Must Haves for a Mom of 2

A double stroller (where one child sit in front of the other - not a side by side because then they can bug each other!) and a Baby Bjorn carrier. Don't go with the other brands - spend the extra for the Baby Bjorn - it's the most comfortable! Good luck!

J.

Hello and happy mothers day!! I am also a mother of 2. My son is three and my daughter turns two in june so they are close as well. one thing i can suggest is simplicity. If you can take a shortcut in anything do it. You will be very busy. Also easy shoeslike velcro and sandals. Keep a diaper bag in the car at all times with wipes diapers toys and a change of clothes for each child. Good luck wiyh everything!

I'm a mother of 2 girls and the "must have" item(s) I pick are:
1) Double-Stroller (I personally have a Graco Duo Glider and love it)
2) Snuglie and/or hip holder
3) Good Digital Camera to keep on you at all times (those precious moments between siblings are adorable
4) There's other items I know I'm forgetting but that about covers it. I know you already know about the "basic" necessities for new babies so I didn't bother listing them.

Good Luck :)

Also, I'm not sure what area you live, but wanted to invite you to join a local Mom's Group for working moms, stay-at-home moms and pregnant moms called "St Pete Working Moms" at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StPeteWorkingMoms/

C.

I loved the Euro tub for babies. It has a contour that holds baby up and allows for hands free bathing. And it has a toddler side too. Its my gift of choice to new mommies. Also I love the Mother of All... series of books. I lived by the Mother of All Pregnancy Books and loved The Mother of All Baby Books. I am reading The Mother of All Toddler Books too. I will continue with this series because she writes like you're talking to a friend and covers things that you wouldn't think about. Get a front baby carrier. Get a swing. Get help...the baby will take up time that you will feel guilty not giving to your older child...having someone to allow you to care for the baby as needed and to keep the older child happy will be a huge blessing. My kids aren't spaced this close, but my sister's were. It will be tough, but remembering that each phase is temporary and to do the best you can helps. If you think for a moment that you have the baby blues, get help then too. Babies are known for immature digestive systems. Nursing works best. I found that GoodStart worked best afterwards. It's broken down already and easier on their systems. It also is the closest in taste to breastmilk, so the transition is easier. Gerber Gas Drops helps in an instant with gassy tummys and Gripe Water helps longer termed. Good luck to you and congratulations too. Love them madly!

K.~
Mommy to Alyssa Marin 3/23/2003
and Zachary Ryan 5/4/2006

The book, "On Becoming Babywise", sleep sacks (saved me during winter and kept me from bundling my January 3rd girl!), get a good Medela breast pump (double, either that you purchase or rent from hospital, although if you plan to pump longer than 5 months, it's worth it to buy!) so you can save time pumping that you can be sleeping! :) Use breast milk bags with zip lock (either Gerber or Lansinoh were my favorite - forget Medela on this one, they were awful! Also, Tiny Love's Symphony, Light & Music mobile, my Laura Ashley swing went for-EVER without changing batteries and she slept in it every morning while I got ready for work! A great exersaucer, forget pacifiers altogether! I think that's all for now! Have fun, I know it'll be hard but enjoy it, because multiple children is a blessing!

K.

what a mother of two needs????

1. lots of advil stockup now lol
2. start buy extra diapers now, my daughters are 18 mo apart as well and with the second every month we would buy extra diapers we only bought like two packs of newborn size by the time she was born we had atleast 2 packs of newborn through size 4 which helped having them so when i went to put on the size she was currently in and relized she grew over nite i had a pack of the next size on hand
3. extra gifts to set aside for the older one so that on days she is having a hard time sharing mommy the "baby can give her a present" this worked well with my friends oldest i was gonna do this with my daughter but she was in love from day one so i used them tokeep her busy when mommy had got all the help she could stand lol

those would be the 3 things that most people don't think about because they arent major things ie double strollers and such (i ended up never using my double stroller but maybe twice the one i had seemed like more of a pain in the butt then a help so make sure you dont get a bulky one i thought of the extra storage space it had i thought that one out wrong!!!)

