Congratulations!! For me, two has been more chaotic but also so incredibly tender.
With my second kid I’ve found that I am on the go much more than with my first kid, and the baby products I’ve used more reflect that. STRONG recommend for a carrier that is comfortable and you can clip yourself (can vouch for the Wildbird) and a portable pump that works as a primary. I looove the Eufy S1 pro wearable breast pump (it’s heated!) and get similar outputs as my Spectra did. I’ve heard great things about the Momcozy as well.
The gifts that have meant the most to me have actually not been for the baby at all, but my 3 yo son. Getting him a little gift too, a book about being a sibling, something that helped him still feel special and involved… this was something I overlooked and I have been so moved by loved ones who though of him!
Congrats, Alisha! As a new STM myself who had the JolyWell light the first time around, I can confidently say this light is 10x better!! So much smaller and compact, soft, dimmable, and has more range. It’s made the middle of the night feeds so much better. I’ve gifted this 3 times in the past 3 months! https://amzn.to/47j3XYl
No I get it… this little silicone top light became a coveted fave for a few weeks 😅 We still use it to help dim the room before bedtime feeds! I love how simple the concept is with this one. Can’t recommend enough!
I was skeptical at first, but having something lightweight (instead of the full stroller) to put the baby car seat in when dropping the toddler off at school was very helpful. They’re all over FB Marketplace. You don’t need it with a Doona of course, but if you have a regular old car seat, I’d recommend!
Oh this is so cool! Going to send this to a friend now who was just sharing how heavy her stroller is hah. It's truly such a feat of strength to transfer the baby anywhere at that stage. Thanks for the rec!
I see these from daycare moms at drop-off all the time! I believe the version you shared only works with the Chicco brand, but I love this one from Baby Trend that works with nearly all brands of infant seats! We’re considering it once maternity leave is up! https://amzn.to/4hqOLgz
I'm so excited for you! We're debating about 1 v 2 kiddos, so would love to hear your take on parenting 2 small kids at the same time! For the registry, I can't recommend the Talli enough. It saved us from having to remember feeding times during that newborn haze, and helped track diapers for when she got sick. We were also recently gifted a Tonie box and I wish we had this earlier. I know it says 3+, but they make a lot of sleepytime tonies that have helped our daughter get ready for bed.
Perfect tips! Thanks a lot. 😊 for me the artipoppe carrier is a musthave. I’ve been using it everyday and it is perfect to have your hands free while cuddling with your baby. If someone needs a discount code of 50 euro/ 58 dollar for November, please let me know and i will send you a DM.
Congrats! I would LOVE a post on doing IVF with a toddler. We are starting to think about timing for #2 and the idea of doing all the shots while chasing a toddler already exhausts me. We did all the egg retrievals and will "only" need to do FET next time around, but its still intimidating!
Congrats!!! We also have a two year old and I am pregnant with our second, so I’m right there with you. LOVED the Snoo (also borrowed from a friend) for our first, so hoping it works just as well for the next lil guy.
I second a good baby carrier for a second babe! Similarly I have a 2 YO daughter and recently had a baby boy (now 6M) definitely need to be more hands free chasing around a toddler and after an looooong carrier search I landed on Sakura Bloom, and am obsessed! As a petite person it’s hard to find a carrier that doesn’t overwhelm my small frame. Hindsight I wish I would’ve gotten the infant adapter for the Stokke Tripp Trapp to keep the baby out of the menacing reach of my toddler 😅
> One of my friends made a good point that this is one of those “wait to order ‘til you need it” products, so don’t stress if you don’t have it as soon as baby gets home.
Orrr you could have a baby that spends the first week earthside congested, starting from in the hospital 😅 So I was definitely glad we did have it when baby got home (and missing it in the hospital, because the aspirator the hospital provided seemed way too huge for the tiny nose)
Super helpful list for someone about to give birth, thank you! Question about baby bath towels -- how fast do they grow out of something like the hooded Weezie bath towels that you linked? Would just the kids size work instead?
We still use the one we had since her newborn days from Quince, and we also have the Weezie one that works well for her size now too. So in short they last pretty long!
Second of all (down to business): Cosign ALLLLLLL these picks ESPECIALLY that BabyBjörn bouncer (or "bouncy" as my kids - 3 and 1 - still lovingly call it, where it sadly sits unused in our basement). Also love that you called out the secondhand optionality...obviously so important to give these goods a new life when we can.
