Registering For Baby #2

When you’re expecting your second baby, you’ve learned a lot from your first time around. What worked for you, what didn’t work for you, what you didn’t need, and what you wish you had had. People without kids keep making comments to me about how nice it must be to not need anything for this baby. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. First off – having a boy instead of a girl means that we are going to need a lot more blue around here! Thankfully most of the big products we used with Maddie Grace either can be reused, but there are several that we can’t or we are choosing not to re-use, and there are some products we didn’t have with her that we would love to in order to make life a little easier. Plus there are a couple things you’re going to need with a second baby that aren’t as necessary with the first, especially if you are having kids relatively in the same time period.

I stopped in at buybuy BABY to set up a baby registry for our sweet baby boy on the way. The employees there are very skilled, and even have a checklist specifically for registering for your second baby. The employee who helped me at my buybuy BABY, Leah, had four kids of her own so she definitely knew what she was talking about and walked me through the entire process. I never felt rushed, or like I was annoying her – she encouraged me to ask as many questions as possible and seemed to actually enjoy my crazy toddler who was running around the store the entire time. Tip? Bring lots of snacks for your older child while registering. This will help keep them from being too crazy… hopefully.

So what are the key items to keep in mind when registering for a second baby?

–Double Stroller: For us, the double stroller situation isn’t as complicated. We have a Baby Jogger City Select which transitions into a double in-line stroller with the Baby Jogger City Select, so of course that’s necessary to have on our registry. We are also avid runners, especially my husband. The only way for us to take family runs/walks is to have a double jogging stroller as well. Of course my husband wants the one that is actually best for running, so this is what I really focused on when I looked at jogging strollers for our registry. After going back and forth on several different double jogging strollers I’ve decided on the Baby Jogger City Select, which is basically the wider version of the jogging stroller we have now. It’s also good to keep in mind when registering that you’ll need different accessories for a double stroller so add those on your list!

–Carrier: I know with all the chasing after Maddie Grace I do I am going to be wearing Maddie Grace a lot. It’s the only way I’m going to survive this I’m pretty sure. I loved babywearing with Maddie Grace. I plan on reusing a soft wrap I had with her with the new baby when he is an itty bitty. With Maddie Grace that wasn’t comfortable for more than a couple months though, and I didn’t like the other soft structured carrier carrier we used last time. It seems like everyone I know recommends a different carrier, so I was really happy that at Buy Buy Baby I could try them all on with Maddie Grace and figure out which one worked best for me. I really loved the design of the Boba Air and how it can be easily thrown into a diaper bag, which is unique for structured baby carriers.

–Car Seat: Of course we had a car seat with Maddie Grace. But did you know they expire? Quickly? Also I’ve learned a lot about car seat safety since having Maddie Grace and know now that there are no excuses for not giving my child the absolute safest car seat that exists. There are a lot of debates on which car seat earns this award, and to be honest there’s several that probably are all equally safe. Leah at Buy Buy Baby was great at explaining the safety features of the different car seats to me, which led me to ultimately decide on the Cybex Aton Q as our next car seat! Leah also reminded me that we will want extra car mirrors since we will have 2 rear facing little ones at once so those made my list as well.

–Nursery: We are hoping to transition Maddie Grace into a toddler bed by the time of baby brother’s arrival, or while he is still in the bassinet, so we skipped over registering for another crib or mattress. We will also be reusing the bassinet we used with Maddie Grace so I didn’t register for those items. Some mamas on their second baby are going to need another crib, or crib mattress, so don’t leave these items out. Since we are having a boy we will be redoing the nursery and I’m going with a nautical theme this time around. I found the cutest sheets and matching nursery items, including a nautical mobile. I also remembered to add boy-colored swaddles which were lifesavers for us with Maddie Grace.

–Travel: Depending on how close in age your children are you very well may need two playards so if you know you are in this category make sure you have it on your registry. This is another area that we are going to play by ear because we have no idea whether we will need two or be fine with one yet.

–Feeding: Two under two means you might need two high chairs and you should consider registering for one. By the time baby #2 is in a high chair Maddie Grace will most likely be transitioning to a booster seat so we are going to play this one by ear and left it off our registry. You also may consider more bottles, a different color nursing pillow cover, and whether you need any breast pump supplies for your new bundle of joy. Know you’ll be using formula? That’s another thing that you can always stock up on and have on your registry!

–Bathtime: One thing that I didn’t think about until walking around Buy Buy Baby was that all of our hooded baby towels and washcloths are pink and girly. These make great shower and new baby presents so I made sure to add a few onto our registry.

–Diaper Bag: A new baby is the perfect excuse for a new diaper bag! Usually by the time you are having another baby your first diaper bag has been over-used and run down. Add a cute new one to your registry as it is something you are sure to use a lot!

–Other
Necessities: Don’t forget to include the everyday items you know you’re
going to need! Choose your favorite brands of baby wash, pacifiers, lotion,
diapers, wipes, and all the other good stuff that you can never have
enough of with a newborn!

Do you need to register for a second (or first, third, fourth, etc.) baby? I highly recommend calling your local buybuy BABY and making an appointment with a registry specialist. They will walk you through all the different products and options and you’ll leave with a nice goody bag.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and whether I left anything out below!

Thank you buybuy BABY for sponsoring this post!