Thinking of having another child? I get asked this question a lot but more than that, I get asked what it’s like having three kids. There are lots of positive reasons to grow your family from giving your firstborn a playmate to extending your legacy. In some regards, the more children you have, the easier it becomes because you’ve already had practice. There are however some challenges to expect every time you add a new child to the family. Here are just some of those challenges and how you can prepare for them.
Everything becomes more expensive
Another child means another mouth to feed. However, it’s not just extra food you’ll be buying – you’ll also be buying extra nappies, wipes, clothes and toys. Days out and holidays also become more expensive, plus you have more gifts to buy for Christmas (and more birthday gifts and parties throughout the year). The only way to plan for these added costs is to make sure that you’re earning enough. If you can’t earn more, it could just be a case of spending less in other areas. For instance, you may not be able to justify as many takeaways or you may not be able to justify buying as many clothes for yourself.
Laundry piles up more quickly
After having your first child, you may notice that the laundry piles up faster and that you’re using the washing machine more regularly. Once you start having more kids, you could find that the washing machine is permanently on. Having a good quality washing machine and a tumble dryer will help you to get through laundry more efficiently. Dedicate time to doing laundry every day – this will prevent it piling up (once it piles up it can become much harder to find the time to deal with it). But of course let’s not underestimate the power of having a reliable laundry service. Schedule a pick-up at Dirty Boy Laundry and enjoy a stress-free moment.
You may need a bigger car
A bigger car may start to become necessary as you have more kids. We certainly needed one. Even if your current car has enough seats, you may want to consider the boot space if you’ve only got a small car (especially if you need space for a double buggy or two prams). Renting a car could be a way of making things more affordable – you’ll find lots of rental deals online such as these new Vauxhall car offers. Once your family exceeds three kids, a people carrier may be needed.
Multi-tasking becomes more necessary
Having more kids to control and look after requires you to become a master of multi-tasking. You may find yourself entertaining one child while changing another child’s nappy. You can’t really prepare for this – it’s something that you’ll just learn to do out of necessity. Beyond two kids, one thing you may have to start preparing yourself for is prioritising each child’s needs as you may not always be able to cater to them all.
You have even less free time
Free time becomes even harder to come by the more kids you have. With one child, you may find it easier to arrange babysitters and may be able to enjoy some relaxation while your child is napping. When you have two children or more, this become more difficult – less people are willing to babysit and you can guarantee that one child will be awake while the other naps. Learn to make the most of your free time by planning ahead rather than taking it as it comes. Eventually your kids will grow up and become more independent, at which point you’ll get that free time back (providing that you don’t keep having more kids!).
So there you have it. Some truths about preparing for a growing family. Anything you might want to add?
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This is a contributed post.