First congrats Alisha! A baby boy!!!!! I can’t wait to see his fits. Such an amazing list. I agree with you on every point. The Baby Bjorn bouncer is 100% worth it. I got an Uppababy dupe and my baby was not a fan but adored the Bjorn. We also rented a Nuna leaf while on vacation and she loved it — and all the toddlers in the house loved it too.
Prob the 1 piece of advice I have is to not buy your main stroller until bb is at least 4 months old. Get something used and basic that can fit a bassinet or car seat attachment and see what you need. We got a jogging stroller as our main stroller and it didn’t work for us so now we have 3 strollers! But now that our girl is a little older and I’m healed I’m excited to go jogging with her.
We also have the Ergobaby aeroloom and my bb loves it!
Such a great list! Baby Bjorn bouncer is absolutely worth every penny, but you can often find them on Facebook marketplace in great condition.
I would add some muslin blankets - we used them for lots of different things like a clean place to set the baby down (especially when sitting up), cover up for the carseat when outside, emergency nursing cover, etc.
As someone who doesn't have kids, this is SO helpful for ideas around what to get the parents in my life. Thank you!
Ahh I'm so glad! Thanks for reading!
Congratulations!! For me, two has been more chaotic but also so incredibly tender.
With my second kid I’ve found that I am on the go much more than with my first kid, and the baby products I’ve used more reflect that. STRONG recommend for a carrier that is comfortable and you can clip yourself (can vouch for the Wildbird) and a portable pump that works as a primary. I looove the Eufy S1 pro wearable breast pump (it’s heated!) and get similar outputs as my Spectra did. I’ve heard great things about the Momcozy as well.
The gifts that have meant the most to me have actually not been for the baby at all, but my 3 yo son. Getting him a little gift too, a book about being a sibling, something that helped him still feel special and involved… this was something I overlooked and I have been so moved by loved ones who though of him!
I second the older sibling gift! So helpful for keeping them occupied and makes them feel seen during this big transition
Aw I love these tips and the older sibling gift idea. We will definitely have to do this for Lily ❤️
Congrats, Alisha! As a new STM myself who had the JolyWell light the first time around, I can confidently say this light is 10x better!! So much smaller and compact, soft, dimmable, and has more range. It’s made the middle of the night feeds so much better. I’ve gifted this 3 times in the past 3 months! https://amzn.to/47j3XYl
Ohhh I love this, thank you!! Adding to my list. It's funny how passionately I can feel about a night light.
No I get it… this little silicone top light became a coveted fave for a few weeks 😅 We still use it to help dim the room before bedtime feeds! I love how simple the concept is with this one. Can’t recommend enough!
+1 on this light we love how easy it is and how portable, especially when our baby was sleeping our room but the changing table was in the nursery
excellent collab!!!!! I love this
Thank you!!!
An excellent list! My SIL gave us this cart thing for our second baby: https://www.amazon.com/Chicco-KeyFit-Caddy-Frame-Stroller/dp/B08PVXSH5N/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1DBDC4TA2XOVH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fF7XQ0yVKWJSyBOr-yGb9BoTKGenwcfwj1x2zFIiGfEript307jUNYOL9AEH3h4jgFbfJCTSMcM83ZXriSd5mljKvL7NAIsnQ6dHc90uje7T0CaKBfYNVggw2EfEQkhBZdOisl4ZyXhnspuMxvOuG3F3QA5QBi8gnMRuC5ruQB0Lccx5Rw-fRWPEccriw-bqiDGI-yqOPDctEe-53n4X3Q.1SkBPbd5Y2J4hP1AZMR_5JzmpVEXHIO947ayAW3WLWI&dib_tag=se&keywords=chicco+cart&qid=1761137349&sprefix=chicco+cart%2Chi%2C52&sr=8-1
I was skeptical at first, but having something lightweight (instead of the full stroller) to put the baby car seat in when dropping the toddler off at school was very helpful. They’re all over FB Marketplace. You don’t need it with a Doona of course, but if you have a regular old car seat, I’d recommend!
Oh this is so cool! Going to send this to a friend now who was just sharing how heavy her stroller is hah. It's truly such a feat of strength to transfer the baby anywhere at that stage. Thanks for the rec!
I see these from daycare moms at drop-off all the time! I believe the version you shared only works with the Chicco brand, but I love this one from Baby Trend that works with nearly all brands of infant seats! We’re considering it once maternity leave is up! https://amzn.to/4hqOLgz
I'm so excited for you! We're debating about 1 v 2 kiddos, so would love to hear your take on parenting 2 small kids at the same time! For the registry, I can't recommend the Talli enough. It saved us from having to remember feeding times during that newborn haze, and helped track diapers for when she got sick. We were also recently gifted a Tonie box and I wish we had this earlier. I know it says 3+, but they make a lot of sleepytime tonies that have helped our daughter get ready for bed.
