As we approach the birth of our second baby I’m feeling somewhere between “I’m a veteran mom! I have all the baby products I need! This isn’t my first rodeo! It will all work out!” and, “What am I even doing?”

Apparently three years is enough time to both make you confident and simultaneously un-confident that you know how to raise a human.

Mostly, I know that it will all work out in the end. I didn’t know what I was doing the first round and we all made it through, and I have so much more experience under my belt with this one, and I know we’ll make it through again. I know there will be sleepless nights and long days, and I also know there will be sweet giggles and coos and that intoxicating, straight-from-heaven newborn baby scent. I am ready for all of it.

Here are the baby products I’m planning on using this time:

GEAR

A double stroller. There are fancier brands on the market, yes. But for me, I need a jogging stroller more than a city stroller. I absolutely loved my Thule single and three years later we still use it as our one and only stroller, so I upgraded to the double. Since being on such limited activity this pregnancy I cannot even wait to put this to use.

Another option to convert a single stroller into a double is to use this convertible buggy board, as a stand-on riding attachment. We’re keeping our single stroller and using this for when we want less width than a double to navigate through tiny doors or other areas, or for travel.

I didn’t have a play gym with our first and we borrowed an exersaucer, but for this baby I have this activity gym in the “up for adventure” style, and this activity center.

We will use the infant car seat we still have, and our dockatot. I bought this high chair second hand and love how long it lasts through different ages, and will use it again.

I had several carriers with my first and plan to use them again: the Ergo, Solly wrap, and Wildbird sing.

I saw this cute baby bath insert for sink baths by Blooming Baby, and it seems so soft! Much more enticing than the harder ones I’ve used in the past. Curious to see if this baby likes infant baths more than Trey did.

FEEDING

This is what I will spend the majority of my time doing with a newborn and the products I will need the most. So many things that I love by Medela. This pump, which I am probably more excited about than someone should be about a breast pump. It’s hospital grade, double electric, a closed system, super quiet, doesn’t have to be plugged in, lightweight, and connects via bluetooth to an app. I tried two other Medela pumps with Trey and loved them both. From what I hear, this version isn’t widely available on insurance plans yet, but if it’s covered on yours, it’s a great option. I read this review here which officially converted me and I am looking forward to trying it out.

More items: a hands free pump bra (I remember when I remarked to Daniel how helpful this product was with Trey and he said “All pumps don’t come with that? That’s terrible. It’s like when they started putting wheels on suitcases.”) It’s true - the hands free factor of pumping helped me so much. Also - personal fit flex shields (make sure you’re using the right shield size, I think this was a big factor in me never getting Mastitis or a clogged duct), these milk storage bags are the best because they stand up when your pour into them, pump and save storage bags (which let you pump directly into the bags, game changer), a stretchy nursing bra for sleep (or daytime) with a wicking fabric. For pain: tender care hydrogels, ice packs, tender care lanolin, and another nipple balm.

I love Dr. Brown’s bottles and every lactation consultant that I saw with Trey recommends them because of the vent. I have the options style in regular and glass. (Make sure you remove the vent if you change altitude on road trips or planes to prevent leaks.) I also picked up this warmer.

We will use this drying rack again. I like the larger size and that it comes in white.

I had so much milk with Trey and used this amazing invention to catch all the milk on the opposite side while I nursed. It was such a milk (and life) saver. I will be using that again and also got this one to try.

These are my favorite nursing pads. I stock up.

I have heard nothing but amazing things from a friend about this bra, for hands-free pumping, nursing, and working out (am told to size up).

POSTPARTUM

Earth Mama Angel Baby makes some of my favorite postpartum products, especially this and this.

New Mom Care Kit by Rael. This is a postpartum box of necessities that are sustainable, organic, and beautifully packaged. A big part of that first week (or weeks!) is not just taking care of a newborn, but also your own recovery from birth, and I didn’t realize that until I had my first baby. The best part of this box is the washable, organic cotton absorbent underwear. Love these so much more than pads for recovery.

Another option: the mesh undies, if your hospital provides them. One step up: they also come in black with a better waistband and fit, online here.

TEXTILES & BLANKETS

Saranoni makes my favorite plush blankets in all sizes. Trey has this one on his toddler bed and for this little girl we have this one. So soft, great quality, great price point.

Little Giraffe for a luxe lovie. Trey still adores his, and these make a great luxury gift.

Copper Pearl for the best absorbent, oversized burp rags and stretchy, soft, three layer blankets.

Petal and Branch makes beautiful, hand made quilts. Pictured is this one.

DIAPERS

With Trey I exclusively used and loved Costco diapers and wipes. They don’t sell newborn sizes so I picked up a couple boxes of these on Amazon, and I also have a box of Parasol in size 1 to try that seem great (and look at that packaging! Swoon). They are uniquely designed, each package lasts about a month, and it’s all mailed via a delivery service to ease the buying process.

For a curve ball, we’re also considering cloth diapering. We will see how it goes and I imagine we will do some kind of combination of both. I picked up a set of these, because everyone I’ve talked to seems to like this brand the best and the All in Ones sound easiest for first timers. I read this blog post here when I was researching (although everyone I’ve talked to says they don’t know how they did it with just a set of 12.) A couple friends recommended this website for washing instructions, and there is a lot to know there. Luckily our Kirkland brand laundry soap made the cut so we don’t have to buy special soap. It was a couple hundred dollar initial investment, but I also heard it can save you around $2,000 - $3,000 over the course of a few years. At first I was turned off by the bright colors and prints but I found some muted ones, the colors I went with are Bubble, Noodle, and Sweet. We will see how it goes.

With this being our second baby, I know I’ve done this once before and I know everything will ultimately work out. I know my style as a mom now. I know what I like, I know the things I need, and the things I don’t. This time, I hope to not compare myself or my mothering to anybody else, and especially not to the filtered lives we see of strangers on the internet. Most importantly, I know I can do this. We are so ready.

Shared in partnership with most brands listed. Many products were gifted, and all have been used and loved personally. Not a sponsored post.