Favorite Must Have Products for Second Baby

I was pretty choosy when it came to buying products for our second baby, Lawson. Our oldest is 3 1/2, so he’s outgrown most of the baby stuff and it could just be passed down to our newest baby. But there’s a few things that I wanted to add to our baby stuff, or that Cam still uses.

Here are 7 things I consider must-have products for a second baby:

Lollipop Camera Baby Monitor

Camden has one of these in his room. We actually had a different monitor for the first two years of his life, but we HATED it. The connection was shoddy and the app was terrible. The Lollipop Camera has been great; the app works well and the image quality is good. So we got the exact same one for Lawson’s room – they both show on the app together, so I can see both boys at once.

I also love that it’s such an easy camera to travel with. Since it just wraps around the crib, you can wrap it around anything at a hotel room too, and it’s already connected to your phone, so you don’t have to set it up again.

Sit and Stand Stroller

Until Lawson was born, I had myself convinced I was going to make it without a double stroller of any sort. I figured I’d just wear him in the ring sling or carrier when he was little and Cam would ride in the stroller when we went for long daily walks or on a big outing. But I caved and bought a sit and stand stroller; I got the Graco one so that the car seat clicks into the stroller.

Being able to click the car seat in and still have a spot for Cam to sit/stand/hop on and off has been so nice. We usually go for a long walk every single day, and we took this stroller to a Touch-a-Truck event this past weekend, so it’s already getting it’s worth!

We use this stroller EVERYWHERE – on walks, at the Children’s Museum, anywhere that Cam’s legs may still need a break.

Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother

I’ve raved about this before. Camden has used this since he was a few months old. And as soon as he was old enough to push the button, he used it to self-soothe when he woke up in the middle of the night. At 3 1/2 years old, he still uses it for the exact same reason.

So of course, we had to make sure Lawson had one. My mom got us the one of Camden on a whim, and she got us the one for Lawson as well.

Read the reviews – everyone seems to think it’s as amazing as we do!

Nalakai Ring Sling

I’ve always been a bit of a ‘crunchy’ mom, and a ring sling feels super crunchy too, but I. Am. In. Love. I can’t believe I didn’t invest in a ring sling with Camden. When Lawson is fussy, I wear him in the ring sling and he settles right down and falls asleep. It’s like magic.

I researched brands like crazy before I picked one. One of my favorite things about Nalakai ring slings is the pocket at the end of the sling. It’s great for tossing a pacifier in so I’ve always got one on hand. The sling is super comfortable, and the color is gorgeous.

Six months in, I still use my ring sling almost daily. I love it at the grocery store, because I can still have two hands to push the cart. When we went to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum this past weekend, I took my ring sling with me even though I had a double stroller. Lawson got SO SO fussy at one point, and he wouldn’t let anyone else hold him and he refused to chill in the stroller. But once I put him in the ring sling, up close against me, he just chilled out and quieted.

Delta Children Dresser with Changing Pad

Camden has a bigger bedroom, so we had a separate dresser and changing table for him. But Lawson’s room is a lot smaller, so cramming both of those in there would make it feel so tiny. So we got a 6 drawer dresser and put a changing pad on top of it – you can get a frame for the pad as well.

The dresser is heavy, sturdy and feels high quality. We have had the matching small bookshelf for a couple of years and it’s just as heavy and sturdy too.

Lazy Boy Recliner

This was the very first thing I said I wanted to purchase when I knew we were having a second baby. We had a more affordable rocking chair with Camden, and while it did the job, I really wanted an upgrade. I spend so many hours rocking and feeding in the chair; I wanted a comfortable one. In fact, I’m sitting in Lawson’s room in the recliner right now, typing this. And Camden and I read books before bedtime in the recliner every night. Well worth the investment.

When I learned this mattress existed, I knew I was getting it for Lawson’s crib. I had so much anxiety over safe baby sleep when Camden was a baby. Ask my husband – he’ll tell you I barely slept, because I was so worried about Cam rolling over and not being able to breathe if he was stuck face down.

The Newton Baby breathable crib mattress is seriously amazing – when it was delivered, Andrew and I stuck our faces in it and tried to breathe. You can literally breathe right through it! The cover – and the core – are completely washable, but they sell breathable crib sheets, too. We grabbed a couple of those to make sure we always have something clean for the bed. This crib mattress has been a serious game changer for my SIDS fears.

And, they’ve been kind enough to provide a code for you all: use code lisa_biscuits50 to save $50 off a crib mattress!

Sit Me Up Floor Seat

While Camden loved his swing, it turned out that Lawson did not. For the first couple of months, he thought it was fine. But once he was about 3 1/2 months old, he just wanted to be sitting up and seeing the world. We picked up a Fisher Price Sit Me Up Seat from Target so he could spend short amounts of time sitting up and watching what big brother was doing. With my first, I was more able to hold him whenever, so I could just sit with him and hold him up to look around.

But with 2, I’m trying to juggle both boys and their needs, so I can’t always be holding Lawson. The sit-me-up got used alllllll the time from about 3 months to 6 months, until he could sit solidly and independently on his own.

I picked just a few things to buy for Lawson to make life with a toddler and baby functional and easy. These are all my top choices.

What things did you find you needed for a second child?