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Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Gifts for the second baby in a family can be tough. Parents often have everything they need already from the previous child, so people are left wondering what the best gift ideas might be. The best gifts for second time moms are just tough to come up with. Luckily, this post is feedback on that very idea from 10 experienced mamas…

With William’s due date arriving, I keep getting asked the same question over and over… “What do you need for this baby?”

I have to admit, I can’t come up with much that we need. 

We saved everything from when Caroline was a baby. I started a list of a few things, but all I could really come up with was the following:

  1. A second car seat base for our infant carrier. The first time around we didn’t end up getting one. It was expensive for a convenience item. Now that Joe’s truck is bigger, however, we tend to use it more, so this would be a nice item for us to have.
  2. My Tot clock. This is one of those items that we don’t need until he’s older, but I know we’ll want a second one (I wrote a post about how great this clock is here), so it’s already on the list. LOL!

Other than that, we just haven’t come up with much. 

We have clothes. We have cloth diapers that we’ll be using. So other than maybe some Target gift cards for the unexpected, there’s not a whole lot to buy.

Caroline is turning 4 this month. We haven’t used a stroller since before she was walking. So no need for a double stroller (for our situation anyways).

As I thought about it, I realized that one of the best things would actually be contributions to a college fund.

With Caroline, we had the money to kick-start her 529 plan and get it up and running.

We don’t have the extra money right now, so we’ll just be starting a 529 plan and contributing monthly, without an initial “bigger” deposit. So, contributions to a college fund would be amazing.

I then got curious. I asked other moms that have had multiple children.

“What gift did you value the most in your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. pregnancies?”

“What was the most helpful for those babies when you already had everything you needed?”

I love their answers, and wanted to share them with you today.

10 Experienced Mamas Share Their Most Valued Gifts When They Had it All Already.

Best Gifts for Second Baby (or third or fourth…):

Child hugging pregnant moms belly. Best gifts for second baby.

1- Baby Sling

Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Mandi (mom of 7) says that her most valued gift was:

“Having seven children I like to think I have tried and tested most products for a baby.

The most useful item that I received was a baby sling.

It was perfect for having my hands free to peel the potatoes or help another of my children with their homework, especially when the baby is in the clingy to mum, no-one else will do stage.

But the most useful time for the sling, was the morning and afternoon school runs.

I found it much easier to have the toddler in the pushchair and the baby in the sling.

I have also been known to breastfeed the youngest whilst walking the others into school and nobody ever noticed.”

Mandi writes at BigFamilyOrganisedChaos

I just love this advice. One of my favorite items is our baby carrier. I, personally, liked the soft structured carriers more than slings, but the idea is the same. HANDS FREE!

I loved being hands free with one child, so I am going to get a ton of use out of it now with a second to take care of.

My favorite carrier is the Becco Gemini. Baby can face forward out to the world, or snuggle in with Mama. 

2- Double Stroller

Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Lisa, mom of two, had a newborn and a toddler to take care of. Her favorite item for baby #2 was:

“As a new mom of 2, trying to figure out how to wrangle a toddler, as well as care for my newborn, was a challenge!

Not to mention the daunting thought of trying to get out of the house and go somewhere by myself.

Having two kids so little with only two hands can be intimidating, which is why I think every mom of more than one youngster needs an awesome, reliable double stroller!

I did a lot of research about which stroller would be the best one to meet our family’s needs, and also stay within a budget.

It was a hard search!

My husband was incredibly gracious and bought the Britax B-Agile Double stroller for us! It was a lifesaver for sure.”

Lisa writes at Cheerfully Simple. Check out her post on how to find the right double stroller for your family’s needs by clicking here.

So the double stroller definitely isn’t what we need with a 4 year old and newborn, but I completely see why this is a MUST have with two that are younger!

3- House Cleaning

Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Vanessa (mom of a newborn and toddler), was gifted a genius item:

“The best gift I received when I had baby number 2, was a voucher for some housecleaning sessions.

So helpful when you’ve got a newborn and a toddler and the house looks like a bombsite.

And even better for an eco nerd like me, the cleaner used non toxic cleaning products so I didn’t freak out about the chemicals around my new baby.

Imanaged to spread the cleaning sessions out over about 2 months, so I had somesemblance of order while I got my head around being a mum of two!”

Vanessa writes at Hello Natural Living.

Did you know you can purchase house cleaning on Amazon!? They have all sorts of home services. What a brilliant gift idea for a busy mom!

4- Activities for Older Children

Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Dana (mom of 3), appreciated a gift for her older children, since she already had everything she needed for the baby:

“Having a baby when you have other children is particularly overwhelming.

Trying to entertain the older children, while looking after a newborn, let alone yourself can be tough.

The best gift I was given when I had my third baby was an activity pack for my 4 and 6 year olds.

The pack was simply a gift bag each filled with coloring books, pencils, sticker, feathers, pompoms, glue and some stick on craft eyes.

This provided hours of entertainment for my older children while I was spending a lot of time sitting and breastfeeding.

I think this is the best gift for a new mother with older children.”

Dana writes at Natural Earthy Mama.

I love this idea. One of the things we needed the most after our daughter, April, died, was a way to entertain our older daughter. 

A handful of people thought of that and sent Caroline things to do. It was incredibly helpful because I was in no state to come up with activities in that moment.

With a newborn, a moms attention is predominantly on the baby for the first few weeks. I can see things like this being super helpful as everyone adjusts to the new normal.

I love the idea of gifting things to the older child, not only to keep them occupied and entertained, but also to feel special in their own way, even when Mama and Daddy are busy.

5- Babysitting

Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Ingrid (mom to twins and a newborn) describes the most precious gift she received:

“Having been blessed with twins I already owned all the baby necessities, often in duplicate, by the time baby number 3 appeared.

The gift I most valued receiving after the birth of my third baby was the gift of babysitting my twins by a trusted family member. 

This gift gave me precious one on one time to spend bonding with my new born baby, and enjoying some hours during those early days and weeks together without being interrupted by my toddler twin’s competing demands for my attention.

This really was the most thoughtful and precious gift.”

Ingrid writes at Fabulous and Fun Life.

Such a great idea. I know we’ll have some built in babysitters as family comes to visit and meet William.

For us, we rarely get this, because all of our family is out of state. 

It’s always nice to have the extra set of hands around here at times!

6- Fresh Towels

Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Suzi’s recommendations for the best gift when the second baby arrives:

“The present I appreciated the most when I had my second child was new baby towels that have the hood for their little heads to keep them snug and warm, while I dry them off and dress them.

I find these invaluable at bath time and, although I already had these from my first child, by the time my second came around, they had been washed a lot, were quite worn and were no longer soft and nice.

I loved how my new baby had nice new towels as well.”

Suzi writes at Survey Suzi.

As I read this recommendation, I honestly thought… ‘yeah fresh anything really!’

Isn’t it nice for the next baby to have some fresh towels, fresh clothes, fresh blankets? 

We weren’t big on baby towels ourselves (we tend to just use the regular size towels after a couple of months), but I can see wanting a nice special blanket that’s brand new and welcoming!

7- Meal Delivery Service

Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Katie describes her most valued gift as a mom of more than one:

“Once you have more than one child your most precious asset is time.  Time to take a moment to yourself, time to find something to eat, time so spend with your partner or children. 

The demands of caring for 2 little ones can leave you with no time at all.  That is what the gift of a meal delivery service will be the best gift you can give a new mom. 

With a stock of frozen meals the new mom is able to prepare dinner for herself or her family quickly without the stress of having to grocery shop and cook. 

A meal delivery service is the perfect gift for every new mom no matter how many children they have, everyone needs to eat!”

Katie writes at Little Miss Kate.

I know a lot of people really like gifting tangible items. Sometimes helping out with meals is priceless, though. 

I thought this was such a great idea, and it is something that my former moms club always did when a new baby arrived!

8- Diapers

Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Lisa, mom of two, weighs on on the best gift to receive for the second baby.

“I have just recently had my second baby and, even though there is a four-year age gap between our boys, there didn’t seem to be anything we needed.

Or so we thought. 

After our little boy’s arrival we received a seriously great gift from my husband’s work. 

It was a diaper cake. 

I had never heard of them before, but basically it was about forty newborn diapers arranged in a shape resembling a white-tiered cake. 

It was incredible and just THE best gift. 

Not having to think about making sure you have enough diapers in the house during those newborn days when you are sleep deprived, is such a simple pleasure.”

Lisa writes at The Schooled Parent.

Diapers are one of those super useful gifts. Every baby needs them. Every parent appreciates them!

Even as a cloth diapering mama, it is wonderful to have some disposable newborn diapers to use for those first few weeks. 

This helps to ease into the transition of a new baby without suddenly having to be at the washing machine every day. 

9- Folding Diaper Mat

Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Cristy, mom of 2 boys, describes her favorite gift when it came to her second addition:

“Everything was exciting when shopping for your first baby. After a while, that is when you realize some things are more useful than others.

Then comes the second baby. Here I was thinking I don’t need anything and I can just use what I had before.

Until someone gave me a Portable Changing pad clutch.

This, made my diaper bag lighter and my diaper changing days easier!

The clutch folds into a small rectangle.

In that rectangle, you can place a wet wipe holder, the one that carries about 10-20 wipes. Then it has pockets for a couple of diapers.

This mat unfolds into a waterproof, lightly padded diaper changing station.

I remember questioning the cleanliness of whatever table or surface that is available. At least I have this mat.

Gone are the days of looking in different pockets for a diaper, wipes, and pad.

All I had to do was grab this clutch. I wish I knew about this with my first baby :)”

Cristy writes at Alaska Mom Life.

I do pretty much anything to avoid carrying a huge diaper bag.

Public restrooms are pretty unreliable as to how cleanly they are, and if they even have a changing table. 

This is the perfect little addition to a small bag to carry to ensure you have everything you need in an emergency. 

The rest of the time… I am honestly that mom that uses the back of her car in the parking lot.

