Second Baby Registry Checklist: What You Actually Need for Baby #2

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I made a full baby registry checklist. When I was pregnant with my second, I didn't make one at all. My second baby registry checklist would have been surprisingly short because we already owned almost everything we needed.

By baby number two, I already had most of the big things. The stroller, car seat, bouncer, diaper bag, carrier, changing supplies and plenty of other baby gear were sitting in our house waiting to be used again. I realized pretty quickly that preparing for a second baby is much less about starting over and much more about figuring out what you can reuse, what your older child is still using and what actually needs to be replaced.

Of course, every age gap and family is different. My kids are about two and a half years apart, so my son was still using a few things when my daughter arrived. That meant there were a couple of products I wanted duplicates of, but overall, my second baby shopping list was surprisingly short.

If you're wondering what to put on a second baby registry, here's what I would actually recommend.

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What Do You Really Need for a Second Baby?

Before buying anything, I would go through everything you saved from your first baby. You probably already own much more than you realize. And before you start adding replacements, it may also help to look at what I wouldn't put on a baby registry at all.

For my daughter, I reused our SNOO, Doona, UPPAbaby stroller, BabyBjörn bouncer, Keekaroo changing pad, diaper bag, baby carrier and eventually will reuse our Newton crib mattress. I already had all of our changing supplies and most of our bottle and feeding accessories too.

Instead of building another full registry, I would start with one question: Is my older child still using this?

If the answer is no, reuse it. If the answer is yes, then decide whether you actually need another one.

Second Baby Registry Checklist

New Bottles and Nipples

Bottles were one of the few things I bought new.

Even though I already knew which bottles I liked, I wanted fresh bottles and nipples for my daughter. Nipples especially are something I would replace rather than automatically pulling old ones out of storage.

You also don't need to buy a huge bottle collection before your baby arrives. I prefer starting with a small number and adding more once you know what works for your baby. Here's how many baby bottles I actually recommend starting with. If you're also deciding which sizes to buy, I break down 4 oz vs. 8 oz baby bottles separately.

Diapers

This is the obvious one, but diapers are one of the few things every second baby is going to need regardless of how much gear you saved.

I wouldn't stockpile too many newborn diapers because you don't know how long your baby will be in that size. Have enough to get started and order more as you need them.

Related Article: What Size Diapers Should You Put on My Baby Registry?

A Second Sound Machine

We bought another Hatch because my son was still using his.

This is a perfect example of something you may already own but can't necessarily pass down yet. If your older child still sleeps with a sound machine, I wouldn't mess with a good thing just to avoid buying another one.

For us, having a Hatch in each child's room made sense.

Not Sure What You Need for Baby #2?

Even the second time around, it's easy to forget what you actually used. I created a free Baby Registry Guide with my must-haves as a mom of two, plus what I'd skip.

A Second Baby Monitor

We also bought another Nanit because we were still using our son's monitor.

Again, this depends entirely on your setup. If your older child no longer needs a monitor, you may be able to move it into the baby's room and skip this purchase completely.

If you're still actively using it, a second camera or monitor may be one of the few duplicates worth putting on your second baby registry.

A Bottle Washer

I didn't have a bottle washer with my first baby, and my mother-in-law gifted us one for my second. This ended up being one of my favorite new baby products.

I use bottles constantly, so having something that washes them for me has been a game changer. If you already own one, obviously you don't need another. But if you didn't have one with your first baby, this is one upgrade I would absolutely consider for baby number two.

Related Article: Bottle Washer vs. Sterilizer: What's The Difference?

A Second Bassinet, Depending on Your House

We borrowed a SNOO again for overnight sleep, but my mom also bought us a bassinet with wheels. This was helpful because we could move it around and have another safe place for the baby to sleep on a different floor of the house.

This is definitely not something everyone needs. If you live in a smaller or single-story space, I wouldn't buy an extra bassinet just because you're having a second baby. For our setup, having another place to put the baby was convenient.

Some New Clothes

I did end up with new clothes for my daughter, although I wouldn't say you need to put an entire wardrobe on a second baby registry.

A lot of my son's baby clothes had originally been hand-me-downs from my sister's son. After my son outgrew them, I gave them back to her for her second son. I also had a girl the second time around, so people naturally gifted us some new clothes.

But babies really don't need that many outfits. Especially in the beginning, they're mostly living in onesies and footies anyway.

If you saved plenty of basics from your first baby, I would absolutely reuse them.

Related Article: How Many Newborn Clothes Do You Need?

What I Reused for My Second Baby

This was the much longer list.

I reused our SNOO, Doona, UPPAbaby stroller, BabyBjörn bouncer, Keekaroo changing pad, diaper bag, baby carrier, changing supplies and bottle drying and feeding accessories.

I'll also reuse our Newton mattress once my daughter moves into a crib.

