn will feel really strange to begin with. You might even find yourself almost afraid to handle your baby – they seem so much smaller and more fragile than the toddler who’s climbing up the furniture and breaking everything!
3. Second-time parents are always more relaxed and easy-going than first-timers. Things that you stressed over the first time around will seem unimportant with a second baby. And all this will make you a better parent – you’ll be happier and less worried, meaning you can enjoy spending time with your two little ones.
4. It’s very common to feel guilty about taking some of the attention away from your firstborn. Whilst it will take some time for everyone to adapt to life as a family of four, you can be sure that your kids will make great and happy memories together.
5. Our final tip is this: in the long run, having two kids will make your life easier. It might seem like a huge challenge at first, especially when you are dealing with a toddler in the ‘terrible two’s’ stage and a newborn who won’t sleep at night. But soon your children will be best friends and will entertain each other all day! You might get a long lie if they can play happily together in the mornings, and when the eldest is old enough, they can take care of the younger child – possibly saving you money on childcare. Of course, this depends on the ages of the children but it’s definitely something worth thinking about.

About the Author

Emily is a writer for whooopsadaisy.com and has years of experience being a mom to Daisy. She has a degree in social sciences from the Open University and loves looking after her daughter. Toys and games are some of her favourite topics to write about and that’s why she started her own parenting blog.