And Baby Makes Four : Welcoming a Second Child into the Family

Done it once? Ready for another? How do you make the decision to have a second child, and what will that choice mean for your family? In And Baby Makes Four: Welcoming a Second Child into the Family, author and mother Hilory Wagner provides funny, friendly, helpful advice for parents considering--or already on their way to--having more than one child. Though small in stature, this book covers a lot of territory. Wagner raises the appropriate questions: Have I had enough time with my eldest? Won't a newborn shatter my firstborn's world as he knows it? When will he understand why I decided to have another? She also acknowledges the ambivalence many parents feel, even when the second pregnancy is planned. Other subjects include planning a sibling strategy; understanding rivalry issues; the father's role; lifting your child; bed rest with a toddler in the house; adopting a sibling; establishing a family birth plan (you can't just run off to the hospital when there's another child to consider); and managing two or more kids while sustaining your marriage. Wagner has clearly done her homework, offering numerous references to appropriate books and Web sites, and her suggestions for the best books for new siblings are well worth the cost of admission. --Ericka Lutz