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Pregnancy shopping checklist: Second trimester
Your belly is growing, and your life is shifting to accommodate lots of changes. Maternity clothing is entering the picture, but it's also a great time to start shopping for your baby – before you're too tired and big-bellied to want to spend much time in stores.
This handy second-trimester shopping checklist will help you figure out what to buy now. And don't forget to move
Maternity wear
Your belly is expanding, but your pants aren't. Now's the time to explore the world of maternity clothes, but that doesn't mean sacrificing style. A nice pair of bootcut jeans, a tunic top, or a pretty wrap dress flatters almost every blossoming body type. Our checklist of maternity wear essentials can help you shop.
Sleep aids
By now you may need some extra help getting a good night's sleep. Fans, noise machines, earplugs, and body pillows are all useful aids for helping pregnant women get their zzz's.
Glider or rocker
Late-night feedings will be easier on you and more soothing for your baby if you can spend them in a rocking chair or glider. The back-and-forth motion calms a crying baby and eases lower back pain. While you're at it, add a matching footstool or ottoman for propping up tired, swollen feet during pregnancy.
Pregnancy books
Follow your pregnancy step by step with a few great resources like The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy, by Vicki Iovine, The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month, Everything You Need to Know From America's Baby Experts, by William and Martha Sears.
Newborn clothes
You'll probably find it impossible to resist buying those adorable little booties, wee knit caps, and pint-size stretch suits you see in the baby department. Your little one will look adorable in all of them – either go ahead and splurge or add them to your registry.
Changing table
You'll need a place to change your baby's diapers. A bureau or low dresser with a cushioned changing pad will work just fine. But a stand-alone changing table can be nice, too.
Crib and mattress
You can get by without a crib at first – your newborn can sleep in a bassinet or Moses basket. But unless you plan to have your baby share your bed, you'll eventually need a crib and crib mattress.
Baby bedding
You'll want a few changes of sheets for your baby's crib and bassinet, if you're using these. A few warm blankets, thinner "receiving" blankets, and special swaddling blankets can also come in handy. Keep loose blankets, quilts, and pillows out of your baby's sleeping space, however, because soft bedding makes SIDS more likely.
Nursery accessories
Decorating your baby's room can be a lot of fun. Start small – add a colorful touch to the nursery with pretty wall stencils, a nice switch plate, or a colorful mobile. A soft, friendly stuffed animal can keep watch over your little one from a shelf or a dresser.
This handy second-trimester shopping checklist will help you figure out what to buy now. And don't forget to move
Maternity wear
Your belly is expanding, but your pants aren't. Now's the time to explore the world of maternity clothes, but that doesn't mean sacrificing style. A nice pair of bootcut jeans, a tunic top, or a pretty wrap dress flatters almost every blossoming body type. Our checklist of maternity wear essentials can help you shop.
Sleep aids
By now you may need some extra help getting a good night's sleep. Fans, noise machines, earplugs, and body pillows are all useful aids for helping pregnant women get their zzz's.
Glider or rocker
Late-night feedings will be easier on you and more soothing for your baby if you can spend them in a rocking chair or glider. The back-and-forth motion calms a crying baby and eases lower back pain. While you're at it, add a matching footstool or ottoman for propping up tired, swollen feet during pregnancy.
Pregnancy books
Follow your pregnancy step by step with a few great resources like The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy, by Vicki Iovine, The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month, Everything You Need to Know From America's Baby Experts, by William and Martha Sears.
Newborn clothes
You'll probably find it impossible to resist buying those adorable little booties, wee knit caps, and pint-size stretch suits you see in the baby department. Your little one will look adorable in all of them – either go ahead and splurge or add them to your registry.
Changing table
You'll need a place to change your baby's diapers. A bureau or low dresser with a cushioned changing pad will work just fine. But a stand-alone changing table can be nice, too.
Crib and mattress
You can get by without a crib at first – your newborn can sleep in a bassinet or Moses basket. But unless you plan to have your baby share your bed, you'll eventually need a crib and crib mattress.
Baby bedding
You'll want a few changes of sheets for your baby's crib and bassinet, if you're using these. A few warm blankets, thinner "receiving" blankets, and special swaddling blankets can also come in handy. Keep loose blankets, quilts, and pillows out of your baby's sleeping space, however, because soft bedding makes SIDS more likely.
Nursery accessories
Decorating your baby's room can be a lot of fun. Start small – add a colorful touch to the nursery with pretty wall stencils, a nice switch plate, or a colorful mobile. A soft, friendly stuffed animal can keep watch over your little one from a shelf or a dresser.
I agree about changing tables; for us a good dresser that we used as a change table whilst the boys were little but has lots of room for their clothes now they are older was a better choice
good and bad thing about having a girl and a boy so close together and then having another child: i have some of everything for either gender..my oldest hasn't even turned 3 yet (next friday :-( ), lol, so I still have EVERYTHING...from both babies and both pregnancies.
Sad because I won't need to shop any, but I will save a lot of money I suppose!
you know it's funny..I was so excited to get the changing table when we had our first child..idk why, but I loved organizing it and I loved the way it worked and the way it was so definitely BABY...but we barely used it, LOL. but they really do look very nice and they're very handy when the baby is little and can't roll every which-way..it's when they start becoming mobile that we ditched the changing table and moved to the floor.
Sad because I won't need to shop any, but I will save a lot of money I suppose!
you know it's funny..I was so excited to get the changing table when we had our first child..idk why, but I loved organizing it and I loved the way it worked and the way it was so definitely BABY...but we barely used it, LOL. but they really do look very nice and they're very handy when the baby is little and can't roll every which-way..it's when they start becoming mobile that we ditched the changing table and moved to the floor.
well I had enough things for my son that I was able to give away to my two friends and a ladt that had twins ( I GAVE HER MATCHING CLOTHES) and now I have some clothes but bnothing else
COMMUNITY LEADER
Girl I know what you mean. At least you have a few things from your prior pregnancy. My DH got rid of EVERYTHING from my son b/c "he was done having kids"...Fast forward 5 1/2 yrs we are baby#2 with NOTHING....lol. he said to me the other night, (after I made a list of everything I need..hehe) "I should've listened to you" and I said "yes you should have..lol So I can't wait for the January Sales either...lol
Have some bought clothes already and a cute bassinet; I work in a kids consignment store, hard not to when we get first pick of all the cute stuff. I have a few others things from my other kids; still have a high chair, potty, pack n play but the crib is trashed; it was second hand eight years ago so getting a new one this time and I gave my stroller away four months ago. Can't wait to shop the January sales!!
COMMUNITY LEADER
All of these are already on my list EXCEPT the newborn clothes. I'll grab a couple but My son was 8lbs 9oz and didn't fit into newborn..I did buy 1 newborn outfit for him which was his coming home outfit from the hospital. That was the first and last time he wore it..lol. I may just do the same again:)
How about the rest of you ladies?
How about the rest of you ladies?
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