We have less than two months to go until Baby Boy W makes his arrival and now that his nursery is ready, we are moving on to the rest of our final preparations. We have so many of the essential baby items that we saved from when Madeline was a newborn and infant so our wish list is very small. There are a few items that we skimped on last time, though, and a few others that I just feel will make life a little easier with two little ones.
We are not having a “shower” to prepare for this baby but I did put together a wish list for family and close friends who wanted to gift something and to be able to use the completion coupon for the few big purchases we needed to make. I was even able to score a few of the items in my local mom group as hand-me-downs and I’m excited that at this point we have almost everything we need for baby boy aside from a final outing for diapers, wipes, diaper genie refills, and all the first aid type things right before his arrival.
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Madeline did not sleep as a newborn. She is such a great sleeper now but that didn’t kick in until right before she was six months old. In the beginning she did not sleep. Even as my maternity leave ended when she was twelve weeks old, she was still only sleeping two hour stretches. So, needless to say I’m a little traumatized and decided to splurge on alllll the baby sleep contraptions this time. I got the Halo bassinet because Madeline just loved white noise and vibration when she was tiny. I scored this second-hand from another mom along with a dockatot. This was another splurge because they are pricey but at the same time baby sleep is priceless when you need sleep yourself! One of my friends gifted me an auto rock-n-play. We had the vibration one for Madeline and she really did love it. I am fully aware that these are not safe for night sleep and that using them for extended periods of time can cause hip dysplasia and plagiocephaly so I’ll just go ahead and share that I’m not planning to use the rock n play for baby boy to sleep in at night. But, Madeline’s rock-n-play was so nice to have for early morning wakeups, naps during fussy phases, and folding up to take with us on the go.
I have this video monitor on my list because I have heard such incredible things about it. I’m not willing to give up Madeline’s monitor now that she has so much more freedom with her big girl bed and find a video monitor to be worth every penny. A total must for each child in my opinion! Something else that is worth its weight in gold is a sound machine. I love this one specifically because it has a more natural sound (like a fan) and doesn’t get too loud. Its loud enough to drown out the dog barking, the doorbell, or a party downstairs but not so loud that I worry about damaging my child’s hearing.
We have the Baby Jogger City Select stroller and have been so happy with it. We use it for neighborhood walks and take it with us to the park, the Greenway, and for outings like the zoo. Our second seat kit just arrived yesterday and I am excited to unbox it and try out the different configurations. I love that this stroller is tandem as opposed to side by side so that it isn’t quite as wide. I always keep an umbrella stroller in the trunk of my car, too, so I ordered this double one when it was on sale for less than fifty dollars. I won’t be able to use it until Baby Boy is bigger but I know it will come in handy for impromptu trips to the mall or other errands where I don’t want to baby wear or Madeline to be able to run free .
This shopping cart hammock came highly recommended to me in a local mom group and it is one of the coolest items I think we have gotten for Baby Boy. It attaches to a shopping cart and baby can either lay in it or you can set the car seat inside and still have room underneath for your shopping items. This leaves the seat in the front of the cart free for Madeline, who definitely still needs to be buckled in tightly to prevent her from wreaking havoc on a trip to Target. I already have an Ergo and K’Tan that I enjoyed with Madeline for when I want to wear Baby Boy while shopping.
My friends who have two children have raved about the Joovy Spoon walker and I was lucky enough to snag it for a steal in our mom group. It folds flat, which is always nice since baby gear can take over your home, and my friends say its a great place for Baby to be once they start to be mobile and you are busy getting big brother or big sister dressed for the day or fed breakfast.
I am planning to try to nurse again this time although I’ve shared before that it was a really stressful process for Madeline and me. We introduced bottles early with Madeline and she never resisted taking one which made the process easier. I love the Comotomo bottles and have fresh nipples on my list to purchase because I know the rubber can get gross and unsafe over time. I also have milk storage bags and the membranes for my pump on my list.
When I was registering for bath products for Madeline I really had not clue what to purchase and ended up adding products to my registry that contained ingredients that make me cringe now. This time around, I am planning to use the Beautycounter baby bundle of wash, oil, and balm and this diaper cream. I am also a big fan of this diaper cream for extreme rashes. We only had to use it a couple times with Madeline but boy am I glad someone told me about it and it is a safe product!
For diapers this time, I am planning to try out Pampers Pure. I know diapers can be hit or miss and sometimes depend on the baby. I really want to go artificial fragrance and chlorine-free. There are a number of brands that offer this now that more has come out about the dangers of fragrance but what appeals to me about this brand is that it is available in most stores that stock regular Pampers – including the pharmacy and grocery store by our house so that when I undoubtedly run out right before bedtime I can just grab a new box.
We have this humidifier for Madeline and have been so happy with it that I plan to get another. I know that at some point both babes will be sick and congested at the same time and I will be glad to have two. I also need to replace our Nose Frida because I have absolutely no idea what happened to ours once Madeline learned to blow her own nose but know I certainly can’t live without it. I’ll also stock up on baby Tylenol, saline, gripe water, gas drops, and a new pacifier medicine dispenser because those are things you need when you least expect them.
We still have Madeline’s infant carseat, snap n go, swing, bouncer, pack-n-play, play yard, play mat, infant toys, jumper, baby bath tub, bottles, and diaper genie that we plan to reuse and tons of other gear that I’m sure I’m forgetting about at this moment!
Mamas of two or more – I’d love to hear your must-have items for preparing for baby number two’s arrival.
