When you’ve settled as a parent with one child, the question that continues to emerge is, “should I Have Another Baby?” if yes then read 10 things to consider when having a second baby.
If you’re thinking of having a second or fifth child, you should read what Other moms knew that they are ready for a second baby.
And, in many instances, parents do not decide how many children they choose to have until they already have a house full.
However, if you are still uncertain about having another child, you might need to consider a few things to help you make your decision.
like your age, the age of your firstborn (in case you are planning for a second one) and your financial situation, before coming to any decision.
You will read
- 10 things to consider when having a second baby
- Other moms knew that they are ready for a second baby
When To Plan Your Second Baby?
To help you out, you need to ask yourself five questions if you are prepared for another baby. Such as,
- your partner views.
- Your first baby desire,
- your financial situations,
- your house size,
- your life style,
- Your career
- Your are ready for Postpartum Again
- You are having baby fever
- Why Do I Want Another Baby So Bad?
- Will I Regret Not Having Another Baby?
1. What does your partner think about another baby?
“I want another kid, but my husband doesn’t,” I often hear from moms considering having another child.
And, since he will be fathering and raising another child, your husband’s thoughts about having another kid are crucial to remember.
The worst blunder is manipulating him into doing things he does not want to do.
Getting a baby can be fun and something to which all parents would agree. Otherwise, your husband could harbour a lot of anger, which is bad for everybody.
You should also care about your marriage and whether it is healthy enough to handle another child.
While many couples don’t think about it until they have children, having children affects the way the relationship works and how you find time with each other.
So it is essential to carefully study the inclusion of a little individual to the household.
2. Is your child big enough to handle a sibling?
Adding another child to your family is life-changing not just for you as parents, but also for your current child or children. They will have a sibling.
It’s a good idea to imagine them meeting a younger brother or sister and talk about how they’d do it.
3. Are you financially stable?
One of the most important topics to discuss when raising another child is whether your salary is sufficient to afford another child.
Including diapers, clothes, gear, and other infant necessities costing thousands of dollars, children are very costly. Especially during the first year. Of course, reusing baby products will help you save prices and save a lot of money before raising another baby.
However, the most relevant thing to consider is whether your salary is stable enough to sustain another family member.
The easiest way to ensure that your revenue and expenses will help another child is to sit down and create a budget spreadsheet, which you will look through to ensure that you will be able to afford.
A 2017 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report states that it will cost $233,610 to raise a child born in 2015, estimating between $12,350 and $13,900 to be spent per year through age 17.
4. Is your house big enough to accommodate another child?
One thing is for sure, if you don’t have enough space for a baby, it will get really cramped.
Of course, it is not necessary that any child should have its own room unless your other child is fine with a roommate, but your new child would also need its own sleep, play and even car facilities.
So it will support you with your decision that you verify that your car and your home will handle and encourage another baby to develop.
5. Are you ready to make changes in your lifestyle?
What is your family’s lifestyle like now?
Do you have smaller children and are still ready to add another baby while your other children are young? Or are your children all teenagers and doing their own thing?
Having another baby can really change your family’s lifestyle – especially if you are now in a good routine and everything is going well. So be sure that having another baby will only add to your lifestyle rather than take away from it.
6. Your Career
A career comes with a lot of obligations, and if you wish to have another child, there are a few questions you might ask about your employment.
Are you willing to take time off from work for postpartum leave?
Who will look after your new baby until you return to work?
Is it possible for you to operate from home while caring for the baby?
7. Am I Ready for Pregnancy and Postpartum Again?
Pregnancy is difficult!
However, after you have been through breastfeeding and postpartum, you tend to feel better and things get a little simpler. So, as you ask yourself, “Am I ready for another baby?” remember whether your body is prepared to go through another pregnancy and childbirth.
The final outcome is absolutely worth all that you go through to give birth, but you must still consider whether you can truly handle it all over again.
