Before Micah was born, I had lists upon lists to get ready for his arrival!! I read several baby books & birth books, researched the best baby gear and stayed up too late a few times organizing his nursery. I loved every single bit of that crazy prep, yet prep for Baby #2 looks very, very different! 

I’ve always loved the saying “you don’t know until you know” and that’s exactly how I feel about baby prep. With Micah, everything was brand new! I had so much to learn about pregnancy & newborn life so spending countless hours prepping & organizing gave me a sense of peace about the unknown. With this little one, I know a bit more. I have a better idea of what to expect in those first few weeks we have a baby at home – I know the products we like, the routine (or lack thereof, ha!) we try to keep, and the things we ordered the most on Amazon prime at 2am! Is every baby different? Absolutely! And while I’m sure this babe will throw me a surprise or two, I am still entering into motherhood with more confidence than I did with Micah. 

We also don’t know the gender of this baby, so that halts my prep a bit, too! If we knew we were having a girl, I’d already be knee-deep in bows & dresses! 😉 And if we knew we were having another boy, I’d be dreaming up what their little boy shared room would be! 

While I’m not prepping as much as I did for Micah, I am still prepping. Nesting has hit me full force and I’m making my way through our house & de-cluttering, cleaning & purging as much as I can! Matt and I also have our “must have list” for baby #2.

Here are some items we’ve purchased, plus some faves from Micah we’re getting back out:

1. Dockatot: I know there is a lot of controversy over this, but it’s worked wonders for us & we plan to use it again with Baby #2! Micah began using it at 3 weeks old & currently sleeps in the Grand every night! We even flew to Scotland with it! It makes traveling & sleeping so much easier so it was an immediate must-have for this baby, too. 
2. Double Stroller: We use our stroller a lot for walks so we knew getting a double stroller was priority. I did a lot of research and we purchased the Evenflo Pivot Modular Xpand. This article helped seal the deal for us, and so far we’ve enjoyed it! I love how easy it is to move the seats around & the large basket holds SO much! We purchased the travel system so we will use that car seat, too. 
3. Love to Dream Swaddle: We tried so many swaddles with Micah!! This one ended up being his favorite so I’m hoping this little one likes it, too! 
4. Owlet: Micah does not sleep with this anymore, but I used it religiously for the first few months. It put my mind at ease and I plan to use it again with this baby!
5. Monitor: We’ve gone through a few monitors (due to malfunctions, broken parts, etc) but this one has lasted & we’ve like it! It also came with 2 cameras so we don’t need to purchase anything new for this baby! 
6. Bassinet: Micah slept in our room for 7 months and I loved that time with him! I love the size of this one – it fits great beside the bed & worked well in our master bedroom closet (it’s not as wide as a traditional pack n play). (We slowly moved him away from us so I’d feel more comfortable with him being upstairs in his room.) 
7. Graco Pack n Play: One of our most used baby items!! I thought having the changing table & seat might be excessive but it’s not!! We create a “baby zone” and use the changing table as our first floor changing area. We have an ikea cart we fill with all the necessities, and it was so helpful to have it all organized & in one place by the pack n play! We also use the extra seat to easily move baby from room to room. 
8. Boppy Lounger: Another one of our most used baby items!! We LOVE using this from room to room, and will even throw it in the car when we’re traveling to see family! It’s so helpful to be able to set the baby down easily & quickly & know they are safe. The only downfall to this is that you can’t remove the cover to wash it, but I’ve actually washed the entire thing on cold / delicate & it’s been fine! 
9. Baby Carrier / Wrap: I have the Happy Baby Revolution and the Solly Baby Wrap. The Happy Baby is the perfect mix of structured yet soft, and the Solly is great for around the house & in the diaper bag! This time around, I am also planning to try a Wild Bird ring sling & am excited to compare! (Baby wearing is one of my favorite parts of newborn life!) 
10. Swing: Micah loved the swing so we’re hoping this baby does too! And with a rambunctious toddler running around, having another safe & soothing space for baby can’t hurt!! 🙂 
11. Gowns: I didn’t realize how much I would like these until Micah! I only had two with him so I plan to purchase a few more. They made nighttime changing so much easier, and since babies tend to say “curled up” in those first few weeks I found they worked perfectly! 
12. Miscellaneous items: we also plan to purchase another travel noise machine, plus we’ll be sure to stock up on our favorite wipes & diapers and get some new burp cloths that aren’t stained! 

Mama’s of two: what am I forgetting? Is there a baby #2 must-have I need to add to my prep list?

PS. Was this helpful? Take a look at my 25 Newborn Essentials for the first 60 Days!

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