One of the obvious benefits when having a second (or third, fourth, etc.) child is that you likely already have a lot of baby gear from your first that you will not have to purchase. You also now have the benefit of having tried some items and finding what worked for you as a family and for your child. During my first pregnancy, I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed with options as I created a registry or shopped for items myself. Most items claim to be the best (obviously 😉 ) so it is pretty hard to narrow down which ones actually are. As I’ve been getting all of our infant items pulled out of storage, the below items are the clear “winners” that I am looking forward to using again with our second child. Clearly there are several other things I will be using again, but wanted to focus on some of our overall favorites as well as the items that are best for the early infant stage. Whether you are expecting your first or your fourth, each of these items are fantastic!
DockATot– The DockATot was an everyday essential for us the first four months of Nicholas’ life and I think it will be with our second as well. Our prior home had two floors so I used it as his “home base” during those early months when we weren’t on the same level as our bassinet or crib. I’ve heard from friends with two kids that having different spots for the baby to be safely is especially helpful with a toddler around. When I was pregnant with Nicholas, DockATot gifted me our dock and also gave me a discount code to share with you- BOSTONCHIC will get you 10% off your DockATot purchase directly on their site.
UPPAbaby VISTA and MESA- When we selected the UPPAbaby VISTA as our stroller a main selling point was how easily it converts to accommodating two kids. I’m excited to take both boys for walks using the VISTA and we will also be using the MESA as our infant car seat. I’ll definitely provide an update on how the stroller works with two kids soon 😉
Halo Bassinet– Admittedly, I haven’t tried any other bassinet besides the one that comes with the VISTA when strolling, but we loved the Halo swivel bassinet. It’s great for the middle of the night to move baby closer to the bed to pick up and pull out, it looks relatively unoffensive in your bedroom and can also be used in small spaces as the legs easily fit under a bed- we had it in our apartment bedroom which wasn’t necessarily boasting a lot of extra space. This is set up and ready to go in our bedroom.
Halo Swaddles– Swaddling is magic! Our favorites were the Halo brand with velcro- made it super easy to put on especially after middle of the night feedings or diaper changes.
Willow® Wearable Breast Pump-I was so lucky to have received a Willow breast pump in exchange for a review when I was postpartum with Nicholas. I do not think I would have made it twelve months breastfeeding without it and the flexibility it provides. With a toddler and an infant, I know I am going to need to be more hands free than ever so am planning to use the Willow again. PS- you can check out my full review of the Willow here, but they have made several improvements since my review so would definitely encourage researching those changes too!
White noise favorites: Baby Shusher for the infant stage and Marpac Dohm as they get older– White noise, like swaddling, is magic for babies. I remember asking on my IG stories for baby “must haves” and so many people recommended the baby shusher. Before having an infant myself I thought it was a kind of silly item, but after you spend a walk around the city or mall going “shhh-shhh-shhh” you’ll know why it pays to have the shusher instead 🙂 Once Nicholas was sleeping longer stretches, we started using the Marpac Dohm and still use it and love it! We will definitely be adding a second one to our home for baby brother.
By the way, I mentioned both swaddling and white noise as magic for infants. This is thanks to reading The Happiest Baby On The Block which I definitely recommend. I included that and some other favorite reads and apps in my post on The Best Parenting Books and Apps For The First Year if you are interested!
Do you have more than one child? Which items did you save to use that ended up being the most useful?
xoxo, Jenna
Shop The Post
