Preschool centers easing second-child anxiety

Demand for care facilities is growing as parents look to expand their families, while continuing to work

Until Lyu Jiawei discovered a new child care center in her community in the suburban district of Tongzhou in east Beijing, she was undecided about having a second child.

Though running her own business enabled Lyu to work at home, she still found it difficult to take care of her son while dealing with routine work.

"Our parents cannot come to help like some other families. Besides, my parenting ideas are different to those of the older generation," she said.

Lyu was spending so much time taking care of her first child that she felt it would be almost impossible to have a second without giving up work.

China's population is aging so rapidly that in 2016 the government announced that every couple could have two children, which ended the decadeslong policy that prohibited most families from having more than one child.

Since the new policy was implemented, the number of newborns has risen. However, the question of who will take care of the baby has become a major issue for families and is one of the main reasons some couples hesitate to have a second child, said Cui Shuyi, director of the Institute of Demographics at the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences.