Nesting for a second baby

Nesting for a second baby is in full swing! It's been rather fun this time around. When we were pregnant with Serene Joy, I researched baby products every night during the third trimester, trying to figure out what we needed. Now I have a better idea of what we'll need per the newborn necessities we loved during the early days with Serene. Thankfully, there's a ton of stuff we can reuse for our littler love come May.

In addition to being extra keen on keeping the house relatively clean and organized, I've washed and put away the littler love's newborn and 0-3 month clothes (a combination of unisex onesies from Serene's newborn days and boy clothes I'm slowly gathering from consignment sales and thrift stores) in the dresser. We're blessed to get a hand-me-down convertible car seat for Serene, so we'll be transitioning her into it soon so her baby brother can use the infant car seat (Anyone else have their baby in an infant car seat until they're 18 months? She is still content and comfy in there, but we have been lazy). All the swaddles are washed and ready to go; I'm swooning over ones like this and this, but who knows if he'll be a fan of swaddling - Serene wasn't. The newborn Rock 'n Play bassinet is in storage and needs to be washed; he'll be sleeping in there and in the Pack 'n Play until we transition him into a shared room with Serene later on (which means we're also on the lookout for a toddler bed). I plan to exclusively breastfeed again. I hope the littler love and I work out a good nursing rhythm off the bat, although I'm aware every baby is different. I have to test my pump (hand-me-down from a dear friend) to make sure all is working well and strongly. I haven't pumped since I became a stay-at-home mama when Serene was 9 months old. Although the littler love will be using plenty of hand-me-downs, there are a few big-ticket items we have been itching to acquire, many that God has already graciously provided!

1. Baby Carrier
We're big fans of baby-wearing. I especially loved wearing Serene in a ring sling since she was an itty bitty newborn, and still do to this day. It's so sweet to keep her close and snuggly; she loves it too. Alex didn't think he needed a baby carrier and swears he'd never use a sling, so we didn't register one for him the first time around. He was hankering for a carrier pretty soon after Serene was born, especially when we walk around our huge apartment complex to pay visits to our neighbors. Sweet friends gave us a hand-me-down carrier to use, but its back support was subpar. I've been scouring the likes of Craigslist and eBay like a hawk these past few months for this carrier. So thankful we scored a brand-new one from a liquidation sale for a really decent price! Alex loves it already, and we're so happy we'll be able to carry both babies in it. I plan to wear our littler love in my ring sling again. I love it so much that I'm asking Alex if I can get another ring sling even it isn't totally necessary. I'm contemplating trying a lightweight wrap too; I've heard such good things about them for the newborn days.

2. Diaper Pail
We didn't get a diaper pail the first time around because we didn't see why we needed a glorified trashcan. However, solids diapers get so stinky even if we take out the trash once a day. Alex says that because we'll be doing double diaper duty soon, he'd like a diaper pail to keep the odors within. I had my eye on this one, but the price tag was pretty steep. God is so kind to us because I entered a giveaway on whim last week, and ended up winning it (!!!). I am still in disbelief, and in awe of how God provides way more abundantly than we need. Thank you, Lord!

3. Diaper Bag Backpack
I love my current bag that we use as a diaper bag, but the fact remains that one-shoulder bags strain our backs. We'll be carrying two babies and their stuff around, so I've been looking into unisex, lightweight, durable backpacks that function well as diaper bags. I think I've found the one; now we're just waiting for the right price. Hoping it will distribute weight on our backs better while simultaneously leaving us more hands-free.

4. Double Stroller
Having two babies entails getting a double stroller.We currently use this stroller, which we love. I wanted something similar, but with a double seat. I was dreaming about one that doesn't take up too much room from here. God is kind to us because a dear friend is granting us their double stroller as a hand-me-down since their kiddos are bigger now. Another dear friend is lending us their car seat adapter for it. God has provided yet again in the stroller department. I think we're just contemplating getting a stroller organizer since we don't have one for our current stroller and have seen that it is convenient.

5. Video Baby Monitor
We didn't get a baby monitor the first time around since Serene was right next to us pretty much all the time in the first few months. But once she transitioned to her crib in her own room at 3 months, we did wish from time to time that we could see what she was up to in there. We were playing with the idea of getting a baby monitor now that the second baby is due soon. Lo and behold, a dear friend had an extra baby monitor she wasn't using, so she kindly sent it to us. We haven't installed it yet, but we're just floored by God's goodness through our community.

6. White Noise Sound Machine
I used an app on my phone to play white noise for Serene's fussy moments during the early days, but I'm more cautious about radiation now. Serene sleeps in relative quiet and she'll sleep fine through light noise, but I wish we had trained her to sleep through loud noise (which would have been so helpful when having people over). I'm thinking about getting this unobtrusive white noise machine. It may be helpful for either one or both kiddos to sleep better, especially if they'll be sleeping at different times at first.

7. Diapers and Wipes
Obvious necessities. We love these diapers for the newborn days, but buy these on a regular basis. We don't use wipes in the very early days, but use these once we do.

I've been trying to narrow the list down as much as possible. The consumeristic sides of us want to get the latest, greatest, brand-new models of everything, but we realize doing so wouldn't be good stewardship of the resources we already have. Other smaller ticket items baby boy can't use from Serene's stash include pacifiers, newborn mittens, these and these bibs, and a teether. Are there any other baby items you absolutely recommend that I haven't thought about?