It is always exciting to welcome a second baby. Mom and dad feel a bit more comfortable with their second baby. Welcoming your first baby can be exciting, but it can also be nerve-wracking, as mom and dad are having to make these adjustments for the first time, and they may not have had much experience caring for babies.
Now that they have their second on the way, they feel more comfortable and confident. While there are certain things that they will have to adjust to and get used to, like caring for a newborn and an older child, they are helped by their experience and the baby products they already have.
The benefit of having more than one child is that you can usually use a lot of your baby products again, saving couples a lot of money along the way. If they kept everything gender-neutral, or they are having a baby of the same sex, it can be a relief to just have to dig out all the baby items that need to be cleaned, and set up.
However, not every baby item is created equally, and this means couples have to be careful about what they reuse, and what they just throw away. To help with that, we have 5 things that are OK to use again, but also 5 things that need to be just thrown out, and 1 thing that is a “maybe.”
11 Things To Keep: Crib
According to The Motherhood Edit, while you want to ditch the mattress, cribs are perfectly OK to keep and use again. It is important to make sure your crib still meets the safety requirements, and tighten any screws, but it should still be good to use.
10 Things To Keep: Strollers
Strollers are made to take a bit of a beating, and they are perfectly fine to use with multiple children. Their fabric may fade in color, but they are usually completely safe to be used again, as long as mom doesn’t notice any obvious signs of breaking, especially in the harness.
9 Things To Keep: Highchair
Highchairs are used often, but they are also made in a sturdy way, and they should be able to be passed on to second children. Mom will want to make sure it is cleaned and sanitized, and that all the straps are still intact, but it should be good to go.
8 Things To Keep: Clothes
If mom and dad are having a baby of the same gender, or they have a lot of gender-neutral clothes from their first child, these should absolutely be reused with the second. This is a great way to save some money, and there are likely a lot of clothes there to go through.
7 Things To Keep: Toys
Toys are usually made tough, and as long as they are in good condition, with nothing visibly broken, they can be used for a second child. Mom should have put them all in a bin when her first child outgrew them, and now is the time to pull them out, give them a good cleaning, and they are good to go.
6 Throw Out: Mattresses
Mattresses are expensive, and if your older child is ready to move to a toddler bed, mom may be thinking she can just keep the mattress in the crib for the next baby. According to Tiny Beans, mattresses should never be reused, and that is because they may not be as firm as they once were, and this could put the new baby at risk for SIDS.
5 Throw Out: Nipples
If you bottle-fed your first baby, and are planning on doing it again, you will need to get some new bottle nipples. Nipples are typically made using silicone or rubber, and these break down over time. The bottles are good to be used again, provided they are cleaned and sanitized.
4 Throw Out: Pacifiers
For many of the same reasons, pacifiers should also be thrown out and purchased new. Pacifiers are made from the same material, and their safety may have been compromised after being used by the first baby. The base could break off, making them a choking hazard.
3 Throw Out: Shoes
This is one that a lot of parents don’t always think about and that is baby shoes. Any shoes that your first child has worn should be thrown out and not passed down. That is because shoes will “mold” to a child’s feet, and they may hinder walking in the new baby.
2 Throw Out: Eating Utensils
According to The Planning Mom, if any dishes have been used to go in your oldest child’s mouth, they should be thrown out. This means cups, utensils, or any plates that have spent a lot of time in someone’s mouth should be thrown out and replaced. They could be worn down, and small parts could be ready to break down.
1 Maybe: Car Seat
This one is a “maybe,” and while mom may want to reuse the car seat from her first child, she has to make sure that it is safe. If it has ever been in a car accident, it should be thrown away immediately. However, as long as the car seat is still in good condition, and has not expired, it is still good to use for the second baby.
Sources: Tiny Beans, Motherhood Edit, The Planning Mom