What do I need for baby no.2?

[owmn]

Hi all,

I’m currently 22 weeks pregnant with my second and I don’t know if it’s the tiredness or I’ve just forgotten in the 4 years since my last pregnancy, but I suddenly feel like I have no idea what we need and I’m going to be without some absolute must haves.

Basically I have The Fear, and feel incredibly unorganised.

Is there anything bar the really obvious (we have steriliser, pram, car seat etc) that I might be forgetting, or anything that you found particularly useful with it being your second?

I’m here coz feeling the same! Pram has sat in the garage to last 9 years and is not in good condition so will need to buy a new one!

Thinking to get a Nexttome crib or similar…really found the stretching to pick baby up hard last time

Next2me was a godsend with my DC1, I definitely will use for DC2!

My 2yo still uses the pushchair a fair amount, might look at getting a ride on buggy board for the back of it so toddler can use that and baby in the bassinet/pushchair.

Need a Sling/wrap/carrier - borrowed the one for DC1 and returned it to friend already.

I need to sort an infant car seat. The one I used for DC1 is not in useable condition.

Love2Dream swaddle sleeping bags.

I'm 29w now and definitely have The Fear too!

I recently had my second and the sling has been a life saver. Hardly used it with my first but with your second you need free hands and to be able to move around while looking after the baby, I don't know how anyone does it without a sling. A buggy (boogie?) board as well for the older child. Otherwise it's just the same stuff as for the first. Good luck!

I’m pregnant with #2 and first is only a year and a half so it’s all still fresh in my mind. I think we bought way too much stuff last time. The essentials I needed day to day and the things I’m going for again this time (most I still have) are:

• ewan the dream sheep (the more expensive one that listens out for them for up to 4 hours and will put white noise on if they wake so they sometimes don’t even wake you)
• we had a little alarm to clip on his nappy to monitor breathing during the early paranoid days, I’d use it again though. It was called Snuza hero
• swaddles for the first couple of weeks then love to dream bags with the arms up. Have seen the Velcro swaddles now that if they work I think il go for them, the faff of him wriggling out it all the time was awful but I do really think it helped him sleep well
• mam bottles again
• zip up sleepsuits, I had some of each last time but always preferred the zip ones and used them on repeat
• next to me , we have the snuz pod
• nappies, we used pampers then aldi premium but they only go to size 3 (or 4?) then back to pampers now he goes through less

I think the other stuff is non essential really! As long as they have clothes to wear and really newborns only need jammies (should not have gone overboard buying all the proper outfits so small)! We had the little bucket bath that we used for a while then switched to the angel care bath seat in the big bath but think we could have done that from the start really. My little coco products I absolutely love and have never used anything else for baths. Got lorry loads of highly perfumed bubble bath etc as gifts 🙈

New mattress if you're using the same crib/cot as previous child.

I also recommend the next2me :)

Presents from the baby for the big sibling. Favourite snacks, a new toy, bedtime reading book for two.
A thermal mug.

We got a new cot bed and mattress because my eldest was still in hers.

Buggy board, but I guess you won't need one given your age gap.

Rain cover for the pram cos ours was all ripped and leaky hah.

New bottles and teats. The bottles we'd used weren't widely available anymore to buy teats easily for them so we got rid and bought a different brand that was easier to find in local shops for replacement teats etc. Same with dummies.

Two sleepytot teddies, picked a different one from eldest's as she still sleeps with hers.

Some new clothes, we kept everything that wasn't stained from eldest but eldest was a summer baby and second baby was autumn, so we needed quite a bit tbh. Mostly layers, sleepsuits and sleeping bags, and scratch mitts.

Formula. Wearable breast pump, didnt have one with first, it was useful with second, did quite a bit more successful pumping and found it more comfortable to use.

A present for my eldest for becoming a big sister. We got her a book called 'Youre the Biggest' and a little toy till as she was interested in tills, money and playing shops at the time, as well as a baby doll baby carrier as she was also into baby dolls. Thought she'd like to use it whilst me or DH had baby in the sling or carrier, and she did.

Dribble bibs, second child was (and still is, at 15 months) a much droolier child than my eldest was!

Baby hair brush. Baby bath. Baby shampoo. Baby oil. Nappies. Changing mat. We got a new changing table for downstairs too as we were using our original one for storage still in eldest's bedroom. New one came with storage boxes for inside the drawers under it too which is all handy.