Second Baby Must Haves to Buy
Getting the opportunity to raise another newborn is very exciting. The good news is that you don’t have to go shopping for some things because you can reuse your firstborn’s stuff. However, it is not everything that will be handed down. There are certain second baby must haves that you must buy. As a mother of two boys, I gathered a list of baby products I thought I didn’t need but the truth is, I should have bought them for my second baby. Here are 20 second baby must haves I regret not buying:
The cushy closer
This is a cushion that fits around a doorknob and the latch so as to cushion the sound of the door closing. So when your firstborn slams the door, you don’t have to worry about him waking the baby.
A baby video monitor
In case you didn’t get a baby monitor for your first child, you’re going to need one for the second especially one that supports video. A traditional, high-quality video monitor actually helped me when I started to sleep train my second child. A good friend of mine gave me this monitor and I tried it.
We had a difficult time trying to sleep train our first son, and when we started to sleep train our second son this video monitor was really handy. I just couldn’t hear my baby crying when I put him in bed, so I was watching him on the video monitor. I even talked to him through the microphone to calm him down.
He was just 16 months old when he first started to try climbing out of his crib. So I also used this monitor to watch him fall asleep without sitting next to his bed. This way I knew he was safe and he learned how to fall asleep on his own. Here are a few screenshots of my baby with the monitor’s night vision.
Check out this baby monitor.
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Fresh burp cloths
Your old burp cloths will probably have yellow stains which loom pretty nasty. You cannot use these on your second born. Just add new burp cloths to your second baby must haves list.
An easy on and off baby carrier
You’ll need a baby carrier that is easy to put on and off in cases where both your children need your attention at the same time. An easy-to-use and comfortable baby carrier is actually a lifesaver!
Before I bought this Infantino Flip baby carrier (which I think is the best!) I used to have a cheaper baby carrier that was made of pieces of stretchy fabric (known as the baby wrap carrier).
While I was trying to tie this carrier and place my baby comfortably on me, he started crying, and eventually, we would both get tired. It was really overwhelming and just took too long to tie.
From time to time, the wrap was always getting loose and had to be strengthened. At the age of 4 months, my baby weighed around 18 pounds and this carrier just didn’t work for us.
The first time I tried the Infantino carrier (with my second boy) I realized that I made a huge mistake not buying it earlier! All this time I struggled with this baby wrap carrier instead of using an easy-to-use carrier with straps! This is definitely one of the second baby must haves I regret not buying (earlier) the most!
Double capacity stroller
When you have two kids that are close together, an infant and a toddler, a double stroller can be a lifesaver.
This is exactly what happened to me – 2.4 years age gap between my children. But instead of buying a double stroller or a single stroller that can be connected to the stroller that I already had, I made the foolish mistake of buying a universal stroller ride board. After two days of use, this ride board turned out to be a waste of money when my son declared that he was not willing to go up on this board anymore.
The funniest thing about it is that we could have bought a simple stroller at the same price as this board.
So, in case your firstborn still uses a stroller and you are expecting another baby, you can add a double stroller for your second baby shopping list or consider buying another single stroller. With two little kids, it is a must!
Check out Baby Jogger double stroller – that is very popular and super comfortable! This twin stroller features a plush padded seat that reclines to a near flat position which is perfect for infants.
If you want to buy another single stroller, you should know that the best option is to use stroller connectors that can connect two single strollers together, such as these connectors that fit most strollers.
Baby Bum Brush
It may sound weird but actually, it is so awesome! With the baby bum brush, you can apply a baby rush cream between the cheeks of the buttocks and around the anus of your baby without touching it!
Baby Nasal Aspirator
Is your baby having a hard time breathing due to a stuffy nose? A baby nasal aspirator is the best way to help your baby clear his nose. But before you buy any nose suction, you better check NoseFarida.
Why? Because it has disposable filters that protect you from getting ill! The disposable filters are clinically proven to prevent the transfer of mucus or bacterial germs to the snot sucker when clearing stuffy noses.
In my case, I used regular nose suction without filters. Although it helped me clear my baby’s stuffy nose, it made me feel a bit sick. So before you buy any nose suction, you better check if it has filters.
A car seat that grows with your child
There are so many different car seats and boosters, which makes it difficult for new parents to choose the best option for their needs.
Did you know that there are car seats that fit infants and toddlers?
There are car seats that actually grow with your child from rear-facing harness to forward-facing harness. One of them is the Graco Extend2Fit Convertible car seat that is also the #1 best seller on Amazon!
The Graco Extend2Fit is a convertible car seat that grows with your child from rear-facing harness (4-50 lbs) to forward-facing harness (22-65 lbs). In other words, it’s good for babies from 4 pounds to 65 pounds.
