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Preparing for baby #2 is completely different from preparing for baby #1.
I am racking my brain for what we will need for this baby. I’m almost completely stumped. I’ve given it thought and realized this time around it is not so much about buying stuff for the baby, but rather preparing our household in general for this new arrival.
Let’s jump into what I plan to do to prepare for baby #2!
Items to Purchase for Baby #2
I am thinking and thinking and so far this is all I have come up with! This seems like a crazy small list, but I held on to items from our first baby. I also need to note that both of our babies have been surprise genders. We did get a decent amount of gender-neutral items the first time around.
-baby book
-new pacifiers
-coming home outfits for both genders
-basic gender neutral clothing-sleepers with footie
-newborn diapers
-hangers for clothing
-second camera to work with our baby monitor (Vava Monitor)
I have already purchased a blank journal to track what is happening during my pregnancy. I need to get a baby book and start filling that out too.
I believe I may have a few pacifiers that are still in the packaging unused, but if not I will buy new pacifiers for this baby. With my first child, we made it over 2 years on 3 pacifiers. I am a believer that if you have less you keep better track of them.
With our first child, we went to the hospital with a newborn outfit for both a boy and a girl. We returned the unused outfit later. We plan to do that again. This is one outfit we saved and plan to keep in a memory box.
After going through my stored baby clothes I have come to find that we only have 2 gender-neutral sleepers. I am definitely going to pick up some more before this baby comes.
I am having a baby during garage selling season. I want to be able to get through the first couple of weeks, but if needed I will go garage selling with the baby to stock up on clothing second-hand.
If we have another girl I won’t need to purchase much.
To some moms this might be overwhelming. If I had my toddler at home I would not choose to do this. Our toddler is going to stay in daycare while I am on maternity leave to keep up with her schedule and allow me time to heal and bond with the new baby.
If I were a mom with multiple kids at home and a new baby on the way I would be as prepared as possible.
If I were having a baby during the cold months of the year I would not want to leave the house.
Everyone has a unique situation.
And the final item I can immediately put on my list is newborn diapers! We aren’t going to get too far without them. I hope to dabble in cloth diapering with this baby. I didn’t give it much of a go with my first. However, the cloth diapers I have are too big for the newborn stage. We will need disposable diapers for newborn and size one for sure!
Can you believe that is it!?! That’s a darn short list.
Ok, let’s now jump into other ways I am preparing for baby #2.
Preparing Old Baby Gear
I need to go through my old baby clothing and gear to review what I have in general. Some things need to be washed out and cleaned again. Here are a couple of quick tasks that need to be done.
-inventory of old clothing
-double-check car seat for expiration date (hopefully it makes it through the first year)
-deep clean stroller (Graco Fast action Fold Jogger)
-install car seat bases (around 36 weeks)
Preparation for Momma
So far I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary. I eat and drink as a pregnant woman should. I am careful of any medications I take. Prenatal vitamins, as well as an iron supplements, are part of my daily routine.
Things I need to start more regularly including into my daily or at least weekly routines are taking walking, stretching, and doing squats.
I want to reread a few books about natural labor and positive birth stories. I attempted natural with my first birth and would like to do so again. You can click to read about My Birth Plan Didn’t Go as Expected: What I Wish I Had Known.
Once I get so far along I need to start preparing myself mentally for labor.
If I get close to my due date without any action from the baby I will start taking gentle steps to encourage labor. My first baby came 10 days late.
Preparing our Toddler
Because we are preparing for baby #2 we have a completely different part of the equation with this birth. We have a toddler to prepare. She is currently 2 years old and will be nearly 2.5 when the new baby arrives.
We have already started preparing her in simple ways. We have a couple of “big sister” books we read. We talk about the baby and play with dolls all the time.
Once the baby starts moving and kicking I plan to let her touch my belly whenever she wants. Hopefully it doesn’t freak her out!
The final decision we have to make is if we are going to move her out of the crib or borrow a second crib. We are leaning towards making the move about 3 months before the baby’s arrival. We want her to have time to settle into the new bedtime routine of sleeping in a big girl bed.
We are going to keep thinking of ways to help our toddler understand a baby is coming. Once we start getting the baby’s room ready we will spend a little time in there. Maybe we will show her the little clothes and the tiny diapers and explain they are for the baby.
Preparing for Delivery
Preparing for delivery is an intense time. This is when you need to have all your ducks in a row and be as prepared as possible.
This means having the hospital bag packed. I am so excited to work on this!
This means momma being in the best shape possible at such a large size. This means eating healthy and getting my mind ready for labor.
When we go to the hospital we do not have a perfect plan for our daughter. We have some family available, but it just depends on the day exactly who will be available. It also depends on how quickly we need to go to the hospital.
Basically, we need to have a bag packed for our toddler in case she ends up at my sister’s house. There is also a chance her grandparents will make it in town and be able to keep her at home. Either way, a bag will be packed just in case.
The other major area of preparation for our toddler involves her food. She has dairy and egg allergies. I will have food properly labeled and prepared for my sister to take or her grandparents to feed her.
The idea is to make it as easy as possible for whoever ends up caring for our toddler.
I also plan to create lists of what her day typically looks like as well as her nighttime routine. Again I want to make it as easy as possible on the caretakers.
My final thing to prepare for labor is my postpartum supplies. You don’t want to go into labor without having what you need at home. Make a run to the store at some point near the end of your pregnancy.
I recommend getting a variety of pads, liners, and disposable underwear in various shapes and sizes. Keep the receipt. Once you get home you can determine what you will need. Any packages that are left unopened can be returned.
Preparing Your House
With my first pregnancy, I put a lot of effort into getting my home ready for the baby. I think this time around it is even more important.
See the first time around we had two adults and only one tiny newborn to care for. This time around we will have a toddler that is adjusting to a huge change in her life. I expect her to be very needy for attention.
This may make tasks like cooking difficult.
I want to prepare my home and specifically my kitchen to make life as easy as possible.
I want to put my focus on my toddler adjusting well, rather than focusing on cooking.
Meal preparation will be huge. I will do some massive grocery shops near the end of my pregnancy. I will make out some meal plans and fill my freezer with easy meals.
I also see the benefit in having snacks on hand. As a breastfeeding momma, you need to eat when your body is hungry. Make snacks like trail mix and muffins that are easy and quick to eat.
I need to spend time deep cleaning my home. In the last few weeks, I would like to make a sweep around the whole house. Hit every room and clean from top to bottom.
I also want to look around for random tasks that need to get done before baby. This could be repairing a squeaky door and something like that. Yes, it can wait until after the baby arrives, but why not get it done before?
The final part of our house that needs to be prepared is the baby’s room. We haven’t started on that yet. In doing so we will be ready for the baby and hopefully help our toddler understand what is happening.
Conclusion
Hopefully, these lists give you inspiration for what you can do to prepare for baby #2. If you need even more advice check out How to Make the Most of Your Third Trimester to get Prepared for Baby.
I believe I am a simple momma and can be quite minimal. I do like to get tasks done though and be prepared where I can. We are so very excited for baby #2 to join our family. Hopefully, the transition goes well!
Check Out My Articles
Smart Purchases for New Parents: My Top 11 Favorite Baby Products
Be Prepared for Labor: My Top 10 Must-Have Lists
20 Practical and Useful Mom Hacks to Use Today
How to Make the Most of Your Third Trimester to Get Prepared for Baby
Don’t Forget a Thing: 5 Tips for Packing the Perfect Hospital Bag
