North Carolina Babies
MereD19
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Moms of 2
MereD19
member
I'm sure this has been asking a trillion times, but I was never thinking about a 2nd baby then. 
I'm just trying to get a guess of how things change financially when you have your 2nd baby. I figured that since we already have all of the essentials (swing, bouncy, etc), we'll just need to get a double stroller, and maybe another crib (unless you put your toddler into a bed by that point?). Am I missing anything else?
& how is the "household" w/ 2 kids? I mean ... is it crazier, better, etc?
Some days I would love to have another ... but then I'm like heck no! lol. What made you ultimately decide to have a 2nd when you started TTC?
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Re: Moms of 2
Does this mean you are thinking about joining the TTC club? Since we are TTC I have thought about it.
I would put Jocelyn in a toddler bed in her new room and get her new furniture. My only other "big" purchase would be a nice PNP and a double stroller, and if it is a boy, clothes, but I could reuse some of the bedding I have and get new sheets and bumpers. My sister has a double stroller that I am going to get next weekend, and if it is nice and I like it, I'll keep it.
If #1 is potty trained, then you would still have the expense of diapers for #2, and I am hoping to breastfeed for #2 so formula cost wouldn't be an issue.
I can image the household would be crazy and time would be stretched, that is one of my concerns because things are tense now and then with DH and I and I can't imagine adding another and having enough time w/DH and not getting overwhelmed.
Another questions for moms of 2. Would you send #1 off with family for a while once you get home from the hospital, or do you think it would be better to have family stay with you and look after #1 while you deal with #2. I can't imagine getting home and trying to BF and being up all night and then having to entertain #1 all day!
ETA: We want them close together and also for financial reasons, and personal reasons, I don't want to be out of work for 10 years, I want to be able to go back to work (I miss it) so I thought it would be best to get the babies over and done with!
Well, it's on our minds. We're not ruling it out but we're not exactly TTC either. Just weighing the options.
A large reason I would like to have another one sooner, is b/c I would love it for Savannah - to have a sibling close in age.
My MIL stayed with us for 2.5 weeks after Jeremiah was born...and even though she about drove me up a wall...I could not have imagined NOT having the girls there with me during that time. I was still able to see them and snuggle with them, and when Jeremiah was finally able to come home (a week in the NICU) I was so grateful that they were there to be a part of his homecoming. I think it really helped them to feel like they were a part of things. They really loved being big sisters and big helpers too. Plus, it gave me a chance to try and work out a schedule for all 3 of them, while still having help. I can't imagine if the girls had been away and then come home and I had to figure out a way to make it work with all of them without any help. I highly suggest having someone come to your house instead of sending her off.
Overall, we didn't really have to do a whole lot more for Jeremiah. Of course, we were buying for 2 already, so maybe it just didn't seem like that much more to us. J was born 8 days before they turned 2, so they were all still in diapers. But, 6 months later we were potty training, so our diaper usage went way down. The only thing I can think of we had to buy for him was a crib (the girls were using theirs as toddler beds at the time) and another monitor.
Not sure if I was much help to you or not.
I love having the kids close together in age. Financially it's near the burden that a first child was. Our were so close in age we did get a 2nd crib, but otherwise it was a double stroller and then of course clothes since they aren't the same gender.
They mostly play with same toys. Caroline never really wanted to play with baby toys - she always wanted to play with whatever Brooks had. Once your first is potty trained you will only have 1 in diapers again, so that's not too bad either.
It was ok for the first few months because baby #2 slept so much (and the toddler still got plenty of 1-on-1 attention, but once Caroline was down to 2 naps it became difficult to keep the toddler quiet while baby slept and then that 1 nap was the only 1-on-1 time for the toddler. But it's totally do-able and manageable. It's HARD but worth it!
***Baby #3: BFP Mother
We converted Ashley's crib to a toddler bed, so we need to get a new crib for baby #2, but I think I am getting a second hand one from my mom (just have to confirm it has not been recalled). I need a dresser too, but I am going to look for a second hand one as well.
We will buy a double jogging stroller and a second monitor. I also need to buy a breast pump since I borrowed one from a friend with Ashley.
Honestly, that is all I need and baby #2 is opposite sex. I bought really nice bedding from Craig's List for baby #2 (whole set for only $65), a good friend of mine has given me all of her son's clothes and I got so much stuff at my shower this past weekend (clothes, onesies, hooded towels, sheets, socks, bottles, etc). And we also received money and gift cards which I can put towards the stroller/car seat.
We use cloth diapers and Ashley is potty trained, so we are all set with diapers. My biggest concern is going to be the increased cost in child care, but I don't think you have to worry about that