This being our second trip to the baby rodeo hopefully means that we’re a bit wiser going in. We can cherry-pick from what worked well with Clara while trying to improve on some newborn and baby items, products, and methods that might need fine tuning. Of course every kid is different and what worked for baby #1 may not apply for #2 – so we’re just waiting for those curve balls to come flying towards us – but since you guys have been asking, here are five things we’re planning to redo (as in do again or use again) and five things that we’ll do new. And because they pair up nicely, we’ll look at ’em side-by-side. Note: None of the links in this post are affiliate links.
AGAIN – Angel Care Monitor: This was one of 5 newborn “lifesavers” that we shared after Clara was born – just for the peace of mind that it gave us (no getting out of bed to watch the baby breathe). It’s not for everyone, but we found it really comforting, and it soothed a lot of our new-parent anxiety. It’s basically a sound monitor with a motion-sensitive pad that slides under the crib mattress to detect when baby’s breathing (and sound an alarm if it stops). We ordered an attachment (by calling Angel Care directly) with two pads to minimize false alarms once Clara got a bit wigglier (she’d roll out of the single pad’s detection area) and were really happy with it, so we’ll be reusing it while the baby boy snoozes. We’ve also gotten the free cord cover kit that fixes the recent recall issue.
NEW – Video Monitor: We never used a video monitor with Clara, but now that we’ll often be on a separate floor during nap times (along with occasionally having two kids sleeping at the same time, so an audio monitor might be confusing in that “which one is crying?” way) we decided to add a video monitor to the mix. We got the Levana Lila (bought with a trial membership to Amazon Mom) and we found an awesome spot in the nursery where it can peek out from behind the curtain, making the monitor and its cord nearly invisible in the room (there’s an outlet right beneath it that also hides behind the curtain).
AGAIN – Crib Sleeping: You already know that we’re using Clara’s crib again, but we also plan to reuse our technique to start crib sleeping from the very beginning. Our first house didn’t have much room for a bedroom bassinet and Clara’s nursery was just steps away, so she slept in her room from the moment she came home. We have a more spacious bedroom here, but baby boy will just be on the other side of the wall (about ten steps away) – and crib sleeping from the start worked so well with Clara that we’re gonna try it again. We liked that it spared us an extra transition from bassinet to crib down the road, and she was a pretty epic sleeper so we don’t want to change much up in that arena.
NEW – Sound Machine: We used a sound machine with Clara and we will most definitely use one again. But since we can’t steal Clara’s (she still wants “the ocean on” every night) we had to get something new. For her nursery, we had chosen an iPod dock with Sherry’s old iPod loaded with a CD called “Natural White Noise for Babies” on a loop (we thought the iPod would be nice so we could use it to play music down the road too). But rather than splurge on a new iPod and dock, we decided this simple $20 standalone sound machine would work well for the bun (we can always get him a music player down the line if he misses that perk).
AGAIN – Ergo Carrier: Baby-wearing was our preferred method of Clara transport in the early months. Sherry had a sling, but since Clara often took that as her cue to nurse, I mostly wore her in our Ergo Carrier. It held up great and we just recently broke it out and gave it a wash so it’s ready to go again.
NEW – Double Stroller: Clara rarely uses a stroller anymore (day-to-day she either walks or shopping carts it) so we debated whether we’d even need a double stroller at all. But we still like to take long family walks/hikes using our jogging stroller (longer than Clara can last on her own) and she also likes to hop in beside her younger cousins in their double strollers when they’re around, so we took the plunge. Well, Sherry’s mom plunged for us as a new baby gift. We jumped right to a jogging stroller (the double-version of the single InStep Safari we got when Clara was 1) instead of getting a lighter-duty model since that works well for longer hikes without smooth paths as well as long neighborhood walks. I don’t anticipate jogging with both of them often, but it’s nice to know it can do that too. And for the day-to-day stuff we’ll probably just use the Ergo with Clara walking (or in her single stroller if there’s a ton of walking to be done).
AGAIN – Cloth Diapers: The BumGenius cloth diapers that we bought for Clara have held up really well, so for now we plan to use the dozen that we have, and might add six more to our stash as we need them. Like Clara, we won’t transition to cloth until he grows into them (it took Clara a few months but then she could use the same one-size-fits-all diapers for 2+ years). Also like Clara, he won’t be exclusively cloth diapered. We found with her that mixing in the occasional disposable (mostly for extended periods away from home or overnight towards the end of her diapering time) was what worked for us, so we’re going to try that again.
NEW – Honest Diapers: We’re gonna give Honest Co. diapers a try this time before the bun fits into our one-size-fits-all cloth ones, instead of sticking to Seventh Generation ones like we did with Clara. We’ve heard lots of good things about them from a few friends and I’m liking the idea of signing up for a bundle that arrives without having to think about it (we’ll take all the help we can get in those bleary newborn days). Plus, I can’t deny that the designs on Honest diapers are pretty sweet (dude, they have bikes).
AGAIN – Car Seat: Baby Barnacle will also be using Clara’s infant car seat, since Clara’s Chicco KeyFit 30 is in great shape, still meets all current safety standards, hasn’t been dropped or in an accident (you definitely want to replace a used seat that has), is a neutral gray & green color scheme, and shouldn’t expire until the bun outgrows it (it’s good for 6 years from the manufacture date). Is it wrong that I’m kinda looking forward to the days of snap-and-go seat again?
NEW – Car: He won’t be riding in a hand-me-down car though. Yup, we got a new ride. It hit us that our family of five would have a hard time taking road trips in our Nissan Altima (and I very intentionally include Burger in that number, because his crate takes up a whole seat – let alone all the pack & play/baby gear we’ll be toting along). So we traded it in for a 2014 Toyota Highlander because, after some research and test driving, it felt like the best mix of family hauling & DIY hauling for us (it has a collapsible third row). It was a bit of a splurge for us, but having saved by only buying used vehicles before (we drove our first Nissan past 170,000 miles and our second one over 100,000) it still fit into our budget and got us some features that we lacked before: back-up camera, Bluetooth, and (Sherry’s favorite) heated seats. Plus, Clara’s digging the little book caddy I rigged up for her.
I’m sure every family has different scenarios and needs, so I’d be interested to hear what you guys reused or redid vs. what you changed or upgraded when baby #2 came along. Did anyone else feel a huge relief in that their “to do/buy” list was a lot shorter with their second child? It’s nice to have a lot of the basics covered already.
Psst – For more baby/kid related posts, there’s newborn paraphernalia we liked, keeping baby stuff simple, cloth diapering, battling kid clutter, saving money on baby stuff, baby led weaning, 14 months of breastfeeding, being a stay at home dad, baby toiletries, and kid clothes.
Heather says
Just wanted to let you guys know that there was a recall on the 2014 Highlander
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2014/03/recall-alert-2014-toyota-highlander.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Heather!
xo
s
Megan R. says
We used Honest diapers with boy #2 and they were great. Now that he’s potty trained, I’m a little sad I can’t buy fun patterns :(
How is the leg room on the 3rd row in the Highlander?
YoungHouseLove says
The third row is pretty tight (it’s more like 2.5 rows, with space for kids’ friends back there, or to fold the seats down and just use it for storage).
xo
s
Evelina says
Congratulations on the new car! I love the totally nonchalant announcement haha! Tell me you got custom plates that say “YHL” on them. Although that might come with some privacy issues. Ok nevermind! Has Clara always slept in the crib during naps too? Is that the plan for the Barnacle? Last thing — I loved seeing all the baby Clara pictures again! Boy does time fly!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Evelina! Yes, Clara did most of her naps in the crib from the beginning as well (some on us, because we couldn’t resist – haha) so that’s the plan with Barnacle too. We’ll have to see how it goes…
xo
s
Eileen says
Oh, you will love the Highlander. It is the safest I ever felt in a vehicle. I wish you many happy trails!
xanthe says
Hiya. Congrats on your new car. I was wondering how you are going to manage everything going on that first month once baby gets here. The showhouse especially looks like it’s going to need a lot of your time at the end, right when you have just had a baby and will need to be recovering from surgery! Are you able to make an earlier deadline for it or can you stock pile a few weeks posts? Just seems a bit of a crazy time when most family’s would be able to have a maternity/paternity period and I wouldn’t want you to burn out! I was also wondering how many (approx.) comments you don’t publish per post because they are nasty ect? I wouldn’t be able to take a lot of criticism without taking it to heart. Take care, hopefully you can wind down a bit for the next wee while so you can make the most of being a family of 3 before baby is here. Having 2 is a whole new ball game, although I only have 16 mnths between my two.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Xanthe! Thankfully the showhouse is “due” sooner than it opens (it’s supposed to be shot for press in early April, which means it has to be mostly done by then and the baby’s due in mid-April so we’re hopeful that we can squeeze it all in). It’s nothing we would have planned timing-wise, but since babies seem to come when they came, we’re just working as hard as we can now to stay ahead and do as much as we can beforehand (since recovering from a c-section will have me down for the count for a while). After Clara was born we kept blogging, but usually shared one small/med project or update a week along with lighter stuff like mood boards and reader makeovers and family posts, so it should be interesting to see how it all works out! As for comments, I’d say we typically hold around 10 per month (we get around 7,000+ per month, so that’s around 1 in every 700). Some months it’s none and some months it might be more if someone is repeatedly sending something that doesn’t fly. We used to publish them all, but dozens of readers asked us to put a policy in place since it was taking away from the purpose of the site and causing unnecessary off-topic side drama (from both sides of people going back and forth), so we’re happy to oblige.
xo
s
Rima says
I was considering Honest diapers for future babes until the whole Honest Co. vs. Honest Toddler trademark issue happened last year. I love Honest Toddler — it’s a satire blog run by a hilarious mom and, after reading both her statements and those of the Honest Company’s, it sure looks to me like a case of corporate bullying. Here’s one article from HuffPo:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/honest-toddler-honest-company-_n_3677503.html
See what you think. But if it mostly comes down to how cute the diapers are, then maybe set the aesthetics aside and go for a similar product from another company with a better track record of corporate social responsibility.
Rima says
PS: If you’re into the bundle aspect of buying diapers and wipes, you can “Subscribe & Save” with Amazon. You set the bulk product you want to buy, how often you want it to arrive, and you can change delivery dates and diaper sizes at any point. We did this with our first and it was great.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Rima! And thanks for the link to that post. Off to read it!
xo
s
Carol says
I loved the hints!
Hugs from Brazil :)
Carol
http://www.arrumadissima.com.br
Kristen says
Creep status – I had a dream the other night that my boyfriend and I went to visit you but your kids were older. Clara was around 12 probably. There was one other person there too so 8 total (yes burger counted as a person in my dream). You guys decided to order a pizza. One pizza. I asked if we could get more since I was hungry enough for two slices and my boyfriend could probably eat three. Sherry said no and that everyone could only have one slice (yes burger still included haha)
Anyway, woke up and was pretty amused and wanted to share :)
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Amy says
My husband and I purchased our Toyota Highlander in June 2001. First model year. We drove her as our family car for over 10 years until our son took it to college. She ( Goldie.. she’s gold ;O) is still running beautifully. She has 190,000+ miles. NO rust, original everything, and she still looks great! We have only performed routine maintenance with ZERO problems so far. (fingers crossed) It has been a great vehicle for our family. It has been with us through the carpools, hauling, vacations, back and forth to school.. now back and forth to college. I would definitely recommend and / or buy another one in the future. Hope your growing family enjoys yours as much as we have loved ours.
YoungHouseLove says
Woah, that’s amazing Amy! Thanks so much for sharing!
xo
s
Natalie says
We used a bed-side bassinet for our first two kiddos, but went straight to the crib and a sound machine with our third. She (our third) is the best sleeper of all of our children. May be a fluke, maybe not. ;-) We also use honest diapers with our littlest, and we LOVE them!
