The decision to have children or grow your family to accommodate more children is one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. As someone who does want to grow her current family in the near future, I’ve spent a lot of time discussing and planning for a bigger future. There is so much to think about and so much to plan for, especially as adding to your family or raising a child is a task in itself. I wanted to share with you some of the things I feel are quite important to think about before you take the plunge and start trying for a baby.
Home
When it comes to bringing a new person into your house, one of the first things I start to think about is space. As we both work from home, having a bit more space so that we can continue our jobs while at the same time accommodating a new person is needed. Though babies don’t take up much room at first, it’s very good to consider the amount of room that children will need as they grow. Does your house have room for a play area? What bedroom would become their bedroom as they grew? Babies take a lot of different equipment, so to speak, so do you have room for those items? Do you want to move house when the child is a bit older or would you rather have a ‘forever home’ for the child now? There is a lot to consider when it comes to the physical space in your home. If you are planning on having a child, you’ll also need to think about child proofing your home and getting it ready for the little one to walk around in.
Finances
The next major concern for me when it comes to expanding our family is our current financial situation. We both have stable jobs and take up odd work here and there, however, having a little baby would change how my current job works – and that’s something to consider. There is always a financial aspect to expanding your family or having a baby – as well as a starting amount of money that is needed to gain all of the stuff that is actually needed to have a child. Being financially stable and ensuring that you will continue to be sets up your family for a better future.
Your current financials isn’t the only thing to consider. Despite it being a bit of a morbid topic, it’s important to make sure your child or children would be able to survive if the main money earner isn’t around anymore. Life insurance, though something people often only think about towards the end of their lives, is important to consider now. LifSearch offers a Family Income Benefit, for example, which allows individuals to give their children monthly or quarterly payments which are tax free after the parent picks and set number of years. If the parent then passes away during that time frame, for the rest of the defined time, the child would receive these payments instead of a single large lump sum. This would ensure that if you weren’t around to help raise your family, they’d still be taken care of, which is always important to consider. Read this helpful article about the second to die life insurance.
Feelings
Growing your family isn’t just a decision the adults can make in a family. If you already have children, it’s important to make sure that they know and understand what another person in the family might mean for them – assuming they are old enough to know what another baby would be like. Having a child will make the youngest no longer the youngest and the new child will take a lot of attention and resources, especially as a baby. This needs to be communicated if you have any bigger-than-toddler children. Their feelings and concerns need to be addressed before the adults in the situation move forward having another child.
If you have a pet, it’s important to be aware that the pet might become jealous of the attention given to the new baby as well, so it’s important to just talk over what to do in that situation.
Health
Growing your family is a physical thing, so making sure you are healthy and speaking to a doctor about your plans to expand are important as well. You’ll want to make sure that your physically prepared to have a child – especially if it is your first child-addition to the family. Being aware of what goes into birth and aftercare may seem like a gross aspect, but it’s a normal one and something that you really should be aware of.
Growing our family most recently happened with the addition of a wonderful cat called Pancake almost a year ago now, but I am sure it has room for one more small human, it’s just a matter of making sure that we are in the right place to bring this new person into the world. It’s very important to us that they have every opportunity imaginable and the best possible start to their life, so there is a lot for us to talk over and keep in mind without rushing into expanding!