In November we will welcome our 2nd daughter and we are overjoyed to be growing our little family! As I prepared for her arrival, I began pulling out all of big sister’s precious little things and ‘oooohhhh and ahhhh-ing’ over how she was ever that small! Having the same gender has its perks - shared clothes, bows and cute little girly prints! But there were some things I still needed this time around. As a semi-seasoned mom (can I call myself that?), I decided some things I skipped the first time around with my first were worth the splurge! So I compiled a list of my “must haves” items for baby #2!

1. Seasonal Clothing - Since I gave birth to my oldest during Spring-time in Southern California, I had an assortment of short sleeves, tank tops and summery onesies. This time around, I’m having baby girl #2 in the fall/winter in New York so I needed a few months worth of cold weather clothes to get me through. I stocked up on winter clothes at our local children’s consignment store (Once Upon a Child) and the sales racks at our favorite stores for sweaters, long sleeve onesies, beanies, and tights. I even found some tiny little knock-off Uggs boots used for $3 and nearly cried! I love all the cozy warm tiny baby things! We also received some hand-me-down winter blanket zip-ups for car seat and stroller which are definite MUST HAVES for a winter baby! After the first few months, we should be able to use big sister’s clothes for the rest of the year (and years to come)!

2. Backpack Diaper Bag - Maybe you were smart and knew about this with your first kid. Me? I was silly and got the cool leather satchel diaper bag because I thought my husband would look cool carrying it around (insert eyes rolling emoji). Now that I have a toddler and a baby girl on the way, I’m not messing around! We needed a sturdy backpack diaper bag that was going to last us for awhile. Some of my favorite brands include: Ju-Ju-Be, Honest Co, Skip Hop, and Fawn Design. My recommendation here is to buy a good one. This will be your single most used baby item (trust me!) and having one that is going to fall apart on you in a year is just plain annoying. Invest in a good one!

3. Double Stroller - I really wish I could go back in time and tell myself what I’m about to tell you! Buy the stroller that can convert into a double stroller! I didn’t do that the first time around - I bought into the travel system and thought, “Oh I’ll just buy another one with the second comes.” Well, that is exactly what I had to do. But if I could spare you the extra expense (later), I would say invest in a stroller than converts into a double stroller! Especially if you know you want more kids! Ok enough about that…. I used my stroller a lot with my oldest. We went everywhere with it, so I knew a good sturdy and smooth stroller was necessary for us. I did my research and settled on the tandem stroller style. After trying out a few of them (yes I totally was that mom who would ask random people if I could test out their strollers), I settled on either the UppaBaby Vista (2015 model or newer) or the City Select Baby Jogger. Now, let me warn you, these strollers are expensive! But I really think they are best on the market. I decided to buy ours second hand so I did my shopping on Facebook marketplace, the Letgo app, and Craigslist. I ended up buying the City Select double stroller used from a family in a nearby town that had all the accessories included for a huge deal! I’ve been using it as a single stroller for 3 months now and I’m very happy with it! Like I said earlier, I wish I would have gotten this with my oldest, but that’s ok, I’ve learned my lesson!

4. Pacifiers and Bottle Nipples - This is not necessarily a given for every mom, but I want to keep my options open! My oldest didn’t take to a pacifier or bottle (she was exclusively breastfed) but I feel like it’s a nice option to have! I bought a few brands, but my favorite is the Natursutten pacifier and bottle nipples. You can find these bottles and pacis on amazon!

5. Co-Sleeper/Lounger - With my oldest, we were pretty determined to avoid co-sleeping, mostly for practical reasons because we had a full-size bed with not enough room for all 3 of us! But when my oldest refused to sleep anywhere (and I mean ANYWHERE) that wasn’t in my arms or on my chest, we started to get desperate to find a solution that worked for all of us. It can be a really scary place to be in when you think the only way your baby will sleep puts them at risk. After asking lots of questions and learning that most of my friends have co-slept with their babies at some point, we started to read more and educate ourselves. I’ve since learned a LOT more about safe co-sleeping practices and now know this is the best choice for us. That being said, I knew this time around I wanted to try a co-sleeper/lounger for little sister. I was so excited with Nicole at @nicole.and.co reached out to me for a collaboration! She is the creator of the JoJo, which is a cosleeping bed for both infants and toddlers that’s specially designed for babies that love to be held all night! The middle is lightly padded and the sides are cushioned to give the illusion of being held and also prevents them from rolling over. I’m really excited to try this out! From my seasoned mom-friends, I’ve heard nothing but good things about these little beds, so I’ll give my review in a few months once we have given it a shot! P.S. We upgraded our bed to a California King size as a gift to ourselves for our 10 year anniversary last summer. BEST DECISION EVER!

6. Wipe Warmer - Now this one seemed really silly to me as a new mom, but as a mom of (almost) 2, I’m actually really eager to try this out! I’m adding it to my “must haves” because there are some things that seem worth the splurge and this is one of them! Have you used one before? I’ve heard from other moms that their baby doesn’t fuss as much when they are changed with a warm wipe and honestly that’s good enough of a reason to spend $28. Since this baby is going to be born in the winter, I’m hoping to make her diaper changes nice and cozy and give her bottom a little spa treatment ;) So that’s my justification. I’ll give my review in a few months, but I’m getting this one from amazon.

7. Diaper Clutch - I’m constantly on the go, so having a quick mini diaper bag with a few essentials in it was a huge help! I fill my diaper clutch (fancy name, huh?) with a packet of wipes and a few diapers and off we go! This goes with me everywhere I go, and often lives in my car. I had one with my oldest and I absolutely loved it! But unfortunately I lost it, so this time around I had to get another one. Thankfully my new diaper bag from Honest Company included one, but I also recommend this JuJuBe brand wristlet.

8. Baby Book - It’s no surprise that I absolutely love taking pictures! So having a baby book for each of my kiddos is a "must have”! I actually maintained a baby book with my oldest and I am determined to do the same for baby #2. I’m the only kid in my family who has a baby book (sorry siblings!) and it is such a treasure to read those little notes from my parents. I hope to pass on the same thing to my girls. I was gifted an absolutely gorgeous baby book made by Artifact Uprising called “The Story of You” (click here). I love that it has the ability to write notes in it and it also resembles a high quality photo album. This is definitely the top of the line when it comes to baby books. I can’t wait to dive in a write all her little quirks and special traits + save those precious photos of her first few years.

So that is my list for “must-haves” for baby #2! There are obviously more essentials that are needed for baby, and I already had mostly everything I needed. I’m working on my essentials list for any baby so stay tuned! Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you ever try any of these out. I’d love to hear your thoughts!