Quite honestly, when it comes to the second child, I would admit I am not too keen to spending as much. I have definitely ruled out the purchasing of "new" big ticket items unless it was absolutely necessary (spoilt, better product in market, consumables/health related).
By now, I really ought to know better that motherhood is full of twist and turns and basically unpredictability. We had to move back to our in-laws place and with 2 kids, the previous option of having a nest on the king sized bed between us was no longer an option. It was dangerous with a slightly jealous and temperamental toddler around.
To help other non-first time mothers, here are some of our considerations for our cot, beddings and sleeping aids.
- Should I get a second-hand cot? Depends. There was a mark-down sale and the price was so attractive that we got a new cot at a real steal. :P Having said that, the baby actually still prefer sleeping on me more than her new cot. :'(
- Should I get waterproof beddings? Honestly, I don't. I just line the mattress with underpads. Personally, I prefer cotton materials for their beddings (cos it feels softer). Ours is from thebubhaus. It is pretty comfy and affordable. Lots of designs to choose from too!
- How do I keep my cot neat? I am guilty of hanging a lot of random stuff on the cot sides. This time round, we got a cot organiser to hang at the side and it is such a life changer. I feel like the room is now more organised since all the kids related stuff and accumulated and packed into it. :)
- Why do you put a nest on your mattress? You can read my post on the uses of a nest here. Just to add on, when you have a toddler, a nest becomes even more important because it creates the barrier, especially if all 4 of you co-sleep together. For us, the nest gives us options...to move her around and also more space to put baby related stuff around it. Oops.
- Does your baby use sleep aids? Yes she does. We use a white noise machine from pursay that calms her down quite a bit (and helps the adults to sleep well). We also have customized comfy mink blankies (pillow and bolsters have been put aside) for her. Super CUTE! For those who ask, we got them from Honeythreads.sg We would also swaddle her in LovetoDream. I recommend the authentic version because of its more lasting and softer fabric, which in turn provides effectiveness for the really fussy babies (like mine).
- Is a cot mobile necessary? Our #1 was not very interested in it. But this baby loves staring and cooing at it. So I guess it is a good buy :) On top of that we also let her play with the Star Rainstick Rattle from Itots($14.90) and a bunny rattle from Nattou (price unknown cos it is a gift).
