I've already found that preparing for the second baby is so different than preparing for the first! We had extras of everything for Bird, and then some. Toys upon toys before she was even born, a change table that ended up as extra clothes storage, seven different slings and at least 8 pairs of newborn baby shoes -- which although very cute, pretty useless! Now that we're having our second and expanding our family without expanding our home, we're having to decide what is absolutely necessary for numero two (not that it stops me from having way too many adorable baby clothes!) These are my absolute necessities for our new baby, mostly things we used with our first and can't live without, but a couple of new things too! Here we go..
Being hands free with just one is already such an important part of our life, I can't imagine not having a sling when number two joins us! In my list is my ever favorite Sakura Bloom linen ring sling, which we already own and love.
2. Diaper bag.
I'm terribly unorganized and throwing a bunch of things into a purse and having to dig through it to find what the toddler wants when she wants it is a nightmare. Having a diaper bag with tons of pockets and a place for everything to go has always been a big wish of mine! I've chosen the Skip Hop Duo Signature Edition diaper bag for number two. Not only is it huge with tons of storage, but it also wipes clean and looks great -- stylish and fun!
3. A toy leash.
After almost two years of mommyhood, I'm well accustomed to the "I'm going to throw my drink/toy/whatever else is in my hands no matter what it is over the side of the stroller/carseat/carrier and delight in the fact you have to fetch it for me" game. So this time around, one of these are a necessity.
4. A sound machine.
This Graco Sweet Slumber Sound Machine is the cream of the crop. We received one as a gift for Birdy, and not only does it play tons of different ambient noises (including whales, crickets, birds, and womb noises), lullabies, and it has a MP3 hookup. There's a shut off timer, a nightlight, and it can be used with batteries or plugged up. Birdy still uses her noise machine every night so we'll be looking into buying another machine soon and I think out of the ones on the market we'll go with the one we know and love.
5. Moses basket.
We received our moses basket and stand as a gift before Birdy was born and I'm so glad I kept them. We used it tons when she was little, bringing her to different rooms with us in her basket even when she was sleeping and I imagine with two babes we'll need to do it even more! A moses basket is light and easy to clean. I plan on getting a thicker pad for the bottom of the bassinet this time as it will be colder when our boy joins us, but otherwise I wouldn't change anything about it!
6. A natural bonding doll.
We got this same PEPPA Bonding Rabbit for Birdy when she was two months old and will pass it down to her brother. It's an all natural toy who's head is filled with sheep's wool, which absorbs scents and makes the doll a comforting reminder of home on trips out of the house. Bird has since moved on to kitties and puppies but Peppa was her favorite toy for many months while she was younger, whether it was for gnawing on or just cuddling. We've put Peppa in baby boy's bassinet and talk about sharing Peppa with him when he arrives.
7. Receiving blankets.
Lots and lots of them. And then more on top of that. We probably had 10 to 15 receiving blankets when Birdy was little and I remember running out of them frequently, so this time we're having extra.. lots of extras.. on hand.
8. Snuggle the Baby book.
Okay, so this is more so for the resident toddler, but the Snuggle the Baby book is perfect for siblings-to-be. The book is a sort of "how to" guide when it comes to babies and lets you feed, snuggle, tickle, rock and change the baby on different interactive pages. This book is great even for those toddlers not expecting a new addition to the family, as it teaches empathy and how to care for other children's needs!
I'm probably forgetting a few things we "can't live without" but this is our main list for our upcoming arrival! Is anyone else expecting number two right now? If so what's some of your must haves? And what about the experienced mamas out there?? What did you purchase for baby number two that you couldn't have lived without?
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