When first-time parents give birth to their first baby, the entire experience is unknown territory. Despite how many parenting books that you read or YouTube videos that you watch, there’s no way to truly know what to expect until you experience it firsthand.
Once first-time parents finally seemed to have the parenting thing figured out, is usually when they decide to have another. Although they may think that they know what they’re in store for, the second time around is completely different in many ways. Here are some of the most significant differences that you’ll notice when you have a second child.
Your Home Suddenly Feels Much Smaller
Regardless of how big your home is, bringing another person under the roof immediately starts to reduce its size. The more people that you share the space with, the more belongings it starts to fill with, and the more you’ll be likely to be in the same room as someone else who lives there.
As your child gets older, they’ll start to accumulate more and more things between changing clothing sizes to getting gifts on the holidays. You may have to get creative about where to put it all and may even decide to expand your home eventually.
Your Laundry Pile is Neverending
Just when you thought you had enough laundry to deal with, along comes another child who can’t seem to last five minutes in a shirt without juice or sauce everywhere.
Although many parents imagine a second child as double the laundry, it’s not the case. In reality, a second child means exponentially more laundry. Most seasoned parents know that you should try to do a load of laundry every day. Taking a break can lead to falling behind and letting your pile reach the ceiling.
You Worry Less
A lot of parents are very concerned with every possible illness and injury with their first baby. All it takes is the slightest rash for them to dial up the emergency room convinced that their child has the latest infectious disease.
However, once the second child rolls around, they’re usually much more relaxed and no longer assume the worst about every possible symptom.
Your First Born May Act Up
Many parents find that their first born has a challenging time accepting sharing the attention of a new sibling with their parents.
There may be some resistance at first that you’ll have to work through together as a family. Usually, the jealousy sorts itself out by the time they’re out of the toddler stage and have accepted they’re no longer the only child in the home.