I love that you guys are open to changing things up for your second. All three of our kids are all so different…it’s hard to believe that they came from the same set of parents. :-)
Thais says
I imagine you already know this, but in case you don’t SIDS rates are lower in families who share a room with their newborns (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/5/e1341.full). You could always use a pack n play or bassinet for just a few weeks, or find an arm’s reach cosleeper on craigslist
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the link Thais!
xo
s
Cassie says
I’ve always wondered if you would be getting a better ‘DIY’ car. We got a minivan with fold flat seats for our 3rd child 3 years ago… but man having it is awesome being a DIYer. Last summer I’d say it spent more time with sheets of plywood in it than it did our kids carseats, and it was our only car. I’m super glad we invested in good carseats so getting them in and out is a breeze! Hmm… Wow. I’m not joking, and realizing thats kinda sad.
It’ll be great through… and you’ll probably get better at carseat installs too :)
Emily says
Maybe one of the hundreds of others already asked this, but if you’re not jogging with both kids, why not a sit and stand stroller since Clara is already 4?
YoungHouseLove says
Clara has been around double strollers and sit and stand ones (through cousins and friends) and just seems to prefer sitting in double strollers. She likes to read, play with stickers, eat snacks, hold toys, etc – so we think that’ll work better to allow for our long walks/trail hikes without her getting too antsy from standing.
xo
s
Tonya says
Hi,
We also use a sound machine, but now are weaning our son off of it. There is new evidence when used at a high setting near the baby it can cause hearing loss. Not sure how conclusive the evidence is, but I thought you may want to at least know about it. Here is the NY Times article about it. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/03/health/infant-sleep-machines-at-maximum-volume-reported-as-hearing-risk.html?_r=0
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Tonya!
xo
s
Tyra says
I so envy your ability to be a one car family, wish that was a possibility for us! Do you think you will ever have to have 2 cars, perhaps with older kids with lots of activities? Or do you know other families that are one car with no problems?
YoungHouseLove says
I think we’re both pretty certain that one car might not always make sense for our family, but for now we don’t have overlapping kid activities or meetings that call for two. I’m sure when the kids are bigger there will come a time that we’ll have to divide and conquer though – especially if one of them has swimming while the other has soccer, etc.
xo
s
Beth says
I’m still wiping away years over Kristin H.’s comments – what a miracle! Congrats on making a difference in your readers’ lives, and on your sweet new ride, and little man to put in it! We too, upgraded to a Nissan Quest before our second was born. That was 9 years and 110,000 miles ago! Baby #4 joined the clan last year and I just laughed at how short the shopping list was for her – I think I needed about a dozen items. Hand-me-down saving pays off!
Sally G says
I just wanted to let you guys know how much I appreciate your gracious response to the comments you receive about your kids and the way you do things,etc. 10 million comments about noise machines, and mobiles, and who knows what… and never once did I read a defensive word in your responses. If it were me, that would take an unimaginable measure of self-control. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I think you handle the comments about kids and parenting beautifully and I hope you’re encouraged to know that I, for one, notice. Whenever you guys cross my mind I pray for the safe arrival of your son. And I pray that Sherry especially would be full of hope and excitement and that confidence and joy would win out over fear. Blessings.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Sally! That means so much.
xo
s
BamaCarol says
Oh I hope you love your Highlander as much as I do. Mine will be 10 years old this summer but I can’t see ever doing wihtout one. It hauls just enough for me and my husband. I only have 68,000 miles on it (don’t drive a whole lot) but it works just great still. I’ve thought about a hybrid version but truly I use so little gas that it wouldn’t be worth it. Good luck!
MORGAN says
Thanks so much, loved it!
Emily says
Ooooooh a Highlander! I’m currently car shopping too decisions, decisions!
Sara says
John-I love that you guys are a babywearing family. My hubby and I love it, too! We use mostly woven wraps, but are hoping to try an Ergo or a Tula when our little gets a bit bigger. I saw this today on my babywearing FB page. Thought you might want to give woven wraps a try after seeing this!
http://www.heavenlyhold.com/bikes-wisteria.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Sara!
xo
s
tanya says
Now that I’m having our first bambino, I have been making my way through your archives and taking notes. I’m in australia, so we don’t have exactly the same of everything, but it is still helpful!
Question: If you were starting cloth diapering all over again and the BG elemental diapers you use now (old version) were not available, what would you use? That was just the long way around of me asking what would you recommend I use haha :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I’m not sure since that’s all we have used. Does anyone have tips for Tanya? I’ve also heard that sometimes sites sell the old versions of the BG ones (many people prefer them to the new ones, so they periodically pop up on sites over here – I hope that’s true for Australia too!).
xo
s
Clare says
Hi Tanya!
I’m in Australia too. I did a silly amount of research on reviews of the new BG elemental design and most of the negative reviews centred on comparing the old and new size and leg elastics.. The reviews about the new design only were actually pretty positive and a few people who had used both actually preferred the new ones – especially that the leg elastics were less leaky. Most concerns were about the possibility of direct skin contact with PUL, not organic cotton. Not the biggest deal for us, but you can add an organic insert if it’s a problem for you.
I figured I wouldn’t know any better (can’t buy the old ones here, I checked!) and people still liked the new ones.. so I went with 18x of the new and bought a couple of flip inserts in case I wanted/needed extra padding.
I ended up ordering a package deal from New Age Nappies online. Carly has been a dream to communicate with even though she’s in QLD (I think?) and I’m in WA. She even added the package option to her shop because I asked and beat a price from another online retailer. You can also buy planet wise wet bags and a bunch of other stuff from there that I had trouble sourcing from all over the lame Aussie internet.
Hope that helps!
Clare
tanya says
Thanks so much Claire!
I’m in WA too :) I was thinking of getting a few elementals and a few flips to see how I go, then if I like them and they fit well buying a big lot. Your post is very helpful, I started looking and doing some research and it all started to feel really overwhelming, so having some websites etc to start off with is awesome.
xox
Victoria says
Quick heads up – they no longer make the diapers that you used with Clara (original bumgenius elementals). However, they are currently selling the last of their old stock ( one color left!) at cottonbabies.com. If you want six more, this might be your last chance to stock up. We are original BG elementals fans too!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Victoria!
xo
s
Kelly says
We use the old BG Elementals too. Partly on the YHL recommendation, so thanks for that! I love them. Our son’s daycare teachers love them too, so if anyone is looking for good cloth diapers for daycare, these are a hit. Knowing the old style are about to become unavailable, it gets me a little anxious and wondering if I should get a few more. But I should resist. 24 is enough, even if we lose a couple between now and future kid #2.
Kristi says
We do cloth diapers with my 15 month old son but Honest diapers when we are traveling (which is a lot–we traveled 38,000 miles with him in his first year!) They are GREAT! We are huge fans! I would definitely go with the Bundle, and if you are also doing cloth and don’t need to order it monthly, you can do what I do–just keep moving your ship date back. Apparently when you sign up, you have to call the company to stop the bundle, but you can always change your ship date. It only gives you the option of 2 months from the current date, but you can keep pushing it back. They will send you a reminder a few days before it is scheduled to ship, too, so if you forget, you can move it back then.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip Kristi!
xo
s
Tiffany says
Just wanted to share I used the same diapers as you, and when it came to putting them on my newborn, they didn’t fit for over 5 months (even with her chubby legs)! Though in great condition, I didn’t realize how much my toddler had stretched the leg holes. I picked up some of the new BG elementals in the meantime, and though they’ve changed, I like them even better.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip Tiffany!
xo
s
Vanessa says
Wow a new car. I love those. I cannot wait to see Clara as a big sis!
Sara r says
Love the new car! We ended up going the minivan route when we were expecting #2, plus we have a large dog that needed to be hauled around with us. We also have used the honest co diapers. The designs are so cute and it’s just so convinient, my only gripe is that the diapers aren’t as absorbent as pampers, but less chemicls is the trade off. We also love the angel care and are using it again with baby 2. I just read an article the other day about hearing loss being associated with using sound machines with babies, I think it was more about watching the volume that it’s set on, but might be something to be aware of just in case. I must say the transition from 1 to 2 was much easier than I had prepared for, I hope its as smooth for you.
KTB says
What do you guys plan to do about shampoo/cream for baby #2? Are you still going to use California Baby after the formula change?
YoungHouseLove says
We hear awesome things about the Honest Co products, so we might try those.
xo
s
kharking says
Our first two were 17 months apart so we actually had to get a lot of the gear over again because our first was still using her convertible car seat, crib, high chair, etc. Fortunately one of our neighbors was ready to pass on a lot of those otherwise more expensive items so we didn’t have to spend very much. We did reuse the smaller size cloth diapers since our older child was using a larger size by then.
The two things that we got that weren’t those basics were an ergo for the toddler since I use a moby wrap for the babies until they are about 10 months or so and I needed to be able to wear both of them at once and the double stroller–a Baby Jogger City Mini that we still love for its handle height and maneuverability. I do the older kids in the stroller and baby in the carrier for longer excursions.
We were happy to continue being able to use the camry with two but when #3 came along we needed to look around for something bigger. We looked at a bunch of smaller options but ended up needing that third row since we had to fit in three full size car seats. We bought an older Odyssey (good condition but no car payment) and I have been really pleased.
Quiana says
My 3 1/2 year old loves to hear the ocean too from her Sleep Sheep (we started her on it at birth) so I know she won’t give it to her brother arriving in June. He’ll be upstairs in a cosleeper in our room for the first 6 months until he joins her downstairs so looks like we’ll have to get a sound machine so thank you for the recommendation! I feel ya on the cloth diaper update too. We followed your initial CD post and had 12 in our stash which wasn’t quite enough so we added 6, lost a few along the way so looking to add about 6 more just to be safe. The prefolds are awesome at absorption so may go with a few of those this time around. Hooray for CDs!
Briel K. says
So envious of your new car! My car will be 12 years old next month with over 155,000 miles on it and things have been slowly breaking. I can’t open the gas tank cover without something to pry it open with (usually my key), the rear view mirror just fell off the windshield one day so I had to replace that, the drivers side door won’t automatically lock anymore, etc. Luckily they are all little things and it still drives fine because, although having a new car would be awesome, I so don’t want the payments! Did you pay with cash again like your last car? I was always so impressed you were able to save up and do that!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Briel, you’re so sweet! We did save up and buy our car in cash again (it’s just always how we have both bought our cars, we savesavesave and then negotiate as much as we can. It also helped to trade in our Altima this time since the dealership gave us over BlueBook value for it (and of course just having one car at a time is easier on the ol’ wallet).
xo
s
Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork says
Thanks for this run-down of things you’re going to keep (aka things that worked) and things that you’re changing up! Very helpful for those of us who haven’t been there yet!
cc says
We tried Honest Co diapers with #3 and love them! They hold up really well, don’t seem to leak, and are cute to boot! The only thing I would recommend is paying attention to how often they get delivered (and the fact that you can actually change your next delivery date). In the blur of new baby and doing the trial, I hadn’t realized I’d be getting more so soon (I think the default is every 4 weeks?) We do the bundle so we ended up with 6 extra packs of size 1 diapers when we needed to switch to 2s. Luckily their customer service IS great (as someone mentioned) and they allow you to exchange, but there is a $10 restocking fee (and they actually sent me the wrong size when I exchanged, but that wasn’t a big deal because I’d tried to plan ahead and order up a size and turns out I will need all of the 2’s they ended up sending!) Bottom line (no pun intended) is that its hard to predict when you’ll need to bump up to the next size so I’d err on the side of caution and if you mess up, you can get some Seventh Generations in to supplement (or just order a couple of packs outside of your Honest Co. bundle)! One other thing – their wipes are really nice. They seem to last way longer since we find we generally only need one per diaper change, even with the big, not-so-pretty blowouts. Also their boxes are really nice and sturdy and make for good storage!
Christy Niebaum says
Congrats on the new car! Keep us posted on how you like going from sedan to SUV.
Also interested to hear how you like the Honest diapers. We tried their free test pack a couple of years ago when our daughter was an infant. I loved the designs, but ultimately didn’t feel they were as absorbent as the Huggies Natural diapers we’d been using. Plus, we really missed the “wet” line indicator of Huggies. Thankfully, we’re *fingers crossed* almost done with diapers!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Christy!
xo
s
Kelly says
My son is almost 2 and we’ve been using a regular baby monitor until recently. Before now I thought a video monitor was overkill, but now that I have it, I love it! He transitioned from crib to a regular bed (we cosleep a lot and though he had slept in the crib a fair amount, he just didn’t like it anymore and seemed to sleep better in a bed, and I worried he would climb out). I felt I needed the video monitor for peace of mind when I’m not in the room with him, so I know what he’s doing if he wakes up. It is amazing and so entertaining! We often watch the video feed and marvel at how much he can move around in his sleep, the different positions he gets into, and what he does when he wakes up. It’s a window into another part of our child’s life.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Kelly says
We are like you, a one-car family, and also like you, we will need to consider upgrading to a different vehicle when we add to the family. I think we also have a similar philosophy about how we spend money. We haven’t paid cash for a car, but I think that’s a smart way to go and we may do that on the next one. Both of the cars we’ve owned (1997-2008, 2008-present) have been purchased used (1-3 years old) since at that age a car is still pretty new but significantly cheaper. It almost doesn’t even cross my mind to consider a new car. But since you got one, it makes me wonder if I’m missing something. Why did you decide on a new car? Was it a much better warranty, or safety, or something else? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
I felt the same way! New cars lose value the second you drive them off the lot, right? But my dad and John’s dad are super thrifty and both have bought new cars and driven the heck outta them. John’s dad pointed out that a new car could even end up costing less over time (if you buy something new without any miles you can drive it ten years before hitting high mileage and having issues, whereas you might only get 4-6 years out of a used car before hitting the same age/mileage issues, so he did math on a few used and new cars he had and some of the new ones were actually cheaper per year to drive since they lasted so much longer). Kinda blew my mind when he pointed that out. Plus it came with an awesome warranty, top of the line safety (and other) features, etc – so we hope it lasts us a nice long time!
xo
s
Kelly says
Awesome, thank you! I didn’t realize it could be cheaper over the long haul to get a new car. And that is such great news because now I will have justification to – someday – get my first ever brand new car! Sweet.
Also, can I just say how amazing you guys are for not only maintaining a blog that is both informative and entertaining day after day, but reading and responding to a zillion questions and comments? I do not know how you have the patience for it, but I really appreciate that you do it!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Kelly!
xo
s
kate says
this is totally off topic but in the photo with the diapers – where is that rug from??!!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s our nursery rug, from HomeGoods. We got it about two months ago there (in the store). Hope it helps!
xo
s
tracie says
Love Honest company diapers much more than 7th Generation! My daughter is 2.5 (yes, we are late on the potty training game) and we have switched around between Honest, 7th Generation & Earth’s Best. We found that 7th generation leaked often due to lack of rear coverage, Honest and EB worked equally well and great for super sensitive skin (my daughter had moderate eczema). The price point is a little more for Honest diapers & wipes versus EB (having delivered thru Amazon subscription service).
Here is the cost breakdown and a little of my feedback:
For EB- I paid $35 (with the 20% Subscribe & Save Discount) for a case of 12 packs of wipes to be delivered every 3 months. And roughly $36 (20% S&S discount) for a box of 140 size 3 diapers delivered every month. Loved the diapers, rarely leaked, much better bottom coverage than 7th Gen and slight faint botanical smell from the wipes.
Honest Company- $80/month for 4 packs of wipes and 4 packages of diapers per month. If you do not have more than 1 bundle subscription service, than you pay a shipping fee. Diapers and Wipes are fragrance free, the wipes do not have the botanical weird smell like 7th Generation. I also enjoy their bubble bath and home products for our family- smells great and eco friendly. My daughter’s skin products were fragrance free for the longest time until I came across their bath stuff.
Overall, I still use The HC for 2 reasons 1) their cause 2) they have wonderful customer service. When I initially started my service with them I was not pleased with the wipes, the person offered me solutions and admitted it has been an issue that was getting reevaluated. A few months later, the wipes improved and was far better than before. LAST- my reason for HC diapers… how cool is it that your kid is sporting skulls & cross bones on her diaper…or even the pretty peacock feathers, or nautical and patriotic theme?!? ;)
sorry for the ramblings… Sooooo excited for the arrival of baby #2!! =)
YoungHouseLove says
So interesting! Thanks for the details Tracie!
xo
s
Lauren says
Great post! Do you like your new double jogging stroller? I’m in the market for one! And what car seat are you guys currently using for Clara?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We haven’t even broken it out of the box yet, but we hear good things from others who have it! As for Clara’s current carseat, it’s a Britex Roundabout. We have been really happy with it (not every carseat would fit into our Altima, and that one did easily and she has been really comfortable in it).
xo
s
Lauren says
Just googled it–is it this one? http://www.diapers.com/p/britax-roundabout-convertible-car-seat-g4-onyx-938344?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_D&utm_term=TF-481&utm_campaign=GooglePLA&CAWELAID=500001800000333998&utm_content=pla&ca_sku=TF-481&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw={keyword}
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, that’s it!
xo
s
Hilary says
I’m not sure if you’ve checked out Rumparooz or Grovia cloth diapers. They both have newborn sized cloth diapers and I loved using them for my son when he was an infant. They come in some pretty cute prints too :)
YoungHouseLove says
Those sound awesome. Thanks for the tip Hilary!
xo
s
Erin C says
I didn’t realize you guys got a new car! How exciting! Shortly before I became pregnant I turned in my leased Mazda 3 and we bought a Toyota Venza. We thought we were totally thinking ahead and “on it” as it were. Also thought Inlaws were crazy for suggesting a minivan. Major face palm when we found out we were having twins! When the twins were 1.5 we finally got that minivan :) still love that Venza though. The highlander is great, third row will be very handy!
Beautiful Light says
Love your blog all the way from Australia.
I just wanted to draw your attention to a recall that took place late last year for the Angel Care monitor just in case it is a similar model to the one you were planning on reusing.
http://www.motherandbaby.com.au/home-life/safety/2013/11/angelcare-baby-monitors-recalled-after-strangulation-deaths/
Thank you for your inspiring blog and all the very best for baby no.2. It has been a wonderful journey for our family :)
Beautiful Light says
Sorry guys … just noticed you were aware of the recall issue!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip BL! We appreciate that!
xo
s
Jera says
One big thing you will notice and may have to make adjustments for…. I had a boy first and girl 2nd. I had to change brands of diapers many times to adjust to them…keep an open mind to diapers and how flexible you might have to be in this area!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jera!
xo
s
Melissa says
The Honest diapers are the best – you won’t be disappointed! It’s hassle free and saves what little sanity you might have left for something else. Plus, they’re so darn cute!
Chelsea says
Hello!
If you have already answered this I apologize!
I have a 12 day old baby girl and would love to know the type of sling Sherry is wearing in this post. I also have a 2yr old and have already learned I need a wrap for nursing/being able to play more easily with my 2 yr old while holding her!
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
I believe it’s called a Hotsling and was from Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby.
xo
s
Kendra says
Now that you have a two story, what will you do while you have the baby downstairs and need to change his diaper or clothes? I am sure you won’t want to run upstairs every time to his room to do it. I have a two story house also and want to find an easy solution that doesn’t take up space to have a little changing station. Have you thought about this at all? I’d love to hear your ideas!
YoungHouseLove says
We think we’ll set up a small place to change diapers downstairs, although many other people who cloth diaper said they tended to like to have one station for all their supplies, even if it meant going upstairs each time, so it’ll be interesting to see where we end up!
xo
s
Sarah says
We have the same double stroller for our 6 week old twins and it’s amazing! So easy to use and rolls great! The only downside we have found is that it doesn’t fit though all the doors in our house and takes up the whole back area of our Toyota Highlander (yep, we have one of those, too!). I’m interested to see if you like your video monitor. Is it expandable?
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Sarah! The monitor is pretty basic (just looks at the crib, nothing like zoom or anything that can be controlled once it’s set in place) so we’ll definitely report back on it once we give it some use!
xo
s
Sarah says
Oh, and we’re using the Best Bottom diapers, which are amazing! They have a snap in removable insert so you can use the outer part of the diaper several times before washing. They are also super cute! http://www.nickisdiapers.com/best-bottom.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Sarah!
xo
s
Cheerful Homemaker says
We bought a video monitor when our son was around 10 months old. Not only were we able to tell when he was fussing in his sleep or actually awake, but it provided plenty of entertainment. After we moved him to a toddler bed he found the camera on the dresser. It’s weird seeing a big set of eyes when you look at the monitor!