Did you think that having one kid was a lot of work? Try having two or more. There have even been some studies that prove that the second kid is harder to deal with than the first.
The second one always comes with a whole host of new challenges and hilarious surprises for parents that no one ever expects.
From increased difficulty in taking family photos to figuring out how to supervise multiple rambunctious toddlers at once, this list covers all of the bases. These are the harsh realities that no one ever tells you about having a second kid. It’s a labor of love that can be quite difficult at times. However, in the end, it’s all worth it.
1. It takes forever to get ready when you have to go somewhere.
Leaving the house means you have to pack so many different things. You needs diapers, bottles, nipples, and all sorts of other supplies. Not to mention, you are going to to need multiple strollers or baby carriages. There is so much to remember.
2. Your older kid will probably occasionally make comments like, “When can we send the baby back?”.
They get so used to receiving all of your attention. Then a new baby enters the picture and suddenly, they aren’t the center of the universe anymore. Even if they really like the idea of having a new brother or sister, don’t be shocked if it takes them a while to get used to it.
3. Your schedule will be totally booked.
Say goodbye to any remaining free time you used to have. With a second kid comes even more commitments than before. Between kid’s sports games, school activities, and dealing with all of the chores and shopping that is required to keep the household functioning, you will be busier than ever.
4. Vacations become increasingly more expensive and challenging.
That is if you are even lucky enough to have time for a vacation. You have to rent hotel rooms with more beds, buy twice as many meals, and pay for twice as many museum tickets. Vacations are best taken when kids are still under the age of two as oftentimes they are still considered “lap babies” and may get to travel and enter attractions for free.
5. Taking a good family photo requires an extreme amount of luck.
If you thought getting one kid to look at the camera and smile was difficult, try getting two toddlers to do it at the same time. You will have your work cut out for you. One of them will almost always end up looking away or frowning at the last minute.
6. You’ll get bored of decorating rooms.
Your first kid’s room will be a huge project. You’ll spend dozens of hours painting the walls, putting up fun baby decorations, and child-proofing everything. Although, the subsequent kids likely will get a much more bare-bones version.
7. You get really fast at changing diapers.
It’s not just a matter of having a lot of practice either. It actually becomes a necessity. When you are changing the youngest child’s diaper, you aren’t able to supervise the other one. If you get distracted too long, there is no telling what kind of trouble the eldest will get into.
8. If you are a single parent, you are now outnumbered.
The kids might think that they are able to outvote you now on decisions. You will have to remind them constantly that your family is not a democracy. What you says goes and they will just have to deal with it.
9. You will be cooking and feeding kids all day long.
Someone will always be hungry. They will likely have all sorts of strange dietary requests too. For example, they will refuse to eat vegetables and throw a fit if you try and serve them some. Kids are only satisfied if you give them chicken fingers and french fries for every meal.
10. Your shopping carts will be filled with kids instead of groceries.
They always want to ride along. It’s annoying enough with one kid, especially when they climb and hang on the sides of the cart. However, imagine two or three little monkeys all trying to ride in the shopping cart at the same time…
11. Your older kid will always find a way to wake up the sleeping baby during the day.
Most of the time, it is not done intentionally. However, toddlers can be very loud and they are not afraid to yell. It doesn’t matter how many times you tell them to quiet down. They get really excited about something and can’t help it.
12. At night, the baby will wake up everyone else.
Not only will you have to calm down the crying baby, you will also have to get your other kids to fall back asleep a second time. It can become a vicious cycle. In the end, pretty much no one gets any sleep. At least, the parents definitely don’t…
13. When one kid gets sick, they all get sick.
It’s often a chain reaction. Any hopes you have of keeping the germs contained quickly go out the window. Within a few days, you will likely be dealing with an entire family of sick people instead of just one child.
14. Synchronized naps are not actually a thing.
Some parents will claim that they are able to get their kids’ sleeping schedules synchronized. For the most part, this is a myth. In many households, there is no such thing as two kids sleeping soundly at the same time. Any photos you see of two kids sleeping soundly are fake.
15. There is an endless amount of laundry to do.
Kids will always be dirtying clothes. Two kids means double the amount of soiled shirts and pants to deal with. It’s easy to let it pile up. There are so many things to do around the house and so little time.
16. Everyone expects you to have one girl and one boy.
According to the general consensus, that is the ideal family. We’re not sure how this tradition ever got started. If you have two girls, they will ask if you are going to go for a boy next. If you have one of each, people will assume that you are done having kids.
17. No matter how much you clean, your home won’t be clean.
As soon as you finish cleaning up one mess, your kids will make another mess. It never fails to amaze us how this happens. Between the spills, tracking dirt inside, and kids playing with paint, you will have your hands full.
18. Finding a baby sitter becomes much harder.
When you are a one child family, babysitters will be lining up to help you out. However, the more kids you have, the more difficult it is to find someone to watch them. Your friends and family will be significantly less likely to volunteer for the job.
19. There is no better sound than two kids laughing together.
It will bring a giant smile to your face to see both of your kids getting along and having fun together. Unfortunately, this is a pretty rare occurrence. It’s much more likely that they will be yelling and fighting with each other.
20. You will find that your life is filled with two times as much joy as before.
With all of the stress involved in parenting, it’s easy to forget why you decided to have kids in the first place. Luckily, it’s not all bad. Double the kids means double the love. Sure, having a second kid can bring a bunch of additional challenges into your life, but it can also bring an incredible amount of joy as well.
There are a lot of frustrating things that people don’t tell you about having a second kid. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s a silly idea to pop out a second boy or girl. When things are going smoothly and you see your happy family together, you’ll remember exactly why you did it. Kids are a blessing and it pays to remember that. The more the merrier, we say.
Check out an additional funny video about having a second kid below.
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