Smart Family Planning Means Thinking About Your Second Kid Even Before You Have Your First

Congratulations! You’re planning on starting a family. About a million different variables had to come together to bring you here. It’s exciting, it’s daunting, and it takes some planning.

One of the smartest things you can do to prepare for this major life change is to start thinking about whether you’re going to want more than one kid. Maybe you already know for certain that you’re #oneanddone. And that’s okay!

But for a lot of families, the first kid is a gateway drug. If you’re going into this knowing you’re probably going to want another, this is a good time to start making some decisions for the long term. By doing some forward-thinking now, you can save yourself a ton of money and stress. Or at least some money and some stress.

Let’s start with your registry. There aren’t many times in life when your friends and family ask you to list everything you want so they can go buy it for you! It’s a pretty amazing opportunity to get this baby thing off to a great start. The only way it could be even more amazing would be winning your registry free and clear! Whoa, hello, dream I’ve always had and may come true.

Whether it’s the first one or the fifth, having a baby means adding a whole new person to the world and that can be expensive. Here are 5 tips for starting a family without going broke:

1. Stay Neutral

Painting the nursery a neutral color is a great way to make sure you can use it for more than one baby’s room. That way, if you decide to have another, you won’t spend late pregnancy choosing new paint colors. By the time that second one is on the way, leisurely hours pondering paint colors is just not happening.

2. Go for Green and Yellow

Purchasing unisex and/or mix-and-match clothing is another way to get more bang for your ever-diminishing buck. If you really want to get serious, make sure every pair of socks in your home is exactly the same. That way when a sock disappears to wherever it is they all eventually go, you still have plenty of “matched” pairs!

3. Don’t Be Shy on Your Registry

Don’t be afraid to ask for the things you need and want. Baby registries exist for a reason! Why shoulder all the costs on your own, especially when there are few things people love more than other people’s babies! Plus, with a chance to win your registry, second-guessing and budgets be damned! You’ve got a price scanner and you’re not afraid to go to TOWN.

4. Get the Membership

Upgrading to the family membership at museums, zoos, and theme parks means you’ll really get your money’s worth. When you realize that bringing three kids costs the same as bringing one, it feels a little bit like winning the lottery. Or at least a scratch-off. Or finding a twenty on the ground. You get the idea.

5. Be Smart About the Stroller

Buying a stroller that’s designed to work for either one kid or two is just straight-up genius. Your stroller will become about as important to your family as your car. Really. So finding one that’s flexible enough to stroll a toddler around AND include the new baby even before they arrive is #goals. Think of the money and space you’ll save with a stroller like Graco’s new UNO2DUO. It’s really the only stroller you’ll ever need. The UNO2DUO™ travel system starts as a single and expands into a double stroller that can be used in 18 different modes. You can also purchase a second seat for 4 additional ways to ride. A stroller that grows with your family? Life hack!

Of all the decisions we make in life, starting a family is one of the biggest and most daunting. There are so many things (so, so, sooo many things) that you can’t control once you introduce little humans into your life. It just makes sense to try to get out in front of the ones you can control. With a little forward-thinking, you can plan your future family like an actual boss and still have a couple dollars left over.

Graco’s new UNO2DUO™ is the ultimate ride for your growing family. The UNO2DUO™ starts out as a single stroller, then expands into a double stroller with up to 22 modes of use, making it truly the only stroller you’ll ever need!