Must Have Baby Registry Items for your 2nd (or 3rd) Baby and Why you should still Register

It was 4th of July. I had finally gotten into the groove of working out again (after being diagnosed with a heart defect a year and a half before and being pregnant and then working through his extremely hard newborn days). C was 9 months old, and I was doing Baby Boot Camp. I remember being SO excited when we did sprints, and I actually was able to push myself like I hadn’t in years. I took a nap later that afternoon and my husband, concerned (since I never take naps) told me he thought I should take a pregnancy test.  I insisted it was just because I was actually pushing myself working out, but I obliged and took the test. Needless to say, when I saw the faint pink line, I was shocked (and excited), but mainly shocked! To be honest, my mind immediately thought, “Maybe this time it will be a girl.” Fast forward a couple of months later, we are sitting in my high risk doctor’s office at not quite 13 weeks gestation. Dr. Adam in her thick accent barks, “You want to know what it is?”

“You can tell?!!”

“Oh, yes, 100%. It’s a boy.”

Another baby boy. A sweet baby brother, who is our amazing little D. I love him something fierce; he is incredibly smart and makes us laugh every single day. God knew what He was doing when He gave him to us. Today, when I went to pick him up from childcare at Bible study, he said, “Mama I want to tell you something. I love you.” He just turned 2, and his words literally made me tear up. And he and his big brother are absolutely best friends.

All that to say, if you are finding yourself in similar shoes- expecting your second (or 3rd) bundle of joy (especially of the same sex), what do you truly need? I feel like our first tendency is to say, “NOTHING! We have too much baby stuff already.” But after being there a couple of times, here is a list of practical things you can give to generous family and friends who may be asking. Whether or not you have a second shower, “sprinkle”, sip in see, luncheon or nothing official, I recommend registering because you get those registry completion coupons and every baby deserves to be celebrated!

**there are affiliate links where appropriate at no additional cost to you***

Essential items that you continually have to restock:

• wipes

• Diapers

• Diaper Rash Cream (my favorite for hard to get rid of diaper rashes is Dr. Smiths. I also like A&D ointment for more consistent use)

• Aquaphor/any lotions you use

• Your favorite Baby Shampoo (one of these days I’m going to finally jump on the Beauty Counter or Young Living train and get safer products for babies…the think dirty ap is always scary!)

• Baby toiletries (like his or her own brush, nail clippers, thermometer)

• Tube of vaseline if he’s a boy (it depends on what type of circumcision they do. With C and D it was a traditional kind and I had to cover the end with vaseline each diaper change. With E it was the other kind where you just leave it alone. Pro Mom Tip: For either sex, vaseline is also GREAT for those first extremely sticky bowel movements that are like tar! Simply cover the baby’s bottom in vaseline as soon as you put a diaper on him. When he goes to the bathroom, it will be SO much easier to wipe the meconium off. Or alternatively, bring small washcloths and wet them with some warm water. They work much better than wipes for those first diaper changes.

• Hand/face wipes (my pediatrician said these are better than hand sanitizer for little ones)

• Boogie Wipes (these are not a necessity but they do help with those hard to clean boogies)
• Diaper genie refills

• Arm and Hammer diaper bag refills (I didn’t know about these with my first, and although not a necessity, I love them for when we have a stinky diaper out and about- yes plastic trash bags from the grocery store will do, and we use those at home, but these are awesome for masking the smell in public)

• Nose Frida (we didn’t want to share this)

• Saline Drops (E was SOO stuffy from the beginning and these were super helpful)- I recommend just using the drops (not the nose frida) when they are super tiny
• Baby medicine you like to have on hand (Infant tylenol, Benadryl, etc)

• Gerber soothe probiotic drops (helpful for fussy babies- read all my best tips here)
• Essential Oils for Babies (if you are an oily family)

Things that may have become dingy with a lot of use:

• New blankets/swaddles (read my entire review here– there are just about a million to choose from!)
• Washcloths

• Hooded towels (the kind that are actually more towel like in material. Those super thin ones hardly absorb anything!)

• sheets (if you’re like me and have 3 cribs because your kids are so close in age!)

• mattress pad cover

• socks (our 2nd one lost all of ours some how! the way he “crawled” one would always disappear)

• New bottles/nipples (my advice is try what you have on hand first/don’t buy a ton of one bottle until you know your baby will actually take the one you have)

• New pacifiers (but don’t assume just because your first loved a certain brand your second will, too. Sadly D and E never took a pacifier despite my many efforts and buying multiple types)

• New breastfeeding essentials for Mom (tanks, bras, pump part replacements, storage bags, nursing pads, etc)

Things for your older kiddo:

• Okay to wake alarm clock- especially if you are moving your second kiddo to a big boy bed (which we are still holding off on….lol. I’m holding on to those naps where they are contained for as long as I can)

• Backpack for them to carry their own stuff into church/school so you don’t have to worry about separating things out of the diaper bag (backpack for big sib, diaper bag for baby). This one also has a harness strap which can be especially helpful for those of you who have “runners”.
• Convertible carseat

• new infant carseat if yours is expired

Things for baby’s room

• decor items that go with your theme
• personalized name items (like a pretty sign or letters to hang)

