the second time around

Should you have baby No. 2 sooner or later?

By Kimberly Pfaff

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>>Take stock of your first child’s needs. Assuming you decide to have a second child, you need to do some advance planning. “You have to ask yourselves, ‘How do we meet the needs of the older child without taking away from the younger one?’” Ginsberg says. “It requires the time, effort and cooperation of both parents.” Talk about how you understand your child—his personality, his coping mechanisms—and what resources are available. Is he old enough to be involved in a play group? Is there extended family nearby who could spend one-on-one time with him when a new baby arrives? Once the baby is born, make sure both parents schedule a weekly one-on-one outing with the older child. Doing so will ease the stress of the transition for all of you.

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