Gear for Baby #2

I absolutely love baby gear.

I love sorting the clothes and figuring out how to organize all the stuff...I love hauling out all the newborn-stage gear and setting it up around the house...I love opening Amazon and Target packages as all of our last minute things have started to arrive.

The clothes are clean and the drawers are organized and full, the swings are out and waiting, the soaps/creams/lotions/balms/gas drops/hand sanitizer/tiny diapers are all scattered in convenient locations throughout the house. Basically the only thing we're waiting on here is the baby.

So I thought I'd share a few of the things I made sure to grab this time around based on recommendations from friends or things I've observed and LOVED other friends using over the past four years. I've been taking lotsssss of mental notes so when we finally got our news I was READY for the STUFF. Here's a link to what we bought and loved the last time around. I still firmly stand by EVERYTHING on this list, namely the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib which, I'm convinced, is the literal best pack'n'play in the history of all time. Absolutely worth the money because it's been used nonstop by Mav (and many baby-visitors) for the past four years and I've never once been frustrated by it. That's a pack'n'play win for sure.

Each item listed is a clickable link!

Sound Machine:
We used a white noise app on my iPad for a LONG time with Mav. And even after I bought a small Graco sound machine, I doubled-up on the sounds most of the time because our old house was so small. However, a few months ago I decided I was kind of 'over' sharing my iPad and I might as well order two matching sound machines (plus a battery-operated travel option!) for both boy rooms. This thing is SO GREAT. It's a super common model/brand and it gets LOUD, which I love. I grabbed it on an Amazon Deal of the Day.

Rocking Chair:
We had this chair in the gray version for Maverick and LOVED it. Again, a purchase that I would say was definitely worth the money, especially on the FIRST baby when the Target giftcards are a-flowing.  I probably did 80% of my nursing in this chair. For a long time I tried to figure out a way to NOT order a second one (we were still using the gray rocker for naps/bedtime for Mav in our new house)...but as I thought more about what having a newborn in this house would look like, I settled on the fact that baby will likely be in our room for MUCH longer than Maverick was (approx. 3 days?) because I'm not trekking across the creaky floors in this house 2, 3, 4, 5, times in the night to feed the newborn. So in October during a Target furniture sale I pulled the trigger and ordered one for Cooper's room, moved the gray rocker to our room, and moved the gray chair + ottoman to Mav's room so we still have a special spot to cuddle up and read books every night. I like these chairs because they look like a real piece of furniture I could move to any room of our house when they're done being used for babies/kids. *I couldn't find our exact chair on Target.com anymore...so I'm glad I ordered it when I did! The one I linked is super similar.*

Hakka: 
I have yet to use this handy thing (it didn't exist when Maverick was born!) but I've witnessed my best friend use it for two babies, and if it's as magic as she claims, I'll get away without having to use Satan's Breast Pump EVER this time around. She catches so much milk without having to do a THING or waste any extra time, and I'm all about that life. It was one of the first things I ordered!

Letterboard: 
This seems like a dumb one, but I love me a good letterboard. They are SO great for remembering big milestones (first day of school, last day of school, monthly baby photos!) so prepare to see a LOT of letterboarding happening on my Instagram this year. I prefer the felt boards to the plastic ones from Hobby Lobby or Target.

Roller/Bar Cart:
Like I said, being in a new place for our second newborn has given me a lot to strategize for (ie: sink baths in the farmhouse sink; a BASEMENT to utilize; a toddler sleeping one room away, etc.). I grabbed this cart at Target and the more I think about it, the more insanely useful I think it will be. First of all, it rolls...so I can roll it to our master bathroom for bath time, out to the kitchen for bathtime, to the bassinet for a quick diaper change, to the rocker in our bedroom in the night to feed baby...or all the way to the other side of the house to Cooper's room when he's more settled over there. Second of all, it's gray...so I can put it in any room of our house whenever I want from now until forever and it will continue to be useful, but also match.

Bassinet:
We skipped this the last time around, because we didn't have room in our bedroom, and honestly...Maverick in his crib in his room meant better sleep for everyone. So this was one of those things that I labeled as unnecessary gear and did without. But as I've previously mentioned, with a bigger house comes different newborn challenges...namely logistical middle-of-the-night challenges. I didn't want a tiny bassinet that would only last a month, but I also didn't want to just set up a big pack'n'play in the middle of our bedroom...I wanted something that made sense with the style of our bedroom...and if you know me, you know I don't like the 'look' of most baby stuff so this was a challenge. Because it's semi-temporary, I also wanted it to be semi-cheap. After much deliberation, this is what I finally settled on. If I have a hard time sleeping, it's a perfect size to throw in the bathroom for more distance/barrier between me and Cooper.

