When I was pregnant with my first child, building my registry was a daunting and painstaking process. I researched everything to death, trying to curate the perfect list of items that would ease the transition into parenting.
With a second baby on the way, I’m glad we already have most of what we need. But now that I have some experience under my belt, there are a few items that I’d like to get for baby #2. Some are things I thought about getting for my first baby but didn’t (and now wish I had), while others are new (or new-to-me) items that I’ve only recently heard about.
Either way, this list is all about essentials and gear that I’m hoping will make life a little easier or give us a little more sleep. I know adding another child to the mix is going to be crazy and unpredictable, so I’m going to need as much help as I can get!
1. Halo bassinet
For my first baby I didn’t think much about my bassinet choice since you only use it a short amount of time. (I didn’t realize that in that short amount of time, every minute of sleep counts.) The bassinet I got was too low and I had to get out of bed every time to pick up my son. For this baby, I’m borrowing a Halo bassinet and am looking forward to being able to swivel it next to me and reach over without having to leave my bed.
2. DockATot
My son was admittedly held most of the time in the early months, but now that I’ll have a toddler to wrangle too, I think the DockATot will come in handy when I need to set the baby down (especially now that the Rock ‘n Play has been recalled).
3. Double stroller
We walk a lot around our neighborhood on bumpy city streets, so a good double stroller has to go on this list. We love our BOB jogging stroller, but I’m eyeing the Baby Jogger City Tour 2 because it’s so compact and light (two things the BOB stroller is not).
4. Lightweight baby carrier
This compact carrier weighs only 8 ounces and can fold up to be the size of a child’s water bottle. I’m all about saving space, especially now that I’ll be packing a diaper bag for two kids, so I think this will be a good buy.
5. Haakaa breast pump
When I was figuring out breastfeeding, I hated how much one breast would leak while my son was nursing on the other breast. It was messy and a waste of milk! This super cool Haakaa pump can catch that milk and does all the work for you.
6. Hatch Baby Rest Nightlight
This may seem like a superfluous gadget, but I love the versatility and convenience of the Hatch Baby Rest nightlight. It has numerous settings you can control from your phone, and also serves as a sound machine and time-to-rise light for toddlers.
7. Sleepea 5-Second Swaddle
The Sleepea 5-Second Swaddle comes from Dr. Harvey Carp/Happiest Baby, and from the video it does seem super easy to use. I also like that you have the option to leave baby’s arms out as they get older. We used SwaddleMe swaddles for our son and they were fine, but these look to be an upgrade.
8. Keekaroo Peanut Diaper Changer
I loved picking out cute changing pad covers to go with my son’s woodland nursery theme, but I didn’t love having one more thing to wash, and having to protect the cover with a pad or blanket when changing him. With the Keekaroo changer you just wipe it clean, no washing machine needed.
9. Itzy Ritzy Milk Boss Feeding Support Pillow
I tried every breastfeeding pillow out there and still struggled at times to feel comfortable. So of course I want to try this Itzy Ritzy Milk Boss pillow too. I like the simplicity and compact size (most breastfeeding pillows are monstrous), and it’s travel-friendly.
10. OXO Tot Perfect Pull Wipes Dispenser
Wipes don’t grow on trees, yet I waste so many of them because our wipe dispenser gives me three when I try to pull out just one. So the Oxo Tot Perfect Pull Wipes Dispenser should actually be a money saver in the end.
11. Swing
I vetoed this item for my first baby because I thought it was an eyesore that took up too much room. Well, after borrowing one from a friend in a desperate moment, I realized that eyesore was the only thing my son would nap in for a phase. I’m going to borrow one again, and hopefully this new baby will also be a fan.
12. Portable white noise machine
We are obsessed with my son’s white noise machine and take it everywhere we travel. I forgot to bring it to my parents’ house and made them download a white noise app on their iPad to play for my son all night. (I know, I’m crazy). This portable machine will be more convenient for travel and help us avoid “emergencies” like that in the future.
13. Bandana bibs
I wasn’t prepared for how much and how long my son would spit up, so he wore bibs every day for many months, and they weren’t always the cutest. This time around I’m going to have more stylish bandana bibs on hand. (Hey, just because you’re spitting up constantly, doesn’t mean you can’t look cute).
What’s on your wish list for baby #2?
Gretchen,
Someone has possibly already mentioned this and if so, please disregard. 😊 But I saw you had on your list the Haakaa handheld breast pump for catching the letdown of one breast while baby is nursing on the other breast. It caught my eye so I looked at it as well. According to the instructions though, the angle at which the pump is to be held looks like it’s going to require you to actually hold it with your hand while it’s in use. If not, I would imagine the milk might not collect properly and could end up down the front of you. Leaving you with a huge mess. 😩
Have you considered using a Milkie instead? It can easily be slipped into your nursing cami or bra to catch the letdown and is hands free. I used one with my last pregnancy and was shocked 1.) by how much milk it was collecting/I had been wasting prior to using it and 2.) the ease of use & cleaning the product.
I’m now pregnant with baby #4 and absolutely plan to use a Milkie once again. Best of luck with baby #2!!
Thanks so much, that is really good to know! I haven’t bought the Haakaa so I’m definitely going to look into the Milkie instead, hands-free would definitely be a plus!