If you’re preparing for a second baby, you might feel a mix of confidence and uncertainty. You know what to expect, but every pregnancy and baby is different.
I’ve learned a lot from my first experience, and here’s how I’m approaching baby number two differently this time.
8 Ways I’m Preparing for a Second Baby
1. Unsubscribing from mailing lists
This might seem odd, but between my day job, my blog, and my personal emails, I have 5 email addresses that I regularly use and check.
I realized early on in my pregnancy that it would probably be smart to clean up my email and remove myself from those that either sent emails too frequently or I didn’t get anything out of. So, I’ve been doing that slowly but surely throughout my entire pregnancy.
If you have several email addresses (or even just one), I highly suggest reviewing your subscriptions and unsubscribing from mailing lists that no longer serve you. It’s digital clutter, and it will make going through your emails whenever you are able to easier.
2. Decaf Coffee
I cut out coffee completely when I was pregnant with baby #1 (even decaf), but it was hard. This time around, I decided I’m keeping decaf coffee.
Technically, decaf coffee still has a tiny bit of caffeine, but it’s only a few milligrams. I’ve tried several different decaf blends, and I even found a decaf-exclusive company: Dekáf Coffee Roasters.
Dekáf is a great company and an alternative if you are looking to cut back on caffeine. They have a large variety of whole bean options and also offer a decaf coffee concentrate.
Keeping decaf coffee has helped me keep a little bit of joy when I need it, and that’s really helped my mental health, too.
3. Letting my partner do more
My husband is great, but to quote him, “I’m a strong independent woman,” and I don’t ask for help.
I think it’s the Leo in me, thanks to my August birthday.
But either way, I’ve leaned on him a lot more this pregnancy than I remember doing the first time around. That’s probably partly because we have a child now and we didn’t before.
But I’ve tried to get better at asking for help and speaking up when I need time for myself (even if it’s just a mental break, a nap, or a shower).
4. Taking Cara Babies Newborn class
I prepared for labor and delivery with my first, and aside from not recognizing I was in labor (seriously), I know what to expect with baby number two (more or less).
But in hindsight, I did not prepare enough for the newborn stage with my first child. I’m fixing that this time around by doing the Taking Cara Babies newborn class and following Cara’s blog and social media for tips around newborns.
I already have her ABCs of sleep course from my first child, and I plan on implementing that too when it’s age-appropriate.
I highly recommend Cara’s courses and all the information she shares on her blog, too.
If you need more sleep resources or access to experts, check out this post.
5. Meal prepping
I did some of this with baby #1, but not enough in my opinion. I’m going to do as much meal prep as I can (with my husband’s help) and hopefully set us up for success in those early weeks.
I’m also planning to do a meal plan ahead of time that we can use after the baby is born, and asking for gift cards to DoorDash or local places we eat at on the baby registry.
I’m not ashamed anymore to ask for money to help make life with a newborn easier. Plus, it’s an easy way for people who live far away (which is basically everyone for us) to provide and contribute in those early weeks.
I plan to use my Meals Hero app because it makes meal planning for the week so much easier. I can’t tell you how much I love this app and how much it has changed meal prep and grocery shopping for me. It’s a game-changer, which is why it made my 2025 favorite things list.
6. Changing some things with my blog
If you can believe it, I didn’t even have a blog with baby #1! I started KT Likes Coffee after I became a mom, and it’s a hobby that has turned into a small side hustle that I absolutely love. It’s become this creative outlet for me and a great way to connect with other moms and coffee lovers.
But, I know I can’t keep up with things as they are currently when baby #2 is born (at least initially). So I’ve made some decisions that I’m really happy about. Here’s what I’m changing with the blog to prepare for my second child.
- Switching to a monthly email newsletter (with occasional pop-ins if I want or need to promote something)
- Two new blog posts a month (I currently try to do three or four new posts a month)
- Writing ahead – like majorly. I’m hoping to get two to three months’ worth of content drafted and scheduled for when the baby is here. (That means 4–6 posts, which I think I can handle!)
If you run a business or even just work professionally. Think about how you can change or adjust things in your work life to make it easier post-delivery.
7. Mentally preparing
During my first pregnancy in 2020, the pandemic made appointments and hospital visits lonely and stressful. I felt utterly alone, and those first few months after my daughter was born were really hard.
I didn’t feel the instant connection I expected, and it led to postpartum depression. I didn’t get the help I needed until several months later, so that newborn stage was somewhat traumatic looking back.
This time, I’m mentally preparing for a second baby by reminding myself that this pregnancy and newborn stage will be different. I also know help is available if postpartum thoughts start creeping in.
There’s nothing wrong with medication for mental health, and I’ve been off mine for almost three years now, but it’s important to remember support is out there if needed. Preparing mentally has been just as important as preparing physically, and it’s helping me feel more confident and less alone this time around.
8. Decluttering
I keep a lot of things I shouldn’t. I’m terrible at just putting things in closets and forgetting about them. It drives my husband crazy, haha. So for the past few months, we’ve been cleaning closets and going through things.
In part to dig out all the baby things we still have from baby #1, but also to get rid of things that are just taking up space and we don’t use.
Decluttering while preparing for a second baby has helped me clear physical and mental space for the new arrival.
A large box with a 10-year-old surround sound system we haven’t hooked up in 5+ years. Yeah, we can probably get rid of that. Old books, a PlayStation 2, shoes that don’t fit or hurt. All the dumb things that we seem to collect over the years in one way or another.
This is also our last baby, so I plan to donate or sell things after the baby outgrows them instead of hanging onto things as I did with our first.
Preparing for a second baby is a lot different than your first.
In some ways, it’s simpler because you know what to expect. But in other ways, it’s harder because you have another child to care for, and you likely can’t prepare as much as you would like to.
For me, it’s even harder with friends and family hours away, so I need to find ways to prepare mentally for things more than anything.
I know how important mental health is, and I know that the best thing I can do this time around is set myself up for success mentally speaking (and the rest will fall into place!).
If you’ve had multiple children, do you have any tips or things you would add to this list? Tell me in the comments.