8. You are having Baby fever
Are you just having baby fever because your kids are getting older? Baby fever is when you believe you want another baby but just really want to carry or adore a baby to make yourself feel better.
The only way to tell whether you have a baby fever is to spend time with and carry a baby to see if it satisfies your needs. When the baby begins to cry or you feel like you’re done, you know it’s just a process that will pass.
9. Why Do I Want Another Baby So Bad?
When you have a strong desire for another child, ask yourself why.
Are you aiming for a certain gender?
Do you want your other kid to have a playmate?
Do you miss the baby phase
Try to pin down why you want another baby right now and decide whether it’s a fair enough excuse to have another kid.
10. Will I Regret Not Having Another Baby?
This is a difficult question to ask because you don’t want to have any regrets over whether or not you had another child.
So, the easiest way to work this one out is to envision your family as it is today, without the arrival of a new kid, to see how you feel.
If you are satisfied, it is an indication that you do not want to have any more children right now. However, if you feel as if something is absent from your family or like it is incomplete, you should wonder whether you would regret not having another baby.
Signs You’re Ready For Another Baby
A couple months ago, when you told me to get another one, I’d have laughed in your face. Now, how did the tables turn.
That brought me to wonder, how did my fellow moms decide when they were ready for another with more than one baby?
So I just took to the street and asked both of them. Here are your answers—all truthful and good.
Here’s how other moms knew that they are ready for a second baby.
“We knew we wanted our kids close in age, and I started feeling really baby-hungry when my first turned 8 months old. I think when you know, you just know!”
— Marci W.
“I knew I was ready for baby no. 2 when my husband finally agreed!”
— Rachelle M.
When I started packing away my one-year-old’s infant clothes.
— Jenna S.
“We saw our son playing with a smaller kid at the playground, and both of our hearts melted. We looked at each other and gave ‘the look’ and have been trying for No. 2 ever since.
— Laura J.
“When my first kid is diaper-free, we’ll try again.
— Brielle N.
“I knew it was time when I started sleeping through the night again—just kidding! It was actually when my daughter got to an independent stage and I knew she could help us.”
— Rebecca N.
“We just bought a house with three bedrooms and won’t be living with my parents anymore—so we’re ready!”
— Amery C.
“My 2-year-old son tries to help with other babies (like my niece and other friends’ newborns), so I guess it’s time.”
— Kelsey C.
My daughter just turned 2, and I’m newly pregnant. I wanted to be pregnant; I wanted to breastfeed again. I want a little baby in my arms. I just missed it ever since my daughter became independent and a full-blown toddler. We are more than ready!”
— Stephanie G.
Everything seems SO tiny. Was your little one ever really that little?
You can’t quite remember the last time your babe had that new baby smell.
You’re in the midst of or have considered potty training.
Your firstborn carries around baby dolls and asks for a baby
You finally lost all the baby weight from the first go round
Sleeping through the night is no longer something that only happens to other people
“I suffered from postpartum depression with my first, so I was hesitant to bring another baby into the mix for a while. It took prayer to soften my heart and some (not-so) gentle prodding from my husband, and we now have a very sweet 7-week-old little boy!”
— Mandy B.
sitting down and actually eating as a family isn’t a foreign concept. You haven’t had to eat with a baby in one arm for months now.
Everyone in your kid’s class at daycare now has a baby sibling.
You’re no longer breastfeeding.
You’ve blacked out labor from the first time.
- Everything seems SO tiny. Was your little one ever really that little?
- You can’t quite remember the last time your babe had that new baby smell.
That is not to suggest that everyone desires a second baby. There have been reports that show mothers with one are the happiest. Just because you miss the baby clucks doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready to grow your family. Before making a decision, consider the pros and cons with your families, your ambitions, and your personal circumstance.
No one can tell you when you’re ready for a second child. It’s something that you and your family really understand. However, whether you’ve experienced nostalgia or reached any of the milestones mentioned above, you may be more prepared than you thought!
watch the video of other experienced moms what they think about having a second child.
