Nursery Makeover: What Do You Need For Baby Number 3

We are due with our third little girl at the end of March. When she comes along we will have a 3.5 year old and a 15 month old, so we are definitely busy parents. Adding this third little girl into the mix is going to change the way we do day to day things. Even more so than when we had our second baby in of December 2015.

The first big change we face is that we live in a 3 bedroom home, so two of our girls will need to share a room. To me, it makes sense to have the older two share a room, since the baby will be up so much through the night in the first few months. And the last thing I want is for the baby to be disrupting the sleep of either of the older girls. My brain quickly starts planning and organizing how this would all work for us. Which is basically how my brain works all the time, being a rather organized person.

Aside from the logistics of the older two room sharing, and I will share more on that later this week, I want to make sure we are making the nursery fresh and special for our next little girl.

Making The Nursery Feel New

How do we do that anyway? Take a room that was already set up for one baby, and make it new & different & special for the next baby?

One of the first things people suggest is changing the layout. Move the furniture around so the room looks and feels different. For us, this was is an option. Before our second daughter was born we spent a  lot of time moving the furniture around and trying different configurations. The room is small and has one funny fall, which limits our furniture placement options. So we already knew the current layout was what works best for us.

We are using the crib from our first daughter for the third baby. That means the crib in the nursery is changing, which gives the room a different feel. We chose a new “theme” for the nursery: Sheep/Lambs/Meadow. I bought some artwork for the walls and a new bedding set. I hope to keep each of the girls’ bedding sets and give them to them later in live when they have children of their own. Can you tell I am overly sentimental? And aside from that, so far we have just got a few decor items: a sheep piggy bank, new cozy blanket, and sheep play mat.

We are keeping the same curtains, rug, and laundry hamper & baskets. As well, we are using the same dresser and glider that we have used when each of our girls was born. We want to make the most of what we have, while still making the room fresh.

So, You Have 2 Kids Already, What do you REALLY NEED for the 3rd?

We have been blessed to have our children very close in age, all girls, and we have held on to every last thing. From clothes and shoes to blankets and toys, almost nothing leaves our house. We take very good care of everything, storing things away when they are no longer needed. I am quick to move the girls up a size in clothing, knowing it helps give it a longer life. And we save everything for the next one to wear, even if we think the season won’t line up quite right.

We have most of the “big ticket” items that a new baby requires. Our infant car seat is still valid. We have a few strollers. We have all the furniture we need: crib, glider, dresser. I have two breastfeeding pillows, one for the nursery and one for the living room. We have more clothes than we know what to do with. We have a play mat, a swing, a bouncy chair, a highchair, and a huge assortment of toys.

So when it comes down to it, we really do not need much for this third baby. We did get a new crib mattress for her (thank you Black Friday sales!), and of course her own bedding set. We also have a few new clothes, of course, so that she has her own coming home outfit. As well as a few things I can say are “hers” when it comes time to create a memory box for each of the girls.

We are excited to being trying out our first video baby monitor with this next baby, and you can read more about that here.

To Shower or Not To Shower

I am very quick to decline any offer of a baby shower or sprinkle. While I love all my family & friends dearly, they have given us so much with our first two girls. And we want to put all those items to good use again. I know they will inevitably bring us some gifts for this next baby girl, for which we will be very grateful.

Perhaps I will challenge them to come and help us in other ways: washing dishes, folding laundry, maybe even mopping my kitchen floor. A new mom, even on the third go around, appreciates help around the house more than she may admit. Also an amazing way to help, is to take the older girls out in the yard or to the park for an hour of active time. Or out for lunch, or a walk around the block. Giving mom time alone with the baby, or to nap in peace, or take a shower without an audience. These little things help in a really big way.