The good part about baby #2 is that generally, you don’t have to buy all of the STUFF that comes with having the first baby. The stuff alone is daunting: crib, bassinet, bottle warmers, how many contraptions to get for your home to put baby down in, swaddles, sling, wrap or carrier, car seat, stroller. The list goes on and on!
The bad news for us was that we borrowed almost ALL of the baby essentials from my sister when we had Harrison. And when we found out that baby #2 for each of us was going to arrive within a week of each other this summer, we turned to our friends to borrow a lot of the things that we absolutely needed. But there were a few things on my list that I didn’t have the first time around or wanted more of, that I’m buying for baby #2, and I wanted to share those with you!
We had a Baby Bjorn bouncer for Harrison, and it was my single most favorite thing to put him down in while I needed my hands free in a room. I’d pick it up and move it from one room to the next. Harrison loved it, particularly when he figured out he could bounce it himself, and we even took it to South Dakota us twice to my parents’ cabin. Aside from the pack and play, it was the only baby gear I brought with me that first year to visit them. That’s how much I loved it. And given that my sister also LOVED it, I knew I was going to be buying a second one for our new little guy.
Aw…Look at Baby Harrison in the bouncer.
The hunt for the perfect double stroller was a LONG one. I read thousands of reviews. I measured the trunk of my car. Multiple times. Heck, I even measured the width of the sidewalk to ensure I wouldn’t buy a stroller that didn’t fit on our more narrow sidewalks in our neighborhood.
I heard stories from friends that couldn’t go and meet up for a park date or lunch because their husband was out of town, and they couldn’t lift their double stroller by themselves.
I read about car seat attachments, weight, ease of folding….soooo many things. And finally settled on this beautiful stroller:
The Valco Snap Duo Trend. Harrison and I have already taken it for a spin around the block, and it maneuvers nearly as easily as my single stroller that I love and adore. Fingers crossed that both of my little guys love it! Although, I have a feeling that Harrison will be spending more time walking in front of it than strapped into it. 🙂
I stocked up on my favorite swaddles.
When my sister and I split our newborn clothing stash, I knew I needed more swaddles. There were nights when we’d go through several….thank you, blow-outs. And these SwaddleMe swaddles from Target ended up being my favorite. I could get him stuck in there all nice and tight with very little escaping.
One thing I didn’t have the first time around that so many of my friends that had babies after me said was their favorite thing for baby was a newborn lounger. So I borrowed the Boppy newborn lounger from a friend to give it a shot this time around.
Given that I imagine that this new little one is going to be spending more time napping in the car than his older brother did, I invested in a car seat white noise maker.
After reading Moms on Call with Harrison, I’m a hefty believer in white noise during naps and nighttime!
And the last thing that I purchased for baby #2 was the newborn insert for my Tula carrier.
I wish I had discovered Tula when Harrison was younger. I didn’t buy this carrier until our Fourth of July trip last year to Boston, and quickly realized how much more comfortable it was than the other ones I had used with Harrison when he was little. So getting the newborn insert to be able to use our carrier when this little guy comes was a no-brainer. Also, the Tula carrier patterns are adorable.
So, so cute!
There are a few other odds and ends that I picked up as well. Like a going home outfit for our new little man. Little guy shouldn’t have to share ALL of his clothes. 🙂 A couple more of our favorite pacis.
We’re getting awfully close to welcoming this new little one to the family!