Hello D.,
Congratulations!!! Here is my list of items, sorry it looks messy I have just copy and paste it from my e-mail. I have e-mailed my research list to all friends and asked them for a feed back before I have finalized my registry. Please let me know if you have any questions.

best items;
breast pump (hospital rental madela)> boppy> baby einstein dvds >dr. brown bottles, warmer, sterilizer > Nuk pacifiers> huggies diapers> swadler> Pack'n Play> Aquarium Bath Tub> baby sign language basics> Stokke's high chair> Petunia and Fleurville diper bag> Bugaboo stroller > Humidator> Swing> Jumper> BebePodplus, Mustela products, SpaSilk onesies, Swing (please make sure yours has a plug, I change the batteries weekly), Play Gym, Disposable changing table pads, dreft detergent and dreft stain remover, JJ Cole set; diaper case, pacifier case and bottle case, Bouncing Seat, Video Monitor, Trampette Socks.

Not too crazy about items;
Diaper Genie> Walker> Store's breast bumps.

I am sure you already know the basics since you have a 11 mth old. My two children are 19 mths apart. My second is almost 5 mths old already so I know what you are experiencing and going to go through. I wont lie to you it is sooo hard. My older daughter can be really good but she can also hit the baby, try to stick something in her eye etc. You need a play pen or anything that can keep the baby out of your older child's reach. With your first being so young it is not that they want to hurt the baby they just don't understand. My daughter thought she was giving the baby medicine in her eye and being helpful. Also, you need to be emotional prepared for your first one to get jealous and to not have the time you would like to spend with her. I went through postpartum depression. I cried everytime I saw my older daughter (I felt like the worse mom because she was playing by herself) and evertime my husband was doing something with her that I couldn't because I had to nurse the baby or change the baby. I felt so bad because I was missing out on these moments with my older child. I also cried when I would leave the baby to play with my older daughter because I felt like I was putting my older child's needs first. My second baby was colic, had acid reflux, thrush and anything you can think of that made her cry 24.7. You need to be prepared for that possibility. The only way I was able to function and give my older daughter attention was by putting the baby in a front carrier. Invest in a good front carrier that is easy to put the baby in and out. I had a cheap one and everytime I would take her out she woke up because you had to pull her feet out of these tiny holes. Once I got a more expensive brand it was amazing. I could put her in and out without crying or waking up. I had the baby in the front carrier almost daily so I took my daughter to the park and gymboree everything. A bumbo seat for the baby is also a must. You can't leave her alone in it with the older child around but the baby can play and look at you so you can give them both attention. Be prepared is my best advice not with stuff but emotional. The baby needs to be held a lot and will take up a lot of your time. I would make sure you help your older child get ready for this emotional change. Let her get use to playing on her own and having daddy do stuff. That was my biggest mistake. Even though I work I did everything for my daughter and spent every second I had with her. She never spent the night away from me. She was out of sorts while I was in the hospital. At first I wanted her to stay in the hospital with me but the baby cried all fo the time from the day she was born until she was 10 weeks old so it wasn't a good idea for my older child to stay with me. When the baby came and I had to tend to the baby she would scream and cry so bad when my husband was trying to give her a bath or change her diaper or do anything for her because she wanted me to do it. It made me feel so bad that I would put down the baby to tend to her and the baby would start to scream because she needed me as well. There was no easy way out of it. My older daughter still screams if my husband gives her a bath or takes her out of the bath, it breaks my heart. Make sure you buy one of those blankets designed to swaddle the baby, it was the only way my baby would fall asleep. Good luck and if you need more advice or to take just e-mail me. I went through it and I am still going through it so I can definitely give you some advice and help.

My son turned 2 a few weeks after my daughter was born. Right now I find myself using things I didn't use as much with him, like the bjorn baby carrier and the playpen (you can't put the second one down on a blanket on the floor nearly as much with your first happily running around!) We have a double stroller, but I find that while I can put the baby in the bjorn I just take our old single stroller for the older one.

Congratulations on the new baby. :) My son loves being a big brother (most of the time). I hope it's the same for Layla.

I would also say a front carrier is a must-have. I had one that the baby can face either forward or backward, and the part the baby is in can detach from the part that goes around your back and waist. It sure did help, especially for my daughter. All she did was cry non stop for her first year. Unless she was held and I had a 2 year old so I was able to have her in the carrier and my son in my lap. I loved it so much that I just it all the time for my next 2 babies!!!! I had a dark colored one so that my husband wouldn't feel stupid wearing it, and mine also could open on the inside so the baby could nurse while in the carrier!!!! I can't say nothing bad about them. I had bought a double stroller, but hated it!!! The carrier allowed me to walk around and be able to push a stroller (a normal one thats easy to push!!!)