When you have your first baby, you get all the things. Between the excitement, fear, and a baby shower or two, you are fully stocked with baby gear. You’ve got a wipe warmer, a Bumbo, an automatic formula dispenser, and about six dozen receiving blankets. Bring on the baby.
Sure, some of the items you have in rotation are must-haves, can’t-live-without; others are inevitably categorized as ‘excellent used condition’ or ‘taking up too much room’. It’s really is a learning process to figure out what you need and what you don’t. This is good, especially when you begin “gearing” up for Baby Number 2. The second time around is about purchasing items with intention, value, and convenience.
Our family just added to our crew and here are my five favorite items I have purchased for our second baby:
Stroller with multiple configurations: Get a stroller that can fit your family regardless of the travel situation and age of your children. We purchased a Baby Jogger City Select Lux. We chose this model for a handful of reasons. My two kids are four years apart in age and we rarely need a double stroller, but when we do its easy to pop on a second seat and hit the streets. I can also add a car seat adapter, bench seat or a kick board. The key is to get a stroller in whichn you can accommodate more than one need/child/location. This is hands down my favorite baby gear item to date.
Baby monitor: The baby monitor situation in our home was in desperate need of an upgrade. The video monitor was just a few years old, but the screen was less than two inches by two inches and it has zero other functions. We snagged a Panasonic Long Range video monitor at Wichita Moms Blog Bloom Event. This monitor has all the bells and whistles. It tilts and pans, has a sound machine and microphone connection, exquisite picture on the monitor, temperature and movement sensors and you can maintain connection up 1500 feet away. This has been a superb device to monitor the sleep (or lack of) situation.
Baby Carrier: I had a carrier for our first baby and we used it for a total of 43 minutes. It wasn’t that I didn’t love the product, it just wasn’t necessary. I had the time and free hands to simply carry the baby. But when you have one child plus a baby, you need a good carrier. There are so many options for wearing your baby and I would encourage you to explore all the available styles. I opted for a Tula Explore baby carrier for many of the same reasons I selected our stroller – multiple ways to transport the baby. You can wear the baby as a newborn and as they grow the carrier can adapt to forward facing and also backpack style. I also found it the most comfortable for my smaller body frame. There has not been a day that they baby hasn’t been worn by mom (or dad!). It is solid investment for freeing up your hands throughout the day.
NoseFrida: Admittedly, I received a NoseFrida with my first baby and I never even opened the packaging. There was no way I was going to use my own suction to clear a stuffy nose. I didn’t understand the process, nor did I want to. But then I had a baby in the heart of winter and peak cold season. I used a NoseFrida to clear his nose and it worked wonders! A little saline and a NoseFrida are essential staples in our house now. Once you see how effective is, there is no other nasal aspirator to consider.
Diaper can: There is a continuous debate about whether one needs a receptacle for dirty diapers. I believe you do, but I hate the special bags because they are pricey and I always run out of them. However, if you decide you are on Team Diaper Pail, the Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail is worth a looksy. It is made of steel which helps with odor control. Most importantly though, it uses regular trash bags. This is the stuff mom dreams are made of.
So, there’s my list of favorite baby products for your second little one. I tend to lean toward convenience and multi-purpose. What are some of your favorite items for baby?
