Mother’s Health: When Is the Best Time for a Second Baby? 

Considering a second baby? Research suggests the gap between your first and second baby should be no less than 18 months in order to ensure mother’s optimal health. However, there are many other factors that must be taken into consideration. Having two children makes the parents happier, according to studies from LSE and Western University. But this also doubles your ‘workload’, expenses, and responsibilities. You need to consider every essential factor when deciding when it’s the right time for your second baby. 

When to Have a Second Baby: Factors to Consider 

Age of your first child 

The majority of sources will name this matter an ‘age gap’ and provide advice similar to this collection of stories in The Washington Post. The point of them is that no age difference is perfect and each seems to come with far too many insurmountable challenges. 

However, the truth of the matter is that all those challenges can be overcome with good parenting. The problem is that in order to provide that parenting you must: 

  • Understand the psychological state and age-related requirements of your eldest child and be able to teach them to accept the younger sibling. 
  • Have the resources necessary to provide both children with age-appropriate level of care. 
  • Know how to nip sibling jealousy in the bud and foster a strong family bond in its place. 

Your kids might play together and have fun regardless of their age gap, so do not make this factor the main consideration of your decision. 

Mother’s health and weight 

If there were any complications during your first pregnancy or delivery, you shouldn’t even think about a second baby before your doctor allows. Otherwise, a mother’s body will need about 18 months to recuperate properly so that she is ready to give birth again. 

Pregnancy weight gain is an important factor in this case as having a baby when overweight increases risks for your health. If you are determined, you’ll need to learn how to lose weight fast. Supplements will be a great help here as they speed up the results of regular programs. 

You’ll need to wait until you stop nursing to go on a strict diet and start taking weight loss pills. Therefore, your elder baby’s health, development, and eating habits also factor into the mother’s health considerations. 

Family finances 

Having a baby isn’t cheap and prevents you from working. Can your family afford to have two kids in diapers at the same time? You also need to consider the costs of clothing, food, education (for the future), and the leave you and your spouse will need to take from work. 

Childcare costs will not stop as your babies grow up, they will only get bigger as you’ll have to think about gadgets, cool clothes, cars, and college. Give this matter a lot of thought and don’t forget to factor in possible problems, like accidents, loss of job, etc. 

Time and support 

Taking care of two babies requires a tremendous amount of effort and time. This is a stressful task, and one has to be prepared for it. One parent should never be forced to handle everything on their own, so make sure that both spouses have an opportunity to take up some slack in caring for the children. 

One of the main reasons to wait for over 3-5 years to have a second baby is the remembrance of how much care a newborn requires. A toddler will demand a lot of attention too, and you can’t play favorites with your kids. That’s why many families choose to give their first kid some time to grow so they can pay proper care to the second baby without making one of the children feel left out. The situation might be different for those with big families or some other kind of support network ready to step in. 

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