Why You Should Have More Than 1 Kid

Obviously every family is different and you have your own decisions to make but I thought I’d share my 2 cents about why having more than one kid is generally easier.

There is a general opinion that when you go from 1 to 2 kids it will be twice as hard and then from 2 to 3 will be 3 times as hard but we have not found this to be true for a number of reasons.

They play with each other

When you have 1 child, all they have is you. They are always wanting your attention and require you to be constantly vigilant to make sure they aren’t getting into things, especially when they are young. When you add a second kid to the mix, they will have someone to play with. The older kid will help out in many ways and not least in the entertainment category. When they are young, they will spend plenty of time entertaining each other and playing on their own if you can teach them to be civilized and not bicker too much. The older child will also help you with tasks as they become older. They are not going to all be toddlers at the same time (unless you have twins). Our oldest (7) is now helping us make eggs, getting the toddler out of his crib and tidying up the house. He also helps to keep the toddler out of stuff that isn’t his to destroy.

You already bought all the stuff

Second and third children are also much cheeper than the first child because you have all of thee big-ticket items already. Sure, you’ll have to buy more diapers but if you invested in cloth diapers, then you’re good there too! Hand-me-downs are a thing for a reason. If you can control your impulses to buy more than you need, your subsequent children don’t have to break the bank.

You know what you’re doing

The first child is generally trial and error. You build the plane as you fly it and you buy books and do research after you have made a good number of mistakes. There are also tons of conversations that you and your partner will have to have with the first child to figure out how you’re going to tackle this parenting thing. By the time the second and third and fourth child come around, you have a strategy and you know what to expect. You have established family values and your oldest children are with the program. The youngest can then just fall in line and have a much easier time just adopting the family culture. You also know how to change diapers, what to expect at the doctor and can anticipate your child’s needs better. You have the skills an knowhow necessary to raise good humans.

I will admit that more children add complexity to the mix but it is not necessarily harder. You will have to manage conflict and spend time getting to know each individual child but the basics stay the same. You love them, protect them and provide for them and then send them outside to play when you need some time alone. The return on investment grows exponentially as you add more kiddos to the mix.