Baby Bath:
The tub we had for Mav was *fine* but it was big and made showering in my own shower kind of a pain...I always had to move it out before I could shower, it was annoying for guests to 'work around' and it was just MORE than necessary. It simply took up way too much square footage to store for years and years after Mav was done using it so it got donated. When I found out we were pregnant I picked up this bath seat/support as soon as I saw it in gray on the shelf at Target (can you believe it was almost impossible to find gray stuff five years ago?!). I'm planning to hang it on the wall down our back stairs for easy access for kitchen baths and when it's time for the big tub I can stick it to the tub wall.

Baby Gym:
Want to know what else has become popular in the past four years? Baby toys that aren't obnoxious colors! We liked the little baby play yard we had for Mav (see link to old blog post!), it was easy enough to fold up and hide if people were coming over or if I just didn't want to look at colorful plastic on my floor for a few days...but LOOK AT WHAT THEY MAKE NOW. I'm sort of planning that this adorably-neutral set-up will be upstairs in our living room and the BRIGHT LOUD COLORFUL one will be downstairs for evening movies or hanging out with Mav in the toy room.

Diaper bag/Backpack:
Literally everyone I know has this diaper bag, so when I saw it on sale I jumped on board. It's been proclaimed on my social media ads as the Best Diaper Bag Ever so I figured it was worth seeing what the hype was all about. There are so many compartments it's insane. I'm a purse-carrier by nature, so I never wanted a diaper-bag-looking diaper bag, and I still plan to use my leopard Coach bag for the first 6-ish months...but this one seemed appealing for the second-stage when there's more food and toys and bigger diapers to pack. Plus that's when we'll be on the go a bit more in the summer/fall and I prefer a backpack for those months anyway.

Vornadobaby Space Heater:
Maverick had a Vorndo space heater for about three years, but for some reason it didn't like our new house. It worked at our old house, we moved, plugged it in here, and it hasn't worked since. We never replaced it because he's been sleeping under real covers since we moved here (his room is actually the coldest in the house, so I've often thought we should grab one for him, but it's just one of those annoying things you don't WANT to spend $70 on) but finally last week I threw the the nursery version of his space heater in our Amazon cart. I like all the safety features on this brand of space heater, I just think we used the old one a LOT, so I'm interested to see how long this one lasts.

Diaper Cady:
I was suckered into this on a PrimeDayDeal. It was less than $10 and looked like something that would be good to keep behind the couch in the basement filled with diapers, wipes, burp cloths, etc. so we don't have to hike upstairs for a diaper when we need one. It's already loaded up and downstairs!

Double Stroller + Attachments:
This has not yet been ordered, but it's on my list. Last summer and fall, we were still frequently using a stroller for Mav, and I always like the OPTION of making him get in and sit if I need him to. He obviously doesn't need his own stroller seat, but I like the skateboard or bench seat options for him to be able to ride along...especially if it's for long walks or big trips to the zoo or the fair, etc. It's way easier to hand him snacks and drinks if he's sitting than expecting him to handle that if we're walking around...maybe this is because he's a first and only child, but who doesn't prefer their child be CONTAINED at the Farmer's Market?! We used our first stroller to death because I was determined we only needed ONE. But after four years and that much use, it's not folding quite right...it's dirtier than I can get clean...and I think right now the kitties use it to cuddle up and sleep on in the shed. So we have our eyes on an upgrade for the spring.

Humidifier:
As freaking annoying as it was to have to buy two of these this winter...they're a necessary part of life for an Iowan living through winter. I've had a cold in some version since Thanksgiving and Mav has been a lot snottier than usual too...throw in the fact that we needed one for baby's room, and that's actually three humidifier's. But because I know Cooper will be in our room, I held off on buying the third because...humidifier's are like the least fun thing to spend $150 on. I like this model because it's SILENT and holds a gallon of water, without using a filter we have to keep clean/replace (all different from the Vick's one we owned when Mav was a baby...it ended up getting super grimy, hard to clean, and filters needed to be purchased/replaced often). Mav loves that he can pick a different light color every night. You can also throw essential oils in if you're into that kind of thing.

Drawer Dividers:
I couldn't find the exact kinds we have online so I've linked really similar options. I bought a white set from IKEA and more recently a plastic Room Essentials set from Target and let me tell you. I already know it will be easier to keep paci's and Q-tips and gas drops and tiny baby socks and mittens more organized. I hate having that kind of stuff just floating around in big drawers, so this was a super cheap option to remedy that.

Stuff I'm borrowing this time around:
Dock-A-Tot (lots of hardwood floors in this house, seems like it might be useful but I didn't want to commit to the price tag)
Rock'n'Play (NOT for overnight sleep, just an option to have in case we have an unreasonably fussy baby this time, and they're like Black Market Contraband now so borrowing was my only option)
MamaRoo Swing (so we have a swing option upstairs and downstairs)

There it is! I know none of these things are 'needed' to bring a baby home, but they do make it easier. And in the dead of winter when we will be hibernating, I just wanted everything to be here and ready and waiting...and I think we're there! All that's left is deep cleaning the showers, appliances, sinks, and baseboards...making freezer meals...and planning our family newborn picture outfits!

MmB