Planning for a Second Baby – 14 Things To Consider

Am I ready for another child?

What all to consider while planning for a second child?

Today the post is about the 14 points to be taken into account while planning for a second baby.

Once you are a parent you know that a baby takes a major part of your life. The new bundle of joy is everything for you and you end up devoting yourselves completely for your little ones.

The coming of a second baby means double the joy, love and also double the responsibilities. So before welcoming a second child you should consider many things. Actually a second baby demands much more planning than you did for your first pregnancy.

Below mentioned are few factors to be thought of while planning for a second baby.

14 Things to consider while planning for a second baby:

Before going to the points, there might be a difference in opinion regarding this among people. But I am sure these points would definitely help.

However, the best people to decide the final points are of course the to be parents.

Here we go…

• Health Condition and Age

#1. For mummies who delivered through C-section, the doctor may advice you to delay the next pregnancy for a longer period.

At the time of discharge after my first delivery, my gynecologist advised to avoid a pregnancy for the next 18 months so that the uterus would be back in its original form. So talk to your doctor to know when it is safe for you to carry a baby again.

#2. It’s best not to be pregnant while you are already breastfeeding your first one. Your body will have to otherwise cater for 2 babies.

#3. Consider the age of both the parents. If you are above 35, it’s better not to delay your second pregnancy.

#4. A gap of more than 5 years between your pregnancy is also not advisable as it could lead to less than normal birth weight, preterm delivery etc.

#5. One personal advice to the second time mommies is, try to get back in shape before the second pregnancy.

You can also refer to know the fat to flab journey of a beautiful mom.

• Between the siblings

#6. Earlier days the ideal gap between siblings used to be 3 – 4 years. There is no hard and fast rule for this. Only you know when your little one is ready to be an elder sibling.

#7. It would be good if the first baby is already potty trained. You could save your money here, 2 sets of diapers is going to vanish your pockets in no time.

#8. I would prefer that my daughter is of an age that she could at least understand that she would soon get a company to play with.

#9. I know of parents planning in such a way that by the time the second baby comes home, the elder one is off to school. This definitely would help the mommy in taking care of the younger one.

#10. It would be desirable if the first baby is all set to sleep alone so that her sleep is not disturbed when the younger baby cries. In India we are very much used to co-sleep with our toddlers, whereas in most of the countries abroad they have a separate room and is trained to sleep by themselves from a very small age.

#11. Train your first baby to take care of a few of her own stuffs so that it would be easier on the parents. Not everyone can afford a full time nanny. Hence, teach the little munchkin to clean up her toys after playing, keeping her shoes or clothes in the place it’s meant to be.

#12. Like in the case of diaper, make sure the elder one is not on bottle-feed or formula. One for financial reasons and second one to avoid the endless bottle washing and sanitizing.

•  Financial aspects
  

#13. Check whether you are ready financially for the second baby. An unplanned baby in the middle of a financial crisis would be something not desirable. Second, first or third, we need to show justice to our little one. So better check whether you could afford a new baby arrival.

#14. Plan accordingly so that you can save some money by reusing the first baby gears for your second one as well. (For e.g., crib, strollers etc.) Read about smart money saving tips post baby.

So next time when you are showered with advice or passing comments like,”Yes, It’s probably time for another child”, just ignore these comments and consider the above points and decide for yourselves.

As I told earlier,

You can also read: Trying to conceive-14 must do things before hand.

Hope the points would help you while deciding and planning for a second baby.

Are you showered with gyaan on the need for second child by elders? How do you react to it? If you have a second child, what all did you consider while planning for another child? What do you think the ideal age gap between siblings should be?

Do share in your views and also let us know if we have missed out any points.