Things I’m Going to Do Differently (or the Same) with Baby #3

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FREE Amazon Baby Box ($35 value) – scroll down to find out how to get yours!

We’re fast-approaching 37 weeks, and I guess it’s time to get set up for baby.  By baby number 3?  I’m chill.  About the preparations, that is.  And impatient for baby to JUST GET OUT even though I don’t have everything “ready.”  I know, it doesn’t make sense.  Welcome to pregnancy hormones. 🙂  Baby will come when baby comes.

As much as the labor process and birth are unknowns, I do have a few more things figured out in my head, and – as many of you mothers-of-more-than-one-kid can attest – I feel more confident in my likes/dislikes for baby’s first days, weeks and months.  I’m definitely excited about a few new things I’ve ordered to try with this baby!

These are the Top 15 things I’m planning to do, and products I’m going to use, differently or the same with baby #3:

1. Write a fun birth plan – I hope I’ll get around to this yet, but as what to put on it after Maple’s crazy birth?  No clue.  Maybe it will be a blank page…?  Ok, that last bit is mostly a joke, but that’s about how I feel about this one.  While I get working on this, you can read the other fun birth plans I’ve done, including an all-natural hospital one you are free to use as a resource!

2. Home birth – Yes, I am planning a home birth again with our great midwife!  You can read Ole’s birth story (water birth), and Maple’s birth story which were both home births as well.

3. Water birth – Not going to try for this, unless it just “happens” to work out perfectly in the tub or something.  Realistically, since it’s not my first baby, if I had one of these blowup pools out and ready… the kids would probably use it for their ball pit or something!  {For a good laugh, read the Amazon reviews and see just how many people used this kiddie pool for a water birth…}

4. First 24 hours with as much skin-to-skin contact as possible – This is best for baby and such precious first hours bonding with your little one!  Don’t forget – Dad can do kangaroo care too!

5. Pump when needed – With Ole I didn’t have or ever use an electric breast pump.  Looking back I’m not sure how I survived.  {I remember nights sitting in the bathroom crying and utterly exhausted as I tried to hand-pump to get some relief when my milk came in and it was more than he could eat… don’t want this picture again!}  For Maple I borrowed a Medela, and though she was fed exclusively breast milk, having a pump was absolutely amazing!  It happened to be a lifesaver when she couldn’t properly nurse due to a lip- and tongue-tie.  Mostly I used it to prevent engorgement, or if I needed to when she would sleep longer stretches at night, and the small supply I built up made it possible for Ben and I to be able to go on a 2-3 hour date right from the start!  What I’m MOST excited about this time around is trying a different brand pump.  After much research, I decided on the Spectra S1, and it just arrived a few days ago!  Made in Korea, and used as the hospital-grade standard in many other countries around the world, it’s just gaining popularity here in the States.  From all the review comparisons I’ve read on it {thanks fellow mom bloggers!}, it’s favored over the Medela and other top brands… hands down.  I. Can’t. Wait!

6. Check for ties – Related to the need for a breast pump, I’m definitely going to look for ties on this baby right away!  You can read more about how to check for them and what they affect in this post I did.  This may be especially helpful for anyone of Scandinavian background/decent.

7. Cloth diaper – Though I’ve gotten away from it for older toddlers, I really love putting brand new babies in adorable cloth diapers!  I still have a stash, so why not use them?!

8. Use a baby monitor – Believe it or not, I haven’t had a baby monitor before!  Have you used one?  Did you love it?  This will hopefully be a very useful “first.”  We went with the Infant Optics DXR-5 which had great reviews and was a decent price.


9. Try a bedside sleeper – Also known as a “sidecar co-sleeper,” this mattress-height little baby bassinet is almost like a crib attached right to your bed.  The idea is brilliant for anyone who nurses in the night and is too lazy to get out of bed all the time {like me, ha!}.  It is a safe way to co-sleep if that is your thing, and helps both mom and baby get better sleep.  Since they’re really expensive, we’re planning to build our own with a very simple design! 🙂  I also have our Pack’n’Play with the bassinet and changing table set up in the other room – it’s still one of my top favorite baby accessories!


10. Gifts for the older siblings “from baby” – I haven’t done this before, but I think it’s a sweet idea!  It also might be because *ahem* on Black Friday I couldn’t resist and bought them tiny keychain size TY Beanie Boos – an owlet and puppy, respectively.  Then their big “stuffies” will have a baby too…  I am confident Ole and Maple will do just fine with the adjustment, but this might be icing on the cake! 😉

11. MAM pacifiers – Ole didn’t take a pacifier at all, but we used them with Maple.  They really come in handy.  I don’t particularly like my babies to have them all the time, or in pictures, and they need to be taken away before they get too old (they can wreak havoc on toddler’s teeth alignment), but in moderation, these are brilliant inventions!  Our favorite is by far the MAM brand.

12. More sleepers, more simple – Like it or not, I have an idea I’m going to dress this baby in a lot more one-piece sleepers, and not as much in cute little-man or baby-doll outfits like I did with the other two.  It’s winter.  I have two other kids.  What can I say?

13. Let gender be a surprise – Yup, we’re still holding out and haven’t opened that envelope!  We’re so close, we’ve just GOT to do it now… though I’m not sure I actually *like* not knowing, and would lean towards finding out in the future.

14. Baby wearing and everything else – I plan to use my baby wrap a lot, and later my Chinese back carrier, ring slings don’t work for me, nursing covers are great, we’ll all squeeze to still fit in our Honda Fit, I like to keep it simple with a bouncer, swing and blanket on the floor for baby accessories, our jogger is great for the gravel driveway/roads, keeping a Pack-n-Play at the grandparents’ house is a wonderful thing, baby wipes are my friend, I’ll nurse on demand and bottle feed when I need a break (excited to try this awesome new product of a silicone hand pump/milk-saver), probably use the baby monitor more to check on the older kids during their nap, I’ll attempt to sleep when baby sleeps (which never works anyway), try to get in a shower or two, and we’ll all give smiles, cuddles, hugs and lots of love to this little one!

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See top of this post for a sneak peek of what products and samples were in our box!

15. Amazon Baby Registry with FREE Baby Box ($35 value) – This is something I’d never done before, and it is a limited time offer.  Right now it’s going on, and it is totally worth the items you receive in the box.  Not to mention super fun to get a package!  There are a few hoops to jump through:

  • If you’re not a Prime member, sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime
  • Create a baby registry and add items from each category until you’ve completed the Jumpstart Activities to 100%
  • Make a purchase of one of the items from your registry for $10 or more (add and buy diapers, or some other mom product that you need anyway)
  • Now you should be able to claim and receive your FREE Baby Welcome Box!
  • You’ll also get a coupon code for 10% (15% for Amazon Family members) off eligible items in one order

What are your favorite can’t-live-without baby products and accessories?  I’m always game to try something new!

Now, if I could just get the house cleaned and the rest of my to-do list done before he/she comes…


This post contains affiliate links of products we have used and would recommend.  Did you know?  If you place any Amazon order after clicking through one of our links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  It’s a great way to help support this blog and keep it as ad-free as possible!

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