I remember when my first son turned one, friends, family and even strangers suddenly started asking me when I would have another. Apparently, the first birthday is a milestone after which it is socially acceptable to start bugging parents about getting pregnant again! Personally, I couldn’t imagine having another baby right away. I was too exhausted from stressing out over every detail of my son’s life ( can you say helicopter parent?) to consider having another!! But over the years, I have photographed numerous families with two babies under two, and there are definitely some positives to this scenario!
- They are both in diapers. Wait, is that good thing? Well, in my humble opinion, it is. I was scared to have two babies under two and we waited until my son was almost 3 before having #2. I distinctly remember my son decided to start potty training basically the minute I came home from the hospital with my daughter and it was not fun. I think it is a blessing in disguise to have both kids in diapers for the first few months. My 2 cents: focus on potty training once your second gets a little older and has a routine. It’s so much less stressful that way!
- They both NAP! – Hallelujah, your toddler still needs a nap! And after a couple of months you should be able to figure out a way to get them both sleeping at the exact same time so you can get some solid down time during the afternoon to catch up on Top Chef or This is Us. I know they all say to sleep when the baby sleeps, but seriously, what fun is that?
- Your children learn to share and be considerate at an early age – Having a sibling so close in age will force your children to learn to share whether they like it or not. They will also grow up being more considerate of others and they will realize the world does not revolve around them.
- Your first child will learn to be more independent – Let’s face it, if you have two under two, someone is going to get ignored some of the time. And that’s not a bad thing. I think most parents can admit spending too much time focusing on every move their first child made. Breaking the cycle of dependence might involve a little whining and crying, but is definitely for the best in the end.
- Your kids might just end up being friends. While there are obviously no guarantees in life, having babies so close together provides a fantastic opportunity for them to become good friends. Your kids will go through the phases of life at relatively the same time and, over the years, they will mostly enjoy the same kinds of toys, activities and family trips, etc. Having them close together affords them the opportunity to become besties and that is a wonderful gift!
The last time I saw this beautiful family, they were just welcoming their first baby girl Maya into the family. I was excited (and surprised!) to hear from them again, just 15 months later, when they emailed to tell me they were expecting another baby girl! It was so much fun to see how much Maya has grown ( even though she is kind of still a baby, too). She was not jealous of her baby sister at all, rather just mildly curious about her. Grandma was visiting and helping out and I love that we were able to capture her in some of the images too.
Full arms, full heart! Being a big sister is so exciting!! Sisters, and hopefully BFF for life…. V+P = Sonya!
See those pictures on the wall in the background?? That’s baby Maya when she was just a week old!
Cara Soulia is a Dover Massachusetts Newborn Photographer who specializes in capturing natural and beautiful images of babies, children & their families on location in and around the Boston area. See more newborn sessions, read 9 things you should know about hiring Cara as your photographer or get in touch if you are expecting and would like to schedule as session!