My first baby didn’t roll over until she was seven months old, making her the last one in Mommy & Me to hit that milestone. (And oh, how I worried… for nothing.) So I was surprised to find my second baby rolling in both directions at just three months. Looking back, I credit benign neglect. I was so busy interacting with my high maintenance preschooler that the new baby spent a ton of time on the floor, just exploring. Is it any wonder she figured out how to roll?
It turns out second babies experience a lot of things sooner, which certainly keeps a mom on her toes. Steel yourself, because here’s what your second one will probably do early:
1. Catch a Cold – There’s not enough hand sanitizer in the world to shelter that second baby from the onslaught of kid germs. I recently caught my 4-year-old with her finger in the baby’s mouth. (“She likes it,” was her defense.) It’s awful hearing your precious infant cough and sneeze, but hopefully the virus will be mild and you’ll be one step closer to building up Baby’s immunities.
2. Watch TV – Wow, did I pat myself on the back for waiting the American Academy of Pediatrics-recommended two years before giving my first baby any screen time. Now that we’re all sharing a living room, it’s nearly impossible to shield Baby #2 from the TV. I wonder if the AAP would give a special dispensation for Doc McStuffins.
3. Eat Ice Cream – If I remember correctly, when babies start solids, it goes rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, bananas, hot fudge sundae, yes? Try as you might to stay on track with Baby’s nutrition, it’s inevitable that hungry little monkeys are going to want to partake in the older kids’ snacks—especially anything cold and sweet.
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