Said It Here

Tips for having a second child after a big age gap

Parents facing a long gap before a new baby often worry that they have forgotten how to handle the newborn phase and early months. This uncertainty leaves them feeling overwhelmed and looking for reassurance and advice about transitioning to a family of four.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Asking online parenting communities for tips and personal experiences
  2. 2
    Reading books about new siblings with the older child
  3. 3
    Involving the older child in baby care tasks and shopping
  4. 4
    Enlisting family or local support to entertain the toddler

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

My wife is due in 5 days and I’m kind of freaking out.source ↗

It’s also been long enough that I’m afraid I’ve forgotten how to have a newborn and get through the early months.source ↗

Anyway my head is just sort of spinning and I don’t have specific questions just looking to hear from others in general!source ↗

alekversusworld · r/Parenting · 15 upvotes

So what I'm asking is any advice, common or random about what to expect on the transition to a family of 4 when the little baby arrives.source ↗

speckattack · r/Parenting · 3 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised