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Expecting Baby #2? What to Put on Your Registry
Expecting Baby #2? What to Put on Your Registry

Expecting Baby #2? What to Put on Your Registry

You’ve done this before, but that doesn’t mean you have everything. Here’s what you’ll need for baby #2.

author-Briana Engelbrecht
By Briana Engelbrecht and Latifah Miles
Updated On
Updated On
Our editors independently test and curate products. If you make a purchase via our links we may earn a commission.

In This Article

Baby Gear
Nursery
Feeding
Clothing + Accessories
Upgrades
Toys
Replenishments

A lot about having a second baby may feel easier—you’ve already experienced the sleepless nights, the mystery cries and maybe even mastered the art of cooking one-handed. But growing your family comes with its own curveballs, especially when it comes to figuring out what you actually need for baby number two.

And if you’re wondering: am I allowed to do the whole registry and baby shower thing again? The answer is a resounding yes! Every baby deserves to be celebrated. 

We polled Babylist parents in our newsletter to get the top products that made it onto their registry for baby number two. While many parents found they could reuse some of their gear from their first child (like an activity gym and hand-me-down clothing), some things definitely needed to be replaced or repurchased (think bottle nipples and pacifiers). A few expecting parents who had a close age gap between babies said their older child still needed some of their gear, like their convertible car seat or another crib, because they’d turned the crib into a toddler bed. Some parents told us they added items in new colors or styles—especially if baby #2 is a different gender. Others took the opportunity to treat themselves to a few upgrades, like a splurge-worthy baby carrier or the fancier stroller they wished they’d registered for the first time.

Every baby deserves a little something new—here are the products parents were excited to add for round two.

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Baby Gear

The main category on anyone's registry is baby gear. It includes “big stuff”—things like car seats, strollers, cribs, bassinets, bouncer seats and more. 

What you’ll need to add to your registry for baby number two will likely depend on the age gap between your little ones. If they’re closer in age, you may be able to pass some things down to the new baby unless your first still needs it. 

Car seats are a great example since your first baby may still be using their infant seat. If they’ve already transitioned to a convertible seat, you can reuse your infant car seat as long as it’s not expired, damaged and hasn’t been in any accidents.

On the other hand, if you have a larger age gap between your first and second kids, you may not have saved anything from your first child. And even if you do have used gear like a crib stashed in storage, you’ll want to

consider its age and condition. Cribs tend to weaken over time, especially after consistent use. 

If you didn’t plan your baby gear with a growing family in mind, and your older child is still of a stroller-cruising age, you might need to add a new one to your registry the second time around. Or maybe you were anticipating having more children, and now you need a few accessories to turn your stroller into a double. Parents of siblings with a larger age gap might appreciate a stroller wagon (like the Veer City Cruiser below) that can fit older children—up to 55 lbs per seat—and an infant car seat with a special adapter. 

A few more products you may not have saved include:

UPPAbaby Vista V3 Stroller - Declan.

UPPAbaby 
Vista V3 Stroller

Add to Babylist
Babylist$999.99
Amazon$999.99
UPPAbaby RumbleSeat V3 - Declan.

UPPAbaby 
RumbleSeat V3

Add to Babylist
Amazon$299.99
uppababy.com$299.99
Mockingbird Car Seat Adapter for Mockingbird Stroller - Graco/Chicco/Baby Jogger/Britax B-Safe.

Mockingbird 
Car Seat Adapter for Mockingbird Stroller

Add to Babylist
Babylist$50.00
Mockingbird$50.00
Joie Mint Latch Baseless Infant Car Seat - Mocha.

Joie 
Mint Latch Baseless Infant Car Seat

Add to Babylist
Babylist$299.99
Target$299.99
Zoe Twinᵛ² Double Stroller - Black.

Zoe 
Twinᵛ² Double Stroller

Add to Babylist
Babylist$529.00
Graco SlimFit 3-in-1 Car Seat - Jarret.

Graco 
SlimFit 3-in-1 Car Seat

Add to Babylist
Babylist$239.99
Amazon$179.99
Walmart$179.99
Target$179.99
Target$179.99
Veer All-Terrain Cruiser Wagon - All-Terrain Cruiser Wagon.

