The 10 Worst Reasons to Have Another Child

The 10 worst reasons to have another kidMy husband and I have been thinking about having another child for a while now. Three years ago, I even put up a poll about it; the majority of readers said yes, have a third kid.

We didn't listen.

This is because we are still on the fence about whether we can handle a third kid. Our son, Max, has cerebral palsy. Another child would mean less time and attention for him, and Max needs as much of us as he can get. We're wary, too, of the added expenses and the uneasy economy-one more mouth to feed, body to dress, plane ticket to buy. And as busy as our lives are, we are content with the point of organized chaos we've reached with our family, no small thing since both of us work full-time.

And yet, we have good reasons to have another kid. For one, we don't feel in our hearts that our family is complete-and we don't want to have regrets when we get old. Most importantly, Max will benefit from having another sibling to look after him when we are gone. I do not want that responsibility to rest solely on my daughter's shoulders, sturdy as they are.

Related: 10 signs you're ready to have a baby

Many other reasons to have a third kid have crossed my mind. Thing is, most of them are really, really bad. I'll just get them off my chest-and wonder if any of them have ever occurred to you.

1. Pregnancy's a good way to hide all that blubber you never took off from your last baby. (See? I told you these were very bad reasons.)

2. The sweet baby cheeks, baby sighs, baby smells, baby everything. If you're a baby nut like I am, this reason's too tempting; I have to remind myself that babies grow.

3. You'd love to own a Bugaboo, Ingelisina or other fancy-schmancy stroller that wasn't around the last time you had a wee one to wheel around.

4. One more good excuse for avoiding visits to your MIL: "Ah, sorry, the baby's sick!"

5. Wasn't it so much fun coming up with names?

6. Woo hoo: maternity leave! Never mind that it's some of the hardest work you'll ever do.

7. ___ just had one! [Fill in name of friend/coworker/celebrity]

8. People will think you're younger than you are.

9. Way to get your husband to worship you at your (swollen) feet-the massages! The midnight runs for milk shakes! The obvious excuse as to why he has to pick up around the house!

10. At last, a valid reason why you saved every single onesie, toy, and burp cloth in the attic.

- By Ellen Seidman
Follow Ellen on Babble

For 5 more of the worst reasons to have another baby, visit Babble!

MORE ON BABBLE
10 things EVERY woman should do before having kids
25 powerful photos of women giving birth
10 things you should never say to a mom
11 mistakes all parents make (even the perfect ones!)

Babble | Babble.com
Stay connected. Follow Babble on Facebook and Twitter.