These are exactly the types of bigger baby purchases I wouldn't automatically replace just because you're having another baby. Go through what you own, clean everything, check its condition and make sure it still meets current safety guidance before deciding you need a new version.

One useful thing a week.

Practical tips, favorite finds, and shortcuts from pregnancy through the toddler years. Like a mom friend who's already done the research.

Things We Bought New That We Didn't Actually Need

There were also a couple of things we replaced because we wanted to, not because we needed to.

My mom bought us a pink BabyBjörn bouncer cover because we were having a girl. It was cute, but absolutely unnecessary. The old cover could have been washed and reused.

She also bought us a new Lovevery play mat because our original one had been passed back and forth between my sister and me for years. Again, it was nice to have a fresh one, but I wouldn't consider it a second baby essential.

There's a difference between "I want a new one" and "I need a new one." When you're making a second baby registry, I think it's helpful to be really clear about which category something falls into. That's also how I think about baby registry must-haves vs. nice-to-haves.

What I Didn't Buy Again

I didn't replace our stroller, infant car seat, diaper bag, carrier, changing pad or nursery basics just because we were having another baby.

I also didn't buy pacifiers. The hospital provided one, and neither of my babies ended up taking to them anyway.

This is one of the biggest differences between shopping for your first and second babies. The first time, you're building an entire baby setup from nothing. The second time, you're mostly filling gaps.

What If Your Second Baby Needs Something Different?

One thing my experience definitely taught me is that you can't prepare for every scenario.

My daughter arrived seven weeks early, so suddenly we needed things I hadn't planned on buying. We needed preemie clothes, formula and feeding supplies that worked for a premature baby, including different bottle nipples.

I certainly wouldn't recommend buying preemie supplies in advance just in case. But I also wouldn't try to have every possible baby product sitting in your house before delivery.

Buy the basics. Everything else can be figured out once you meet your baby and know what they actually need.

Do You Need a Registry for Your Second Baby?

I didn't make one.

I used Babylist for my first baby and loved being able to add products from different retailers, but by my second pregnancy, I already owned almost everything I considered essential. If you do decide to make one, here's how I built my baby registry using Babylist.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't make a second baby registry. A registry can still be helpful if friends or family want to buy you something, you're having a sprinkle or you simply want one place to organize what you need.

But I don't think you need to recreate your first registry. If I were making one for my second baby, it would be very short.

What I Would Put on a Second Baby Registry

If a friend asked me what she should actually register for before baby number two, I would tell her to start with new bottles and nipples, diapers, a second sound machine if baby number one still uses theirs, a second monitor or camera if baby number one still uses theirs, a bottle washer if she doesn't already have one and a few new clothes if needed.

Then I'd stop.

Before adding anything else, I'd go through the baby gear already sitting in storage and see what could come back out.

You don't need another version of every baby product you loved the first time. In most cases, the fact that you already know which products worked for your family is one of the best parts of preparing for baby number two.

Frequently Asked Questions About Second Baby Registries

What do you actually need for a second baby?

For many families, the second baby shopping list is mostly consumables, fresh feeding supplies and duplicates of products the older child is still using. I bought new bottles and nipples, diapers, some clothes and duplicates of our sound machine and monitor. Most of our bigger baby gear was reused.

Should you make a registry for your second baby?

You absolutely can, but you don't have to. I didn't make a registry for my second baby because we already had most of what we needed. A second baby registry can still be useful as an organized shopping list or if friends and family are asking what they can buy.

What should you replace for a second baby?

I replaced bottles and nipples and bought new consumable items like diapers. For gear, I would evaluate each item individually based on its condition, current safety recommendations and whether it can safely be reused rather than assuming everything needs to be replaced.

Do you need a second sound machine and baby monitor?

It depends on whether your older child is still using them. My son was, so another Hatch and Nanit were two duplicates that actually made sense for us.

Do you need new clothes for a second baby?

Not necessarily. If you saved clothes from your first baby, reuse them. I received some new clothes because my second baby was a girl and many of my son's clothes had been passed back to my sister, but babies don't need an enormous wardrobe. Onesies and footies will get you through a lot of those early days.

What big baby items can you reuse for baby number two?

Depending on the item's condition and current safety recommendations, you may be able to reuse many of your biggest purchases. I reused our SNOO, Doona, UPPAbaby stroller, BabyBjörn bouncer, Keekaroo changing pad, diaper bag and carrier, and I'll reuse our Newton mattress when we need it.

The second time around, my biggest takeaway was simple: start with what you already have.

Baby number two doesn't need a whole new collection of baby gear. Buy the things that need to be fresh, duplicate the few products your older child still needs and reuse everything else that still works for your family.

If you're trying to figure out what you'll actually use once baby arrives, my newborn essentials for the first three months covers the basics we used most.