Baby #2 Faves

One of the best things about having a child after your first, is that you know what you're doing (for the most part, I mean you kid is still alive and well taken care of right?). You also know what you like and what you didn't. Granted, every child is different and may prefer one paci or bottle over another, but you can navigate the aisles of any baby store like a pro to find what will work.

Most of what we used with Eleanor has been working with us, we purchased a few of the same things that needed to be replaced or bought the updated versions of them. That's another plus for the 2+ child is that you own most of the baby items you need!

Rock and Play : Ours is one of the OG styles and is no longer available, but now there's so many options and patterns to choose from! Ours is in perfect condition, but I would love the one I linked to that rocks itself, how magical is that? Me and all my mommy friends all swear by this and it's the first thing I tell new mommies they need to get. When checking out of the hospital with Emma, the baby doctor came by and had a picture of a Rock and Play and said that if we didn't already have one to stop on the way home to pick one up! I'm telling you, they're a must-have!

Zip Swaddler // Velcro Swaddler: We love swaddles for sleeping, both naps and overnight. I prefer these swaddles that make it super easy for me and hard for the baby to escape. We don't really have a preference for one over the other, the biggest differences is the zip is pretty tight whereas the velcro has some more wiggle room for Emma. The zip swaddle will be great when we start to transition out of swaddling since it opens on each side to let an arm out (I'll have to get a larger size when Emma is ready for that). She is actually outgrowing these right now and I'm going to pick up the next size this week for her.

Swaddling Blankets (first two, the next four, last three): One can never have enough blankets! I love them and went a bit overboard with Emma. We use them at home, when we're out, as a nursing cover, to throw over the carseat, to lay down for playtime, etc. There's so many uses and Ellie still uses hers all the time- for her babies, as a lightweight blanket for herself in the summer, and in the car. The top two blankets aren't as big, but the fabric is thicker. I like that they're a heavier fabric for cooler days and make a good transition blanket for the season. I also prefer my blankets to be large, over 40 inches each way.

Boppy (I have this and this slipcover): Anytime I nurse at home I use the Boppy. It's just the most comfortable way for me to nurse and it was the same with Eleanor too. I also brought it with me to the hospital for both babies, it was great for me to use and for visitors who wanted to hold the babies.

K'Tan: With Eleanor, I tried several carriers before finding this gem. It's super easy to use, I can put it on really quickly and by myself. With Ellie I used it mostly because it kept her calm and my hands free, but with Emma it's a whole new ball game. This is the only way we can go shopping! I put Ellie in the shopping cart and wear Emma at every store. It makes errand running so much easier! I'm thinking about picking up the breeze version too.

These are my tried and true favorites that worked for both our babies. I swear by these products and have been so happy with my experiences with them. It's only been two years since my first baby and so many of these items have been updated with new features, colors, or prints. I thought about getting some new items just for the updates, but I'd rather just save that money for college...or headbands.

What are your favorite baby items? What worked best for your growing family?

Baby Must-Haves: 1 Month

One month flew right by! I can't believe that we're almost at 7 weeks already! I did a post for must-haves for the first week home here and thought it would be good to do it monthly (as well as show off some pics of Ellie! I'm taking pics of her with the bunny each month to show as a comparison in her growth). Here are some items I found to be so useful this past month and items I had to run and by a double of because we use them so much. Sometimes it's so nice and convenient to have doubles so you can wash one while using the 2nd. It makes life so much easier! I'm happy we only have one floor otherwise I'd buy more doubles to keep from going up and down stairs so much.

2 packs of Changing Table Liners: I love these because they have a plastic backing to they don't leak through to the changing table cover. I thought one 3 pack would be enough, but after some blow outs, I was running through the wash with them really quickly so I bought a second pack.

A 2nd Changing Pad Cover: I like having two so one can be in the wash while the other is on our pad. I have a solid lilac one and a pink/white polka dot one.

A 2nd Nursing Cover: I love having two covers! I keep one in my diaper bag for outings, and one at home for when we have visitors. It's so nice to not have to pack and unpack it from our diaper bag now.

 A 2nd Boppy Cover: We use our Boppy everyday all the time and bring it with us almost everywhere we go. With so much use, our covers gets dirty somewhat quickly, and just like the changing pad cover, I like being able to have it covered all the time while one cover is in the wash.

Bright Starts Chime for the car seat: Ellie is  beginning to interact and see more now and loves her butterfly chime on her car seat. The sound I think is soothing and fun for her while the bright colors catch her eyes.

Traveling Sound Machine: We keep this giraffe strapped to her car seat 24/7 and Ellie absolutely loves it! It helps block outside sounds when we're out and about keeping her asleep or just content. We use this every single day, it's awesome!

The First Years Sound Machine: When Eleanor is really upset and fussy, I turn this on and rock her in our rocking chair and it calms her down every time. It's the only time we really use this sound machine, but we may use it more once we move her to her crib.

Rock 'N Play Sleeper: Ellie sleeps in this every night in our room and we take it with us to Nana & Papa's too for naps. It's inclined for her head, folds up nice, and is light weight.

Arm & Hammer Diaper Bag Dispenser: One of my girlfriends gave this to me at my shower and said it was a life saver and she wasn't kidding! The bags are scented, eliminates odor, and are super convenient when you're out and have a dirty diaper that needs to be thrown out or soiled clothes that need to be washed when you're back home. I've had 5 dirty diapers in a bag and you couldn't smell a thing and nothing leaked. These are amazing!

A black and white Nursing Tank: These tanks are so easy to wear and provide good breast support. I wear these tanks under my regular shirt all the time. When I have to nurse outside of my home it's nice having my body still covered by these tanks even though my outside shirt is lifted up.

What are your baby must-haves? What did you find that your baby enjoyed or made life easier for you? Do you have any of these items, how did they work for you?

This is my first link-up with Kristin from Busy Bee for Baby Talk and I'm really excited to join in. If you have a baby-related post for Tuesdays, be sure to link up!