Jun 15, 2011  •  In Aerin, Baby, Claire, Home, Parenting, Personal

Second Baby Purchases

Update on the bloody mucous: I’m still spotting and cramping a bit, but it has definitely lessened so we won’t be going to the ER. Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep last night. And since I am supposed to be taking it easy (and the nanny isn’t available on Wednesdays), J took the day off from work today so that he could watch Claire and tend to my needs. I’m trying my best to rest, but I am having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. As such, I am momentarily keeping myself busy on the interweb while I wait for my Unisom to kick in.


One bright side to having another girl — especially one so close in age to the first — is that we will not need to purchase many new baby items. I had always joked that if BebeDeux turns out to be a boy, we will dress him in Claire’s old clothes in order to save money, but I knew that in reality, we would have passed down the non-unisex outfits and toys to J’s cousin (who is expecting a girl this September).

Another big bonus is that BebeDeux will be born in the same season as Claire.  🙂

That being said, there are a few big items that we know we will need to purchase…

The first on our list is a new carseat. We will probably get a convertible carseat for Claire to use, and let BebeDeux use Claire’s current infant carseat. According to my go-to book for baby purchases, the Britax Boulevard CS seems to be the best fit for our needs:

Sure, it is one of the more expensive convertible carseats on the market today. But it is also one of the higest-rated for safety, can be used up to 70 lbs, and fairy easy to use (from what I’ve read). We also figure that we can use one of the many 20% off coupons we receive from BRU when making the purchase later this summer.

The next item on our list is a stroller. We debated getting a separate stroller for BebeDeux, or even getting a double stroller for both babies.

Then we remembered that one of the reasons we had decided on our current stroller, the UPPAbaby Vista, is because you can add a Rumble Seat to it, like so:

At first I was a bit hesitant — would Claire be content sitting on the bottom? If anything, I could see her kicking up at the BebeDeux!

I then took a look at the instruction manual and found the following page:

Until BebeDeux gets big enough, you can set it so that the babies face each other! Sold!

The last item on our list is a place for BebeDeux to sleep. We know that for the first couple of months of her life, she will sleep in Claire’s old bassinet, but we have yet to decide what to do once she outgrows it. Claire’s room is cramped enough as it is, so I doubt that we can fit another crib in there. I actually suggested that J and I take the smaller room and let the girls share the large master bedroom, but he vehemently refused.

So we will most likely end up having a crib or a Pack N Play in the living room or our bedroom, but we haven’t decided yet. Either way, we will need to get rid of some furniture and move a bunch of stuff around. Obviously, we hadn’t thought as far ahead to a second child when purchasing our 2-bedroom condo.  🙁

Several people have asked me if we will be having a baby shower for BebeDeux. I am currently on the “no” side of the fence on this one — I had thought that having a baby shower for a second/third/etc child is a faux-pas unless the children are far apart in age, or a different sex, no?

And while I believe that every child should be celebrated, I’m not sure that asking people to fork over more of their hard-earned money for a second time in two years is the best way to go about it.

J thinks that we should at least have a registry just in case anyone wants to buy us a gift (because not everything can be reused, and there are a few items here and there we did not have with Claire that we would like with BebeDeux), but I’m not sure about that either.

Perhaps a sip-and-see after the baby is born? What do you think?

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8 Responses to “Second Baby Purchases”

  1. Cyndi says:

    I’m glad you are feeling better Jenny! I hope the spotting and cramping goes away completely so you can relax and have piece of mind.

    We have two convertible seats..One is a britax..We use it in Jin’s car (watch amazon b/c i have found that brand on sale many times) The one in my car is an Evenflo (sp?) I have to say i dislike the britax b/c it is very big around the top..It is very cumbersome to get Ainsley in and out of it since Jin has a smaller car..We did move it to my crv to see if it made a difference but i still didn’t like it and made Jin put in my old seat..

    I also found the straps on the Britax we have are a bit harder to get tight..Jin can tighten them just fine but i seem to have trouble getting them where i want them to be..

    The convert seat i have came in 4th or 5th in safety ratings the year A was born..(so it is up there with the Britax) Just some food for thought from someone who is using convertible seats

    I also say no on a baby shower for anything after the first (even if the babies are spread out and different sexes) I have had family make registries for baby #2 (different sex) and i can tell you it didn’t get a good response from the rest of the family..

    • I have only heard (and read) good things about the Britax, so I really really appreciate your honest thoughts. Who knows? Maybe after trying out various carseats at the store we may go a completely different direction (like how we decided to go with the Chicco Keyfit over the Graco Snugride after trying them out at the store). Thanks!

  2. stacey says:

    For a coworker of mine, we did a book shower – everyone brought a favorite childhood book to build up her baby’s library. So you could do something similar? Then people don’t have to spend a lot, (kids’ books are pretty cheap) but they still get to give something.

  3. Mina says:

    glad that you are feeling better! i hope that things even out and the bleeding/cramping stop and that both you and bebedeux are okay!

    i’m nowhere near this stage, but i would probably shy away from another shower as well, although i like stacey’s idea of something low-key.

  4. I know some people think it’s uncouth to host a second baby shower for subsequent children, but I’m not one of those people!

    I have heard about people hosting a barbecue and having guests bring diapers/wipes in exchange for an “open bar,” so to speak. I’ve also heard about couples hosting a Welcome Baby potluck brunch a month or so after baby is born. No pressure to bring gifts (if you want to, awesome) AND your friends/family can meet Baby Deux.

    I personally wouldn’t mind attending a second baby shower because I think every child is unique and should be celebrated. If you don’t want gifts, you could always write on the invites that gifts are not necessary. Or you could set up a college fund for Baby Deux and have people contribute. There are so many cool ideas!

    Sorry, I got a bit carried away, huh?

  5. Wendy says:

    Instead of a baby shower, I’ve heard of people throwing a baby “sprinkle”, a nod to simpler gift requests, like books, diapers, wipes, and college fund donations. I’ve been to several, low-key but a great way to celebrate the new baby!

    P.S. Glad you’re feeling better!
    P.P.S. This may be a silly question but you can take Unisom when you’re pregnant? Just wondering for the next time I get pregnant.

  6. Renee says:

    I know this is an old post, but I had to comment! We’re also expecting baby #2, another girl. My MIL suggested a brunch for close family & friends in place of another baby shower because they’d probably be buying us gifts anyway. Like you, I don’t like the idea of another shower, since it’s another girl & she’s just now turning 2… we kept all the clothes & such. I ended up saying thanks, but no, to the brunch-if they’re going to get us gifts, they’re going to get us gifts. Those that I’d invite went way above & beyond on the gifts for #1, and I wouldn’t feel right asking for more gifts. Oh–and we went with the Evenflo Triumph convertible seat for our daughter. Great safety ratings & less expensive than the Britax models. 🙂

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