Childproof the bejesus out of your main living area.
This exactly! I have not had #2 yet, but as #1 is now 9 months old and crawling she is now faster than me and I cannot keep up with her. Our main living area is the kitchen (not a traditional kitchen, a nice living space attached to a small kitchen area) so we just bought 2 gate/playpens that hook together to be one huge gated area (about 6' by 4'). It awesome. We call it "baby jail" and it gives DD all the space and freedom that she needs without letting her get into anything. I can sit in there with her and play, or I can be on the outside doing everything I need to do and know she is safe. It will be invaluable when the new baby comes and I cannot drop the baby to run after DD getting into trouble.
Re: what helps the most
This exactly! I have not had #2 yet, but as #1 is now 9 months old and crawling she is now faster than me and I cannot keep up with her. Our main living area is the kitchen (not a traditional kitchen, a nice living space attached to a small kitchen area) so we just bought 2 gate/playpens that hook together to be one huge gated area (about 6' by 4'). It awesome. We call it "baby jail" and it gives DD all the space and freedom that she needs without letting her get into anything. I can sit in there with her and play, or I can be on the outside doing everything I need to do and know she is safe. It will be invaluable when the new baby comes and I cannot drop the baby to run after DD getting into trouble.