The Perks of Having More Kids

Are you thinking of having more kids? I want to encourage you to go for it. I never thought being a second-time mom would be this fun. Every day I feel so happy that God entrusted us another precious little human being.

These are some of the perks of having another child:

*You do not have to buy more baby gears.  Reduce, reuse, recycle, that’s my motto as a second-time mom. Of course, there are still things you need to buy but now you know what works and what does not. My firstborn never really used a crib.  So there was no need to get one. Our collapsible playyard  worked just fine.  She loved her swing and it proved very useful so when her brother was 3 months so we took it out of the closet and set it up.

Since we now know that direct latching is best for baby ( It delivers milk that has the highest nutrients and immunological properties and prevents orthodontic problems later on.), I ditched the baby bottles, breast pump and sterilizer!  What a relief it is not having to wash and sterilize bottles! Or having them thrown and broken by a curious toddler. I still cannot believe Zachary at 13 months has never used a baby bottle but graduated to a sippy cup at 9 months. I only use the pump now to stash milk for keepsakes.

*Toys get a second life. Aside from the savings, I find joy in seeing Mishca share her toys with Zachary. Old toys are new again now that they have been inherited by the baby.  Now two kids are enjoying the  musical fish catcher, kitchen set and the zigzag car. Plus, all the boy toys that Mishca collected, all the cars and airplanes, now have  a proper owner.

*Baby education videos get more watch time. We invested a lot in baby educational videos, particularly the Wink to Learn and Your Baby Can Learn series.  We saw how they helped our eldest excel in reading and boost her IQ. The videos and educational materials are not cheap but worth every penny since it helped us transition easily to formal education. Homeschooling in the early years was fun and easy, thanks to an early head start. Now my second child is using those same videos and enjoying them so much that he screams in protest when his video time comes to an end. At 18 months, he can now read out loud around 7 to 10 words, loves counting his toys and knows his colors, all without much effort from us.

*You are not worried about every little thing. Been there, done that! I find myself more relaxed especially since my second is a boy and is very easy-going. We only consulted our doctor twice so far.  Our wonderful pediatrician told Zachary during his first well-baby visit: “I hope I do not see you often!” And we haven’t! Now she is requesting that we see her at least twice a year!

*Your bigger kids mature and learn to care for the little one. Since she waited to have a baby brother for a long time, Mishca delighted in Zachary’s birth. They have this bond that started when he was still in the womb. She prayed the sweetest and most complete prayers for her brother while he was in my tummy. She saw him come out since she was there at his birth. When Zach was a newborn, she sang to him, danced for him and taught him to make cute sounds. Now when he wakes up ahead of her, Zach wakes her up and calls her, “Ache, Ache. . .”   They love each other’s company. Mishca can make Zach laugh like nobody else can.  She has saved him from falls and bumps many times.  There are little squabbles at times, but it makes Mishca learn how to give in, share and forgive. We see that Mishca has become a more loving and responsible person because of her brother.

*Your younger ones learn and mature faster because of the influence of the firstborn. Yes, it works both ways. Zachary made talking sounds earlier, walked earlier, learned to climb chairs and stairs earlier,  and was overall more independent because he has Mishca to play with. Two months before he turned one, he was already navigating the living room alone on the blue buggy that he inherited from his sister. They were chasing each other around the house, him in his toy car and her on her pink bicycle.  I leave them to play alone and even Mishca is amazed that her brother can now play with her when he was just a helpless infant the year before.

*You get the privilege to see thing through a child’s eyes all over again. I just am so grateful for the baby and toddler years. I feel so blessed to be by my children’s side as they experience their firsts. I love the look of wonder in their eyes as they take in the world around them. Yesterday we took Zachary to a pet shop and he was so delighted to see birds, rabbits, fish and turtles in one tiny space.

I am so enamored by raising kids that I actually joked God that I do not mind having a child every year! I really believe that, despite all the challenges and demands of raising children, IT IS ALL WORTH IT! Time spent with your little ones will reap heavenly rewards. Children really are a blessing from the Lord as promised in the Bible.

Here are Mish and Zach in this video from MISHMASH FUN, their new Youtube Channel: