Nesting Again: Preparing for Baby #2 Eleven Years Later
It has been 11 whole years since I had a baby and just about 12 years since I was pregnant. And nesting this time around looks quite different, because I have learned a thing or two.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was a vibrant 26 years old. In hindsight, I was still a baby myself. As such, I was not quite sure what a baby required, what I required as a mother, or what my parenting preferences were.
There also was not nearly as much content available through social media, apps, or AI. I remember going to childbirth classes, asking my mom a lot of questions, and reading a book or two. But that was really it.
And so in my naivete, I did whatever my mother recommended and took my time doing so. I just knew that whatever my mom did worked with me and my siblings, so why would it not work now?
I was also convinced pregnancy lasted exactly 40 weeks and that I would deliver at exactly 40 weeks.
Much of that simply was not true.
Parenting Looks Different Across Generations
First, different generations parent differently. The basics stay the same, of course. Babies still need to be fed, changed, held, and loved. But our approaches vary quite a bit.
The list of things our parents used to raise us is very different from the list of things many millennials use today. Some of that difference exists simply because there are so many new products and gadgets on the market designed to make things easier and safer.
Older generations were used to getting by with less. They converted household items into baby items. They shared things between siblings or even between families.
Millennial parents tend to use more dedicated baby products, even as we try to be thoughtful about sustainability. We give babies their own space, their own systems, and often personalize things for each child.
Neither approach is right or wrong. They are simply different.
Babies Do Not Always Follow the Timeline
I also learned the hard way that babies come when they want to come. Or when your body decides it is time.
I delivered my daughter at 37 weeks because I developed preeclampsia. I went to the doctor for what I thought was a routine appointment. I did not bring my purse. I had not eaten breakfast. I was not even wearing makeup. Because I assumed I would be in and out of the appointment and back in bed shortly after.
Instead, they took three blood pressure readings and told me I would be delivering my baby immediately. I was sent to the hospital and delivered the next day.
Because everything happened so quickly, I had not installed the car seat, packed a hospital bag, or even finished nesting.
Nesting for Baby #2 Looks Much Different
This time, I had learned my lesson. The moment the nausea faded during the second trimester, I started preparing to nest. We had only lived in our apartment for about a year, and I had just finished getting it set up perfectly for a family of three. (Isn’t life funny that way?!)
So I walked through each zone of our home and asked a simple question: Where can I make space for this baby?
I cleared out and organized the closet under the stairs, which had slowly turned into a junk closet.
I made space on the shelf above the washer and dryer.
I cleared out one entire kitchen cabinet and made room on the kitchen counter.
I upgraded my nightstand to a larger one so it could hold nighttime feeding supplies.
I cleared out and organized the hallway closet.
I organized a full cabinet in the bathroom.
I upgraded our laundry sorter so I could create a small changing station and make room for baby laundry.
I also cleared out and organized both mine and my husband’s cars.
This process took several weeks, a storage unit rental, and a few trips to the dumpster. But by the end of it, the house had room for a baby.
Organizing the House for a New Baby
My goal was to have every area cleared out before my baby shower. That way, when gifts arrived, everything would already have a dedicated space.
Once the shower came, I simply placed items into the zones I had prepared. Storage containers, labels, dividers, and a few other organizing tools helped make it all work. My husband joked that if I bought one more woven basket he might scream! But the system worked.
Baby clothes, sleep items, and blankets went into the hallway closet.
Diapering supplies went onto the changing table in the hall.
Toiletries and towels went into the bathroom cabinet.
Clothes that are still too big went into the under the stairs closet, along with diaper bags and extra boxes of diapers and wipes.
Laundry supplies went on the shelf near the washer and dryer.
Feeding supplies and nursing items went into the kitchen cabinet.
Everything has a place. And that makes my type-A, perfectionist, OCD self very pleased.
Preparing for Baby Before 36 Weeks
This week we will install the car seat and pack the hospital bag. And I am just 36 weeks pregnant.
My goal throughout this process was simple. I only registered for and purchased items that I remember actually using with my daughter and that fit my real lifestyle. Not the lifestyle I imagined or hoped I might have. I also wanted to have everything ready before 36 weeks, just in case.
Mission accomplished!
What I Actually Needed With My First Baby
One of the benefits of preparing for baby number two is that you already know what you actually used the first time. When I was pregnant with my daughter, it was easy to get caught up in the long registry lists and all the gadgets marketed to new parents. Many of them sounded helpful in theory. But in reality, some of them barely got used.
The things that mattered most were actually very simple.
A safe place for the baby to sleep and play.
A reliable car seat.
Diapers and wipes.
Comfortable places for feeding and holding the baby.
A few good onesies.
Plenty of muslin blankets.
Those were the items I used every single day. Other things were helpful but not essential. And a few things never left the box. Experience has a way of simplifying things.
Waiting for Baby to Arrive
Now my final tasks are simple.
I will make good on a gift certificate to Burke Williams for a spa day.
I will keep going to my doctor’s appointments.
And I will wait for this baby girl to make her arrival.
Because this time around, I am actually ready for her.
If you have prepared for a second baby, especially after a long gap between children, I would love to hear what that experience looked like for you. What did you do differently the second time around?
