It's a great time to have babies

I am an only child. Born in the early 1990s, I grew up without thinking it was anything special.

Most of my friends and classmates didn't have siblings, either. However, this phenomenon may become a very special part of the nation's history.

The family planning policy has been a basic national program since it was written into the Chinese Constitution in 1982, when the country's population exceeded 1 billion. That meant more than 20 percent of the global population lived on China's 9.6 million square kilometers, 6.4 percent of the world's landmass.

I'm not an expert on society or biology, but as I get older it's not hard to understand how much the family planning policy contributed to the country's fast and balanced development for more than 30 years.

If productivity cannot meet the demands of a large population, it puts extra pressure on the economy and society.

My parents used to tell me stories about when they were kids. They were both born in 1968, and each has three younger siblings.

My father recalled how he and his younger brother shared just one decent pair of winter trousers at the age of about 5.

When they went to high school, they had to share a bike and ride 10 kilometers to school on a snowy country road in Jilin province, and share food from one lunch box.

Life was even tougher for some of their young peers.

Raising a child became a bit easier for my parents' generation as the average annual family income in their county rose to about 2,000 yuan ($240) in the 1990s. But my parents agree that my living conditions then would have been affected if I'd had a sibling.

With the implementation of the family planning policy, China's birthrate fell from 22.28 in 1982 to 11.90 in 2010.

The declining number affected the structure of the population, so the second-child policy was applied step by step from 2011, while the third-child policy was announced last year.

In 2016, the year after all couples were allowed to have two babies, more than 45 percent of all newborns were second children, and the number grew to nearly 50 percent in 2017, according to the National Health Commission.

I'm happy to see that many of my friends are willing to have at least two children, as they would love them to be each other's best friend. I agree with them.

Not only can children now have siblings as companions, but they can access so many brilliant facilities in the cities to ensure a wonderful childhood.

Toys, clothes, milk powders and healthy snacks－whatever you imagine a baby needs can easily be found online and in stores.

I started taking my son to game centers, swimming pools designed for babies and education centers when he was 3 months old. I'm surprised at how many choices there are. Babies don't just eat and sleep, and so many things are designed for them.

This is a child-friendly time, and it is enjoyable to raise babies.