Stuff.

One of the greatest things about having another boy is that we really don’t need much “stuff” this time around. We saved all the big items from T, like his car seat, swing, and bouncer. And we saved most of his clothes too, so we are pretty well set! Fortunately, the weather here in the PNW is pretty mild most of the year, so we shouldn’t even have to worry too much about the boys being born in different seasons, though we’ll evaluate as baby #2 grows and we see what fits and what we need. Poor kid is going to be dressed 99% in brother’s hand-me-downs (such is the life of a second child!). Fortunately, big brother has pretty good taste in clothes (*ahem).

There are a few items we’ll need, so I did start a registry on Amazon. It’s mostly my own shopping list — plus Amazon gives registrants a 15% off “completion discount” where you can buy anything off your registry yourself in a single purchase to snatch up any last-minute stuff, up to 60 days prior to your due date. And we’ve also had a few people ask us for ideas. Even though we aren’t anticipating a baby shower this time around, it’s nice to have somewhere to point people who would want to get the baby something regardless.

For this second baby, we’ve found we need stuff for generally one of four reasons:

1. Duplicates of things T is still using (sound machine, second camera for our monitor, etc.)
2. Replacements for things that have worn out over the years (e.g., bottle nipples, new crib mattress, new pump parts)
3. Things that get used up (diapers, diaper cream, breast milk storage bags, etc.)
4. And then a few “nice-to-haves” — things I wished we’d had the first time around (like a Rock n Play or a snuggle nest), or things that might make life with two easier, like a nice baby carrier, a sit and stand stroller, or a bigger diaper bag.

For anyone reading who may be preparing for the birth of a second baby, here’s what’s on our list, broken down by category:

• Diapering:
  • newborn diapers (we’ll reuse most of T’s cloth diapers once baby fits in them around 2 months)
  • diaper rash cream
  • new diaper bag (the one we used for T was a little on the small side)

• Feeding:
  • bottle brush
  • Soothies gel pads
  • bottle nipples
  • pump replacement parts (new membranes, tubing, etc.)
  • Medela quick clean micro steam bags
  • lanolin
  • breastmilk storage bags

• Bathing:
  • hooded towel
  • washcloths
  • bath sponge (the kind they lay on in the sink)

• Sleeping:
  • new crib mattress
  • new PNP mattress
  • snuggle nest
  • a couple of Woombies

• Gear:
  • Tula carrier
  • Rock n Play
  • Sit and stand stroller

• Misc:
  • new nail clippers
  • sound machine
  • humidifier
  • second camera for our monitor

It’s a pretty small list, compared to all we needed to get ready for T! Definitely not feeling as stressed about being ready this time around. The biggest thing we need to do now, though, is get T’s big boy room ready since baby will be taking over the nursery. But that’s a post for another day…