• laundry basket

• black out curtains- or use this handy tip I discovered by accident when we moved and didn’t have blinds on any of our windows: buy the temporary black paper shades (Original Blackout Pleated Paper Shade Black, 36” x 72”, 6-Pack). I am currently sticking them up at nap time for our oldest because his room has an arched window (the blinds don’t cover the top part) and the curtains don’t block out the light completely, even with an extra layer of black out material sewn on the back. Seriously, this has been the best accidental discovery and has kept our 3.5 year old napping.
• rug
• a second crib (if you have all of yours extremely close together like we did)- you can read about E’s nursery here Also, people have varying opinions on keeping your kiddo in the crib longer or transitioning before baby comes. I waited to see if C would climb out of his crib. So D didn’t have a crib until he was 4 months old or so. C was still happily sleeping (and most importantly napping) in his crib, so we bought a used one from a friend. Best decision ever! If your kid is a climber, it may be better to transition sooner (like several weeks before baby comes) so there aren’t too many changes at once for your oldest.
• second mattress (again, only if your oldest is still in the crib)

Things you really wanted the first time around, but held off on (maybe a splurge or two for you)

• That really pretty diaper bag you wanted or a more practical diaper bag one that can fit all of your items for 2 (or more)- we love this bag (Bag Nation Diaper Bag Backpack with Stroller Straps, Changing Pad and Sundry Bag – Grey )my sister told us about and they have excellent customer service and who doesn’t love the practicality of a wipe bag exposed on the side, tons of pockets and straps to be able to attach it to your stroller?!

• A new baby carrier (we got the Solly Baby Wrap and Lillebaby for our 3rd)- watch my comparison video tutorials here

• new nursing cover (I didn’t love my first one)

Any “new” items they came out with that are helpful. I had 3 babies in 3 years, and there were still new items that came out during that time:

• Auto Rock and Play. For C, ours just vibrated. Then less than 2 years later, they came out with one that could rock on its own!

• Boppy Newborn lounger- I didn’t know about this with my first!

• Dockatot

Things you may need 2 of:

• mirror for rear facing car seat, again if your oldest is still rear facing, like ours was

• second video monitor

• sound machine
• box fan

• second changing pad (if you have 2 (or 3 like me) in diapers)

• wipeable changing pad cover- WHY didn’t they make these with our first?! He peed every time I changed his diaper for the first couple of weeks and I kept having to change out the liner that laid on top of the cover. These wipeable ones are amazing. Seriously, one of my favorite baby items, hands down because they have lessened the amount of laundry I have to do.

• Humidifier (for when your kiddos get sick at the same time)
• second diaper genie (if you use these)

Things for baby

• some clothes items, if the seasons don’t match up. Since our boys are 17 months a part and then 21 months a part, their seasons were exactly opposite one another. It doesn’t matter that much for the toddler sizes, but for the baby sizes it did matter for us (all the short sleeve onesies/one piece outfits vs long sleeve onesies/pants were 6-9 months off in size. Also, your babies may be different sizes)

• Month stickers/bowties/headbands/stuffed animal/blanket

• frame for displaying monthly pictures
• Personalized stats for door or name displayed

• lovey (if you like to use these, and while you’re at it…buy a back up (or 2!) We lost C’s once and it was the worst thing ever)
• Gift cards

Double Stroller (depending on your kiddos’ age gaps and where you live)!

For us, a Double BOB was the way to go. I love that it is side to side for a few reasons. We got ours used off Craigslist:

1. No fighting over who sits where
2. They can sit by each other/talk to each other when they get bigger
3. It is SO much easier to steer than a tandem. Seriously: no comparison
4. It can be used for walks or runs.
5. Great for around the neighborhood and also big outings like the zoo.
6. The sun shade coverage is on point.
7. And it can actually work as a “triple” stroller of sorts if your oldest kiddo sits on the “special seat” as we call it, aka the triangle up front.

Get the adapter if you want to use it with your carseat (or try to find it used)

 

 

 

 

 

We did need a tandem once I started having to go to tons of doctor’s apt that lasted a while (weekly ultrasounds for E and non stress tests) and I wanted a way to strap both the boys in so I got a cheap baby trend sit and stand/double. It has functioned okay, but it is a bus to steer. (I also got this used)- you can rig it as a triple! : Double Strollers that can be Rigged as Triple Strollers: More bang for your buck!

I have SO many friends who have the city select, and I think it’s the way to go: it can be a single stroller or double and also can have a riding board attached. It is also rearrangeable.

Things for organization around your home, as having a new baby usually means rearranging some things (Hey, why not make use of that Target registry coupon!)

• storage for outdoor toys- we just bought the deck box, above from target and LOVE it for throwing all of the boys’ balls, small outdoor toy items in that stay in the backyard, especially now that we don’t have a covered patio.

• storage for shoes

• toyroom organization

Remember, this list is just some suggestions. I recommend registering at places where they give completion coupons because it is stuff you need/regularly buy anyway, so why not get a coupon to save some money?

If you end up buying nothing the second (or third time) around, really all babies “need” is a place to sleep, some diapers/wipes, a few changes of clothes, somewhere to be bathed….and lots and lots of love. So try not to stress out about having all.the.things before he or she gets here.

And remember, to give yourself grace. Surround yourself with great friends: have people who speak truth and encouragement into your life. If you’d like to check out some of my favorite podcasts- go here

Or some of my favorite books for new/expectant moms, here

Congratulations on baby #2 (or 3 or 4)….siblings are the best! Lifelong friends (and don’t worry, your love will multiply)!

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