It’s super easy to keep extra diapers and wipes in the trunk of my SUV, and there’s plenty of room to change a baby!

This saves me from having to lug a huge bag around! Not to mention remembering to restock the bag!

The car is always stocked! LOL

10- Family Photo Shoot

Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Jolene is a mom to 3 girls. She has what might be the perfect advice for a gift for the experienced mom:

“After two other babies, I had everything I could possibly want or need in the department of toys, equipment and baby supplies.

So the best gifts for our 3rd bundle of joy came in the form of vouchers, my favorite of which was a family photo shoot voucher, so that we could update all of our family photos that were on our walls.

It can be REALLY tricky to get a family photo with a new baby in the picture, and it is even harder to get one where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling.

So make sure you purchase the voucher with a photographer that has experience working with families, and particularly with newborn babies.

Family photo shoots can be a bit pricey, especially if you include one framed photo in the package, but honestly every day when we walk past our beautiful photos on the wall we are grateful for this beautiful gift.”

Jolene writes at Mum Knows Best.

Our last family photo shoot was in the fall of 2016. It was 2 years ago!

I loved this idea when Jolene suggested it. 

We skipped a year because I couldn’t fathom the idea of having family photos taken without our entire family in them. Having just lost our daughter, April, I just couldn’t handle it.

This year, I have no excuse other than I’m pregnant and it seems to make sense to wait until baby William arrives!

The best part about this gift, is that you also get to support a local business. Instead of gifting through a company, find a local photographer and gift a session through them! 

Jenny Stout is the amazing woman who ran to the hospital selflessly to take photos of our sweet April Rey… when she had NEVER met us.

She’s such an amazing person.

When we get around to booking our next photo session, it will be with her for sure! 

BONUS Idea- Parenting Books

Parenting is one of those things that we just never perfect. We can ALWAYS use more ideas. Maybe our first baby didn’t sleep as well as we wanted them to, and a parent is looking to do things differently or get more support.

Maybe the older child is struggling a bit with the idea of a new sibling coming.

Here are some great books to gift a mom that is pregnant for the second time:

Baby Sleep Solutions– this book will have their newborn sleeping through the night with 6 practical steps. These parents will be thanking you later when they have a quiet house!

Are you looking for help with baby schedules and sleep?

I’ve created two invaluable resources for you based on my personal experiences with my babies and in helping countless other parents.

1. I wrote a book about all of my tips and tricks when it comes to baby schedules, sleep and more. I wrote this book with new parents in mind, so it’s an EASY read and it’s realistic and something you can start implementing immediately.
2. I created schedule tracking sheets for your baby’s first full year.

Where can you get your copy of these resources?

Baby Sleep Solutions Book
You can get this book on Amazon, in 3 formats:
Paperback
Ebook
Audiobook
Click here to go to amazon and add this to your cart.

Baby Schedule Tracking Sheets
These sheets also come in multiple formats!
1. Printable sheets right to your inbox and out of your printer.
2. Paperback book (with over 365 sheets to get your through each age for an entire year)

baby sleep solutions book

Baby Sleep Solutions Book

You guys I am so proud of this accomplishment because it turned out to be the perfect parenting book. It’s exactly what I envisioned:

-Easy to read.
-No fluff.
-Realistic to implement.
-REAL- it’s our real life situations that you can relate to.
-This book contains 6 easy and realistic steps to take with your baby to have them sleeping through the night and on a great schedule.

View the book on amazon by clicking here.

Schedule Tracking Sheets

These sheets are not only a great place to record YOUR baby’s schedule and observations, they have the recommended schedule, wake times, nap times, etc. for each age listed out for your reference!

You can grab a paperback book on amazon by clicking here.

Or you can head to my Printable Parenting Tools shop and get the printable sheets delivered straight to your inbox by clicking here!

Waiting for Baby– this is a fun book for an older sibling to get used to the idea of a baby coming.

The Baby Is Here– This is a Daniel Tiger book about Baby Margaret being born. We love all things Daniel Tiger in this house. The messages are so helpful. This one talks about how the big sibling can be a big helper in the family. It’s a wonderful message. We also have this book called “Big Brother Daniel.” Both were excellent additions when I was pregnant again.

baby sleep solutions book
Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)
Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)
Best Gifts for Second Baby (Or The Experienced Mama)

Another bonus idea is anything personalized. The first baby gets all sorts of blankets, stuffed animals, hats, etc. So many things with their name on it. The second child gets hand me downs. A fun new item with their name on it special for them would be a great idea.

And don’t discount a fun DIY project. Here is a great one for how to make a cute and practical baby gift basket.

The best baby shower gifts for a second time mom.
Should I give a gift for a second baby?

Yes! Parents love getting gifts for second babies. While baby showers are not always done, it is very special to receive a gift. This post outlines some great ideas for what to get the parent that already has it all.

What are the best gifts for a second baby?

Even parents that have it all, need some items for baby number 2. Practical items like diapers and gift cards are always appreciated. Personalized gifts are also a great idea. For the top 10 gifts, visit this post.

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