Veer 
All-Terrain Cruiser Wagon

Add to Babylist
Babylist$699.00
Amazon$699.00
goveer.com$699.00
Nordstrom$699.00
MABĒ The Monarch Baby Buckle Carrier - Dream Wash Denim.

MABĒ 
The Monarch Baby Buckle Carrier

Add to Babylist
Babylist$129.00
Amazon$129.00
Nordstrom$129.00
Target$129.99
Angelcare Baby Bath Support & Thermometer Gift Bundle - Grey.

Angelcare 
Baby Bath Support & Thermometer Gift Bundle

Add to Babylist
Babylist$37.99
BabyBjörn Bouncer, Balance Soft, Tri-Fabric - Cotton/Jersey/Mesh Light Beige.

BabyBjörn 
Bouncer, Balance Soft, Tri-Fabric

Add to Babylist
Babylist$229.99
Amazon$229.99
Target$229.99
Fodoss Large Playpen for Babies and Toddlers.

Fodoss 
Large Playpen for Babies and Toddlers

Add to Babylist
amazon.com$89.99

Nursery

Where your second baby is going to sleep will affect what you need for the nursery. For instance, if your new baby is sharing a room with your first child, there are a few things that they can share, like a sound machine and ch

anging table. But if the new baby gets their own nursery, you may have to start from scratch.

If your first child and new baby will be sharing a room, you probably don’t need another sound machine or diaper pail. But if they’ll each have their own room, you’ll want to double up on that kind of gear. 

Also think about what you’ve saved—if anything—from your first child’s newborn and infant stage. Cribs tend to get worn out over time with regular use. If your first has transitioned to a toddler bed and you saved their crib to pass down, be sure to check that it’s in good condition and not past its expiration date. 

Gently used swaddles, sleep sacks, crib sheets and other linens like that might be fine to pass down to baby number two, but it’s also okay to register for a few new ones!

Feeding

According to Babylist parents, bottles, nipples and pacifiers were among the first things they added to their registry for baby number two. Which makes a ton of sense because they tend to get worn out and aren’t ideal for passing down. And every baby is so different, what worked for your first may not cut it with the next baby. Switching from plastic to glass bottles was another theme that came up quite a bit. 

And if you’re feeding your baby differently this time around, you might need different gear than you used the first time. For example, if you’re new to formula, a bottle prep station with a formula maker and bottle washer can be game-changers. 

Burp cloths and bibs are worth refreshing too—especially if your first set has seen better days.

Clothing + Accessories

Even if you’re planning to reuse baby clothes from your first, a few fresh pieces can come in handy. Quite a few second-time parents told us they added some clothing and accessories—especially when seasons didn’t line up or they were expecting a different gender. One parent shared, “Baby #2 was the opposite sex and offset by six months, so a lot of our hand-me-downs weren’t seasonal.” Another said, “We had a girl this time, so I added some gender-specific clothes and nursery items.”

Some parents also picked up extra swaddles, socks and PJs—just to make sure they weren’t always digging through storage bins on laundry day.

Upgrades

One of the upsides of second-time parenting? You already know what worked—and what definitely didn’t. Many parents used their second registry as a chance to upgrade gear that didn’t hold up the first time, or to treat themselves to something a little nicer. As one Babylist parent shared, it was “all the things I wished I'd have asked for the first time around.”

Another, responding to our newsletter poll, said they made sure to add “a really nice but very expensive high chair mostly for wishful thinking. We bought a cheap one for our first, but it didn't hold up well.” A nicer diaper bag was another common second-registry add—something more durable, better organized, or just more your style this time around.

Toys

So many of the really cool baby toys on the market right now are designed to grow with your child and be used through toddlerhood, which we love. But when your new baby arrives, it’ll be trickier to pass down your toddler's toys as they’ll still be enjoying them or just not age-appropriate for your newborn (or they might feel possessive over their things, which is understandable).

Replenishments

This is an easy-to-forget but important category, especially if your kids will have a larger age gap (so you don’t have these things on hand). Products like diapers, wipes, and diaper rash ointment will be used constantly. The more you can get via your registry, the better. Even if your kids are close in age, their diaper sizes aren’t the same, and your wipe usage will spike overnight, so it’s still worth adding. 

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