Are you or a friend about to welcome a second baby? If so, this one is for you.
This post is inspired by two of my best friends from college who are both pregnant with their second babies, and due just within weeks of each other! Their oldest children are two years old and these mamas soon will be in the thick of two kids, two and under (yes I rephrased this because I felt that I still needed credit for the badge of honor this comes with even when my oldest was 2 and a few months old). 🙂
My second baby was born just as my oldest turned 15 months old. The first year of my youngest child’s life was so wild. There truly are no other words to describe the experience. When I was preparing for the birth of my second, all I can remember thinking to myself was “how the heck is this going to work??” When one kid didn’t need you, the other one does…so when do parents get a break?
Below are my best tips and essential products that were life-savers with managing the chaos of adding a newborn to your family with a toddler in tow.
Tip #1: Baby Wear
I know baby-wearing is not for everyone, but this carrier was a must-have for us. I baby-wore for so many reasons. The main reason was that my youngest did not love to nap in the early months so we “saved” most of his bad naps by wearing him. I did not have the benefit of holding him in a rocker for the rest of his naps, because I had a toddler to care for. The main benefit of baby-wearing to me was not being trapped, rather, I could still play with my toddler, go for walks, or do things around the house. It can also be turned into a backpack when they get a little older.
Tip #2: Create A Safe Space
Toddlers mean well, but they are rough with little babies. It was important to us to have a safe place to put our newborn down and get some tummy time without fear of him getting tackled or stepped on by my toddler. I am not a huge fan of most plastic baby play pens because they honestly look pretty gross, but I was able to find the most visually appealing wood alternative that still gets the job done. Bonus points because it is made out of wood so I wasn’t as worried about the kids biting or sucking on it.
We also tried a few different floor mats, and ended up loving this one. It is super soft, well padded, and one big piece. The mats that were puzzle piece set ups did not work for us because we were constantly putting them back together and it was super annoying. Lastly, I recommend using this bouncer for times when baby is not doing tummy time, or you are not baby wearing. I don’t love “containers” (see an important article here on containers), but we did use this bouncer in moderation.
Tip #3: Soft Toys
In addition to having a safe blocked off space for baby’s floor time, we learned (the hard way), to only have toys out that we were willing to have thrown at our newborn (lol). There are so many options you can choose from, but we found this magnetic foam block set to be especially cool!
Tip #4: Align Schedules (Eventually)
We’ve been a Moms On Call family since the birth of our first. We don’t follow every single thing to a T, but we do follow their typical day schedules (easier said than done as most days are not the same, but we try our best for the most part). They have books for each stage of baby’s life, but for two babies, I recommend this version which includes typical days for both your toddler and newborn together that work their way to them both being on the same schedule. We just hit this milestone a few months ago and it was honestly such an amazing unlock to our lives.
Tip #5: Outsource Toddler Food
Our second was born right in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We saw that a local BBQ restaurant had holiday meal orders, and we signed right up. Our order was massive, but we froze all of it to be able to have easy adult meals so we didn’t have to think about cooking. As for our toddler, we signed up for Little Spoon meal delivery. Normally we like to make our own food, but this was so necessary, especially in the early days.
Tip #6: Get This Car Seat Now
Out of all the baby products, this is by far my most recommended for two under two. This car seat converts into a stroller with the push of a button. I remember taking my newborn to one of the many pediatrician appointments and needed to bring my toddler along. It’s so amazing because I did not need to transfer my little into another contraption while trying to keep my toddler from running loose in a busy parking lot. Whether you are going out to doctor appointments, or doing literally anything with both kids in tow, this is the answer.
You can thank me later! 🙂
The only downfall I would say about this product, is that it might not be the most comfortable for the taller parents out there. Worked fine for me but I am on the shorter side. But, if I were taller, I would sacrifice some hunching over to push it because this car seat is that awesome.
I hope my tips help prepare you to welcome your second baby. Don’t get me wrong, it will be a tough transition at first. You might be filled with lots of guilt for splitting your time, but I promise you, it gets better. Try and give yourself grace and know you are doing the best you can. I can’t imagine a world without our second baby in it. Life just keeps getting sweeter when I see my kids’ little brotherhood starting to blossom…the best is yet to come! 🙂
Let me know what products changed your life as a mom/parent in the comments below and don’t forget to share this post with the mamas to be in your life!
Kari