photo of Ellerie by Tara Whitney
The plus side of the second kiddo is that you're over all the "extras." There is a better understanding of needs vs. frills. I bought super bizarre things for Ellerie (like so many sets of pjs and then she slept in onesies and sleep sacks) but I also stupidly skimped on things that really would have made our lives better. (See below.)
So this post is going to share some of that. I've broken it down into hopefully helpful categories. Yays, Nays and Big Mistakes.
WHAT WE LOVED :
- breast pump (love is a long shot here, but you know what I mean) Be sure to try and get one through your insurance before you purchase!
- bottle drying rack
- flat fold diapers to be used as burp rags (we have probably owned 80 of these by now. They are the "white blankets" that Ellerie still carries around.)
- swaddleme sleeper sacks
- aden & anis swaddle blankets
- nail scissors (these are The Best)
- honest diapers for newborn days
- bum genius Elemental One-Size cloth diapers from 8 weeks – 15 months (we stopped using these when Ellerie's diet really changed. I loved them and will use the same 17 diapers again)
- the ergo baby carrier (from about six weeks on? eight weeks? I forget everything). These ergo teething pads were great too.
- baby home bassinet (can't wait to set this up again in our room and will resell after we're done with it)
- a simple baby chair (we didn't buy this until six weeks in and waiting to buy it was one of my biggest mistakes)
- sheepskin rug
WHAT WE NEVER USED :
- a baby monitor. I bought one, but she's just down the hall and we never used it once. Plus, I realized I don't want to hear every tiny sound. I want to hear the loud sounds. (Obviously we didn't do a video monitor either.)
- all those cute PJs
- so many cute dresses (this is just me I think. Most people probably love dressing their kiddo up. I kept things very simple and can't imagine I'll switch gears this time.)
WHAT WE SKIPPED (AND WILL SKIP AGAIN) :
- pacifiers (just never offered and don't plan to this time)
- wipe warmer
- bottle warmer
- anything fancy to make baby food
- a diaper bag (I had a zippered pouch packed with a change of clothes, three diapers and wipes that I threw into my purse when we went out – it stays in the car now that Elle is older).
WHAT WE MISSED OUT ON LAST TIME :
- a comfy rocking chair. This was my biggest mistake. I should have bought a comfy rocker long ago and I am so glad we finally got this one.
- a newborn friendly stroller. Not having a newborn stroller was my second biggest mistake. We have a BOB Revolution (which we LOVE) but didn't get a carseat attachment and therefore had no stroller option for the first 3 months. I seriously don't know what the hell I was thinking but I am sure that not getting outside contributed to my post-partum sadness. This will not happen again and we are looking at double stroller options (and have heard great things about this Mountain Buggy one!)
- a wrap carrier. I had this one, but didn't take advantage of it. I'll try again with this baby.
- a hands free pumping bra (I pumped exclusively for nine months and never bought one of these. There are no limits to my WTFs on this.)
Baby "necessities" are so arbitrary. I read some lists of must-haves and they are items that totally didn't work for me. And then I read other lists and I'm like "are you kidding?! you left off the only thing that got me through those first two months." So really, it's a crap shoot. All you need is love. And perspective. And a bit of red wine.
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enJOY it 
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