Items I Bought for Baby #2 That I Wish I Would Have Had for Baby #1

When I had my first baby, I did the best I could to be prepared, but not to buy items that wouldn’t get used. I did decently, but when I found out I was expecting my second baby, I knew there were some additional purchases I would be making.

If you’ve ever done anything in your life, you know that hindsight is 20/20. There are always things that you wish you would have done, done differently, or just not done at all. Parenting is no exception.

There are several things that I am doing a little bit differently with my second baby in comparison to my first, but today I am focusing on the baby items that I didn’t think I would miss with Calvin, but certainly wish I had owned. I didn’t include items that we had with Cal, but needed duplicates or replacements of (things like pacifiers, bottle nipples, newborn diapers, a second car mirror, and car seat). Some of these items may seem like a total waste of space and money to you, but that’s okay. For me and my family and our home, these items will be greatly loved, used, and appreciated.

Especially with a toddler running around in addition to the newborn baby.

FOR THE BABY

• Mockingbird Single-to-Double Stroller – listen to me. If you plan/hope/intend to have more than one child close in age, do yourself a favor and buy a double (or single-to-double) stroller right from the very beginning. We got a single jogging stroller for Calvin and it worked great. But now we will have a second baby before Calvin is ready to move on from the stroller, so we need to sell our single jogging stroller and buy a whole new one that will fit two babes in it. I so wish we had just started with this stroller, but such is life.

• SnuggleMe Organic Infant Lounger – when pregnant with Calvin I thought these were dumb and a waste. Then I had him and wished I owned one every single day. We bought an off-brand option when he was two and a half months old and though it worked fine, I never loved it. A friend of mine has the SnuggleMe and I was almost instantly in love with it and bought one for Della when they had a sale.

• Moses Basket – with Calvin, we had a swing, a bouncer chair, a Bumbo, and a Rock N’ Play (now recalled) but we almost always just laid him on a blanket on the floor because it was easier and we could put him anywhere. However, we didn’t have to protect him from a toddler. For that reason, I purchased a Moses basket from an Etsy seller in Ghana that would fit our SnuggleMe Organic lounger. I can lay and carry Della in this basket anywhere I need her to be, and she is protected from Calvin as he goes about his play. Della also takes all of her daytime naps in the Moses basket. This basket has seriously saved my bacon with two kids under two years old in a tiny apartment. And, if I ever have a spring or summer baby, this basket will be perfect for taking them outside with us to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

• Bed Risers – this one is an odd addition, I know. Rather than use a traditional bassinet or Moses basket for room-sharing in the first six months of baby’s life, we use our Pack N’ Play next to the bed with the insert that raised the whole mattress up to about ten inches below the top of the play pen. This then sits next to our bed. It worked great with Calvin, but our bed is on a tall frame, so he was a little lower than I was and I had to lift him up to get him on the bed. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, so the Pack N’ Play sits on bed risers this time around to bring Della right up to the height of the bed and save Momma’s back a little.

• Sakura Bloom Scout Carrier – I have an Onbuhimo carrier from Sakura Bloom that I absolutely love, especially for use with my toddler, but it isn’t appropriate to use until baby can sit up independently. For that reason, I decided to get a Scout carrier and it is beautiful perfection. I absolutely love this carrier. I’ve also carried Calvin in it a couple of times as well, which just goes to show how versatile and long-lasting this carrier is.

• Burts Bees Baby Bee Shampoo & Wash – I thought I was a Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo fan through and through until I discovered this stuff. I like the ingredients better and my baby comes out of the bath smelling like honey. I love it and intend to only use it forever and ever.

FOR THE MOMMA

• Larken X Nursing/Pumping Bra – I planned to breastfeed Della at least some of the time, and I fully expected to need to pump to support my supply, based on my previous experience. I also like to have milk in the freezer to be used in bottles when needed. Della is nursing exclusively to this point, but this bra is still awesome to nurse and sleep in. I completed most of my last breastfeeding/pumping journey without a pumping bra and it sucked. I fell in love with this one due to the design, the simplicity, and the dual nursing/pumping aspect.
• Nesting Olive Housedress – I didn’t know that I was missing out on these house dresses with Calvin until I got one on a whim during my second pregnancy. They are life changing for pregnancy, the after-birth hospital stay, and those first weeks of postpartum. Flattering, easy nursing access, fit the bump and the postpartum pooch. These dresses do it all. I want one in every color and print they have.

• Latched Mama Nursing Tops – Della eats every two hours during the day, so having easy access to nurse is important to my day running smoothly. My favorite tops are the Everyday Nursing Hoodie and the Relaxed Sweater Nursing Tunic and I wear each one a couple of times every week.

• Elvie Curve – this is a wearable, silicone suction, manual pump similar to the Haakaa. However, this style can be worn in your bra much more discreetly, with much less chance of baby kicking it free during breastfeeding. I loved my Haakaa, but there were too many times Calvin kicked at it and loosened the suction or that I found it annoying to have both breasts out and on display while nursing. I much prefer the Curve.

• Legendairy Lactation Supplements – you may have read about my breastfeeding journey with Calvin (and if you haven’t, you can find it HERE). Long story short, I had supply issues, so I gave my body a little extra production support right from the beginning. I chose to try the herbal lactation supplements from Legendairy Milk for the first two months and my supply has been great this time around.

I’m sure there are going to be things that I’ll do differently with future children down the road (because I’m certain that I haven’t perfected my parenting yet), but for now, this feels good. I love being intentional in the things I own and for all of my belongings to earn their space in my life (and in my house). All of these purchases are working hard to earn their space in my home and I am grateful for that.