What to buy for baby #2

Whether you’re going the registry route again or purchasing these items on your own, the products you likely will need for subsequent children might not be exactly what you expect or the most glamorous. A ton also depends on your children’s age spacing. I am currently in the process of replacing, refreshing, and evaluating the baby items in my home for baby number two and I have 5 years between children.

Today’s post will walk parents through the items I always recommend replacing between children and the reasons why so you can make an informed decision about your products.

Baby items to replace

Why are we replacing these items?

It’s important to remember that plastics degrade over time and their chemicals can leach into your environment. For a newborn baby, having these items in their mouth expose them to more chemicals than necessary. Some items also develop small holes or areas to trap moisture and grow mold (pacifiers and bottle nipples) so it’s best to start fresh with any plastic of silicone items that will be going in your newborn’s mouth.

For car seats, it’s a similar story, plastic, foam, safety harnesses all degrade overtime and can only be guaranteed by the manufacturer for safety up until their marked expiration date. Most allow 8 year of use, but it’s important to check your seat for the exact timeline.

Pacifiers

We are getting a few packs of these Philips Avent pacifiers. If your baby is given a pacifier in the hospital, it’s often this brand and shape with a more cylindrical orthodontic design.

Bottles and/or bottle nipples

Bottles are always worth selecting with a bit of variety and with smaller quantity in mind. Most babies DO NOT have nipple preferences, but some do. To start, we are buying two small packs from two brands loved by many lactation and feeding consultants for their gradually sloping nipple shape. These bottles encourage baby to have a deep latch on the bottle for effective feeding. We will need to increase bottle size as baby grows, but this is a conservative method to only get what we need initially and then upgrade quantity and size later as we determine if there is a bottle preference and how the feeding journey is progressing. The Dr. Browns and the Lansinoh are bottles I frequently recommend.

Pump parts

If pumping is a priority, starting with fresh tubing, duckbill valves, and backflow protectors is the best way to ensure clean, bacteria free pump parts. After 5 years in storage, I’m happy to still have my Spectra S1 in storage, but will be happy to start fresh with a set of new pump parts.

Expired car seats

For car seats, plastic, foam, safety harnesses all degrade overtime and can only be guaranteed by the manufacturer for safety up until their expiration date. Most allow 8 year of use, but it’s important to check your seat for the exact timeline. Expiration dates are often printed directly on the seat. We are lucky that we can still use out infant car seat (it’s within it’s timeline) but if you aren’t, we love the Chicco Keyfit 35, Doona, and Clek Liing to name a few. I do always recommend a car seat consult to ensure you’re getting a seat that is best for your lifestyle and vehicle.

Damaged or recalled products

This one feels self explainatory, but recalls happen and many can happen in just a year, so it’s likely that between children, there have been recalls. Since having my son, items like the Rock n Play and a number of infant loungers have been recalled. If you didn’t register your item you likely weren’t informed when an item was recalled so it’s best to check CPSC.gov for any relevant updates.

Baby items to keep

Crib

If your older child is already out of the crib, you can definitely re-use it provided there is no damage or recalls on the item. If your other child is still in the crib or their converted toddler bed, I DO NOT recommend moving them if you are able to purchase a new crib or utilize a playard or bassinet for the first few months. Your older child will likely feel big changes around becoming a sibling and removing them from their bed during this time or before they are ready might add to a challenging transition.

Rocker or Glider

It’s possible your older child no longer needs a rocking chair in their room, but this really depends on age. If you are still nursing your older one or feel that it’s too disruptive to remove furniture from their room, you can always get a second one. A comfortable rocker or glider for infant feedings or pump sessions in always great to have in a nursery. Some of our favorites are from Babyletto, Davinci, and, Nurture.

Playard

A playard with a bassinet and changing station component is so unbelievably useful for those early days with baby and can last across many baby phases. Some only think of these for travel, but the right playard can be a super flexible solution for naps and diaper changes around the house. We have always had a travel crib that is lightweight and used for, well, travel, but my intent with this item is to use around the house so product weight isn’t as important. For in home flexibility and purpose, I like the ones with changing stations and bassinets from Graco, 4Moms, and Chicco.

Best items to borrow

Bassinets

When thinking about a bassinet it’s important to keep in mind how long you will actually be using it. If you still have yours from baby number one, definetly no need for a new one, but if you need to acquire one, this is a great item to borrow from a friend. It’s likely to only be in use for a few months. For a bassinet, you can go with something as simple as the Chicco Lullago or with as many features as a Snoo. Either way, I always recommend borrowing or buying second hand given the lifespan on the item.

Swings and Containers

Everything about bassinets applies here too plus a child’s preference. Most of these have very limited use and your child will likely outgrow them developmentally and/or in size pretty quickly. Not to mention, while they can work great to soothe some babies, other’s don’t care too much for a swing. Yes, they can serve a purpose in those first few months, but give their footprint, you will be happy to return them to their owner when you’re done with them. Some of my favorites to borrow are from Ingenuity , Graco, and 4moms.

There are tons more items to consider when shopping for baby number two, but these I find to be the most universal regardless of age spacing. If you’re looking for a more personalized registry or shopping list, we are here to help. You can learn more about working together 1:1 with a complimentary consult.

xx

Happy Nesting!