Thank you!! I'm sure it will be pure chaos but we'll embrace it. :)
Oooh, thanks, Talli is a great rec. We used the Huckleberry app, which sounds very similar.
And I've been curious about the Tonie or the Yoto, good to know it works for under 3 too!
Perfect tips! Thanks a lot. 😊 for me the artipoppe carrier is a musthave. I’ve been using it everyday and it is perfect to have your hands free while cuddling with your baby. If someone needs a discount code of 50 euro/ 58 dollar for November, please let me know and i will send you a DM.
Congrats! I would LOVE a post on doing IVF with a toddler. We are starting to think about timing for #2 and the idea of doing all the shots while chasing a toddler already exhausts me. We did all the egg retrievals and will "only" need to do FET next time around, but its still intimidating!
Congrats!!! We also have a two year old and I am pregnant with our second, so I’m right there with you. LOVED the Snoo (also borrowed from a friend) for our first, so hoping it works just as well for the next lil guy.
Thank you and congrats to you too!!! The Snoo was definitely magical for our first.
I second a good baby carrier for a second babe! Similarly I have a 2 YO daughter and recently had a baby boy (now 6M) definitely need to be more hands free chasing around a toddler and after an looooong carrier search I landed on Sakura Bloom, and am obsessed! As a petite person it’s hard to find a carrier that doesn’t overwhelm my small frame. Hindsight I wish I would’ve gotten the infant adapter for the Stokke Tripp Trapp to keep the baby out of the menacing reach of my toddler 😅
Congrats!
Re: the nose sucker,
> One of my friends made a good point that this is one of those “wait to order ‘til you need it” products, so don’t stress if you don’t have it as soon as baby gets home.
Orrr you could have a baby that spends the first week earthside congested, starting from in the hospital 😅 So I was definitely glad we did have it when baby got home (and missing it in the hospital, because the aspirator the hospital provided seemed way too huge for the tiny nose)
thank you! and see?? every baby is different! I'm glad you had this on hand right away.
Super helpful list for someone about to give birth, thank you! Question about baby bath towels -- how fast do they grow out of something like the hooded Weezie bath towels that you linked? Would just the kids size work instead?
We still use the one we had since her newborn days from Quince, and we also have the Weezie one that works well for her size now too. So in short they last pretty long!
First of all: SOOO happy for you! Congrats <3
Second of all (down to business): Cosign ALLLLLLL these picks ESPECIALLY that BabyBjörn bouncer (or "bouncy" as my kids - 3 and 1 - still lovingly call it, where it sadly sits unused in our basement). Also love that you called out the secondhand optionality...obviously so important to give these goods a new life when we can.
Yay xx
Thank you!!! Bouncy forever. And yes I’m so glad that our neighborhood has an abundance of secondhand gear available. We got our Uppababy this way!
We have the Jellycat dog (10 years old now) and Jellycat panda (8 years old for Amanda Panda), and they are beloved.
Aww it's so nice to know they're loved for many years!
First congrats Alisha! A baby boy!!!!! I can’t wait to see his fits. Such an amazing list. I agree with you on every point. The Baby Bjorn bouncer is 100% worth it. I got an Uppababy dupe and my baby was not a fan but adored the Bjorn. We also rented a Nuna leaf while on vacation and she loved it — and all the toddlers in the house loved it too.
Prob the 1 piece of advice I have is to not buy your main stroller until bb is at least 4 months old. Get something used and basic that can fit a bassinet or car seat attachment and see what you need. We got a jogging stroller as our main stroller and it didn’t work for us so now we have 3 strollers! But now that our girl is a little older and I’m healed I’m excited to go jogging with her.
We also have the Ergobaby aeroloom and my bb loves it!
Ooooh, I hadn't heard of the Nuna Leaf, but that looks so useful (and looks very nice too)!
Great advice about the stroller. It's a pretty big purchase, too, so it's a good idea to wait until after the newborn-potato phase to see what works.
and THANK YOU!
Such a great list! Baby Bjorn bouncer is absolutely worth every penny, but you can often find them on Facebook marketplace in great condition.
I would add some muslin blankets - we used them for lots of different things like a clean place to set the baby down (especially when sitting up), cover up for the carseat when outside, emergency nursing cover, etc.
Yes, FB Marketplace is such a treasure trove for baby gear. I wish I had browsed it a bit more before buying a few things.
And yes to alll of the muslin blankets!