It features a 4-position extension panel that provides up to 5” of extra rear-facing legroom, allowing your child to safely ride rear-facing longer. Children are safer riding rear-facing and should ride rear-facing as long as possible, until they reach the maximum rear-facing height or weight rating for their car seat. With Extend2Fit, the adjustable extension panel and 50 lbs rear-facing weight limit allow the seat to grow with your child in rear-facing mode, providing extended rear-facing use. Then, when your baby grows, you can flip the seat and adjust it to forward facing.
This feature will save you money. Instead of buying two car seats, one for an infant and another one for a toddler, you can use the same car seat for at least 3 to 4 more years (until your baby reaches the seat’s height and weight limits).
If I knew that, I would have bought this car seat for my babies. So, this car seat is another second baby must have I regret not buying!
Baby Crawling Anti-Slip Knee
These baby knee pads can protect your baby’s knees from bruises and scrapes when they are crawling and learning to walk. I wish I knew it then!
Table Corner Protector
Another second baby must-have I regret not buying is a table corner protector!
When you have two little boys, you just can’t be relaxed. Boys play rough and it is normal for boys to be always hitting and kicking each other. It took only a few seconds for my younger son to hit his eyebrow against the table corner!
This is when I knew I should have bought this corner protector!
You should protect your baby from being hurt by the corners of the coffee table, especially if you have two little boys.
Baby Crib Rail Cover Protector
This was a great purchase. My son was chewing nonstop. One day I noticed something white on his mouth. To my surprise, he had chewed the paint off the crib. I purchased this and he didn’t even bother with it. I only wish we found this earlier!
Car Seat Protector
I think about the day we will want to trade or sell our car. The back of the car, where the kids’ car seats are located, is a total mess. Dirt and spills, dried chewing gums, I don’t think I can even remove them. When I saw this car seat protector, I definitely regretted not buying it earlier!
Crib sheets
You always need to have a clean set of sheets ready to go. I should have bought a couple more.
Baby Swaddle Suit
Both of my sons loved having an extra comforting layer on them. Sometimes I used to swaddle them with a blanket and it helped them sleep better and longer. However, when you swaddle a baby with a blanket, you have to be careful about having an extra blanket in the crib with your baby.
When my second son was a baby, I found these swaddling suits that make this whole swaddling process much easier and safer. It would have been nice to have it earlier.
- HOW TO SWADDLE YOUR NEWBORN BABY
- HOW TO TREAT AND PREVENT INFANT GAS AND COLIC
- WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WHEN YOUR BABY WON’T STOP CRYING
A Portable Manual Breast Pump
No matter if you breastfeed or formula-feed your baby, there are times when you need a small portable breast pump. I breastfed and bottle-fed my second baby and I found this manual pump very useful.
Look at this manual breast pump. It is lightweight, portable, super easy to use, and the perfect tool for every baby bag!
- WHICH IS BETTER: MANUAL VS. ELECTRIC BREAST PUMP
- 5 BEST MANUAL BREAST PUMPS FOR BREASTFEEDING MOMS
- 5 BEST ELECTRIC BREAST PUMPS FOR BREASTFEEDING MOMS
- HOW TO PROPERLY STORE BREAST MILK
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Nursing bras
If you are planning to breastfeed your baby, you should get a few nursing bras. Before I tried a nursing bra I thought it is not really necessary. But the truth is that having a nursing bra that fits and looks good can help you feel more like your pre-baby self.
There are so many nursing bras. Some are more simple and others more elaborate. When you begin nursing, bras with full drop cups will allow you to breastfeed your baby easily and discreetly. For easy feedings at night, you should choose a sleep bra that is comfortable, breathable, and keeps breast pads in place.
Check these bras which are very comfortable and convenient to nurse.
Pregnancy Sleeping Pillow
Sleeping on your side promotes blood circulation, something that’s extremely important for pregnant women. Even if you’re used to sleeping on your side, it can become uncomfortable with your growing belly. A pregnancy pillow designed to give you more cushioning to contour to your changing body.
From my experience, the problem is that each pregnancy is getting harder and harder. My sleep has really been impacted by my lower back and hip pain. I regularly wake during the night needing to turn over to switch the pressure to my other hip. A real pregnancy pillow can help you sleep better and longer during pregnancy. I should have bought a pregnancy pillow, but I used a couple of regular pillows, which seemed to work fine. But I was being budget-conscious. If I was doing things over again, I would have purchased it.
A mommy hook for my stroller
A mommy hook easily holds diaper bags, shopping bags, camera bags, groceries, purses, clothes, toys, sports gear, and much more. It’s even handy for taking bags from your car to your home.
Glow in the Dark Pacifier
The last thing you want to do at night is looking for your baby’s pacifier. This night pacifier can glow in the dark, which makes this the perfect night pacifier! My second baby loved MAM pacifiers and I regret we didn’t found this night pacifier earlier!
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