8 Things You’ll Do Different With Your Second Child

Life as a mum with your first baby can feel totally overwhelming and stressful, with some days going perfectly, and other days going to sh*t. Then, baby number two comes along and things change.

We know it, because we’ve been there. Mums just do things differently the second time around, and most of the time, it’s pretty funny. We asked some mums we know who are juggling two kids or more, and here’s what they said that changed for them when baby two came along.

With your second baby you:

1. Give Up Documenting Everything

With your first child, every single thing was documented from the swelling of your pregnant belly, to their first movements, yawns, laughs and smiles. But with baby number two, everything is just a little more relaxed. Sure, you’ve got a baby book, but unlike the obsessive detail of your first bub, second bub’s baby book is more on estimation and imagination!

2. Worry Less About Clothes

When baby number one came along, it was easy to get caught up in the baby fashion game. If your child wasn’t one of the best-dressed babies out there, you had failed. They had seemingly hundreds of little outfits, each complete and detailed in every way. Of course, baby number two is really all about second hand. They’ve inherited the clothes their older sibling didn’t destroy, but you mix and match a lot more, care less about those tiny socks, booties and bibs, and just let them drool every which way.

3. Don’t Jump Up At Every Fall

Helicopter parenting is strong when your first child comes along. Every time they fall, trip or run into a door, you’ve run up to rescue them, and to sooth their tears. Now, you know that your reaction informs their reaction, so when number two runs head-on into the glass door, again, you just yell out “You’re fine” and they’ll usually get straight up again. Sure, you’ll panic for blood, bruises and broken bones, but anything else is just mild.

4. Aren’t So Worried About Germs

Baby number one turned you into a massive germaphobe. You were sterilising everything that your child could reach in your home on a regular basis. If they dropped their dummy or pacifier when they were out and about, a new and freshly sterilised one would immediately replace it. With number two, you’re building a more immune child. When they drop their bottle or dummy, you just give it a wipe, make sure there’s nothing gross on it, and whack it back in their gob. Work complete.

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