Another great benefit of being pregnant with No. 2 is that you pretty much have all the STUFF that goes with having a baby already. Early on, I went through our affectionately named “baby #@$* closet” to take inventory, and started throwing some things on an Amazon registry just to keep track.
Luckily, we don’t have to buy any of the BIG stuff this time. We have a carseat. We will have a crib once we serve No. 1 his eviction notice over Thanksgiving weekend, we have baby containment devices of all shapes and sizes. (Disclaimer: our kids are only two years apart, so our infant carseat hasn’t expired, but always check the dates first!)
But I was surprised at how much we DO need. Babies consume and destroy a lot of stuff. Basically, what we need has fallen into one of two categories: things we really need because they were used up/destroyed; and things we need because I hated what we had the first time around.
Things That Were Used or Destroyed
- Changing pad covers. Too many mysterious stains on them. Went in the trash.
- Crib sheets. Again with the stains after two years of being drooled, snotted, and occasionally puked or pooped on.
- Infant medications (check the expiration dates). I’ll be stocking up on infant Tylenol, gas drops, diaper rash cream and Vitamin D drops soon.
- Breastfeeding supplies. Since I’m having a February baby, and our HSA re-sets in January, I’ll be using that to purchase lanolin, spare pump parts, nursing pads and gel soothies.
- Bottle nipples and pacifiers. Because they look sort of funky after two years in a drawer.
Things That We are Upgrading
- Diaper pail. I didn’t love what we had last time and ended up purchasing an Ubbi this time.
- Burp cloths. For about a week or so, my weird nesting urge turned itself toward researching The Best Burp Cloths around because I hated the cheap Gerber pre-fold diapers everyone else swore by last time.
- Double stroller. Eventually. I haven’t decided on what we’ll want or need, or if we even WILL need one because my first kid hates the stroller, so I figure I’ll buy this once he’s here.
- Diaper bag. Kind of falls in both categories, but after a few years of use, my first one is worn out and I want something different.
So… what am I missing?
If you’re getting a double stroller, do yourself a favor and spring for a Bob. You won’t regret it!
You will need a few new blankets, loveys, toys, etc. No. 1 will remember the most random things and identify them as “mine,” not to be shared. Some things are not so hard to convince him “used to be” his and others it’s easier to say “This is No. 2’s.” I got two new diaper bags…one to replace my worn out pump bag. Try ALL the features of a double stroller before committing.