Baby Product Must Haves?

The first one that comes to my mind is if to have more than 1 brand of bottles ready. I wanted to breastfeed but it wasn't working and my baby was desperate.
I did a LOT of research before having my baby and I pick what I thought were the best bottles, so when she couldn't get any out of me I was so glad I had ready the best bottles...WRONG!
She hate them, and it was very late, I was so lucky my doctor gave me a diaper bag with some free try out including a bottle.
Lucky she took that bottle (that was the only brand she took)

Totally Toddler stain remover! You can get it at KMart. Works great on everything. Even formula stains!
Congrats on baby number two!

I had my first baby boy in January and I recommend the baby wipes warmer to anybody. Also, after 4 months you should get a jumbaroo to keep him busy.

A ton of burp rags, boppy pillow (with extra covers), original desitin, hylands teething tablets, and since my little one was so busy and active, a jumperoo!

My must haves are simple and few:

zippered, mesh wash bags for keeping track of little socks and reusable breast pads (I found some for .99, got four and still use them to keep my toddler's socks from getting "eaten")

Moby Wrap baby carrier

small hair dryer for changing table (completely drying the area before applying cream or diaper helps keep diaper rash at bay...also can calm a fussy baby...still use it for my toddler)

large seersucker receiving blankets...my Mom bought yardage and hemmed them for me...they were a life-saver in hot, humid Texas summers

If Breastfeeding: invest in a nice large water bottle. I have never been so thirsty than during that time.
Start making double meals right now and freeze one. Meatloaves, chicken pot pie, lasagna, etc.
Baby Products: the Moby is amazing, Hooter Hiders, they have swings that can be used with carseats to make for an easy transition.

I also created a snack basket for my older one: filled with portion sized snacks that he could get himself. It made him feel like a big boy and was easier to manage when feeding the younger one.

Hope this helps,
Suzy & her men

Swing, boppy pillow & diaper genie.

The large swadlers (at least 40 x 40). for Summer definatly get muslin or something breathable.

A comfortable nursing chair with ottoman

desitin and SwaddleMe self swaddlers.

I got tons of burp cloths but only ended up using one package of them because I used rags at home instead because I thought the bump cloths were too cute to stain. lol, I also got a Boppy and a My Breast Friends pillow and if your going to breastfeed, I would suggest saving your money and just buying the Boppy. The my Breast Friend is great but the Boppy works well too so save your money. I couldn't have lived without a swing, but I bought the most expensive one on the market and now at 6 months my daughter is already too heavy for it, so I would suggest just going with the cheaper, portable ones because you can take them places. I also bought a co-sleeper and bassinet, my baby out grew the co-sleeper very early and it was a waste of money. The Bassinet was nice to have next to me though while she was a newborn. I bought her bassinet off of Walmart's website for only 40 brand new so I thought that was a good price. I also got a Summer Bouncer which my daughter loved but outgrew quickly also. Other products that I couldn't have lived without would have to be a portable breast pump, Prince Lion Heart seat (or I imagine a Bumbo would work great), Pack - and -play, and Sophie the Giraffe teether - it's expensive (25) but as much as she uses it for teething, it's worth it!

Also I've found that Craigslist also has some pretty nice stuff for sell at very reasonable prices that are in good, clean condition if you buy from the right people. And if you think about how quickly babies go through things it makes perfect sense.

Another thing that I don't have but would have loved while my baby was a newborn would have been a backseat mirror, I was constantly reaching back and touching her to make sure she was okay when she was a newborn!

If you haven't had your shower yet, I would suggest asking for plenty of diapers, wipes, and medicine. This stuff is amazing to have stocked up on because you don't want to have to be running out last minute for it!

Hope this helps and congratulations on your second son! I wanted a boy really bad but got blessed with a daughter instead (:

Crib, bobby pillow or something similar, swing and/or bouncy seat!

I'm on #3 and these are some fun ones I really liked:
- Aden and Anis 100% cotton light blanket (received as gift, but from Target) - great for summer as they are so light and soft

- Breast feeding cover - hooter hider, etc. Bring to hospital before baby is born so you can feed while nurses and guests are in and out. I use this constantly and have bought another - sooo handy!

- Fetal heart monitor. In my third trimester, I get paranoid about baby movement and not feeling it. The fetal heart monitor ($60 on amazon and great resale on craigslist) was really great for me to reassure myself!

- Bouncers with lights (at 2.5 months, my baby loves to sit and look at this). Give me a nice time to be with other kids and shower!

- Swing with lights - same thing, as above, but this lulls her to sleep so I don't spend so much time walking around the house with her attached to me trying to fall asleep.

- A good breast pump! Must have. I have two and one travel I put in the car.

- A baby wrap that you wear. I think I got mine on ebay a few years ago. It's a long piece of material that you wrap around yourself and it holds the baby against your chest. Much more comfortable than a baby bjorn or other baby carrier. I think it was called something like a kangaroo pouch or something.
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a baby carrier of some sort: sleepy wrap/ergo.....my LO loves to be held!

Bouncey Seat, Aveeno baby products (I was a johnsons & johnsons person but my baby does better with aveeno), tons and tons of bibs, and my own first aid kit (sterile saline, rubber gloves, pedia lax liquid suppository, bulb syringe, infants tylenol, baby neosporin, quick test thermometer, aquaphor, etc.) I formula fed so I I would keep an extra can on a top shelf just in case we ran out or ran low. The best bulb syringe I have found was the one from the hospital. I bought about 4 different kinds and they just didn't have the suction power the hospital one had. I would suggest trying to get 3 or 4 of them from the hosp.
The things I didn't really use were the baby bath tub (next time I want just a bath seat), swaddle blankets, sleep sacks, and burp cloths. I still have stacks of burp cloths folded, only washed once in my daughters closet. =) Congrats!

A mei tai baby carrier -- can be used in so many different positions and holds the baby very securely so that you don't at all feel the little one can fall, and works well into the toddler years.

A hand breast pump

swaddling blankets (and The Happiest Baby on the Block)

My husband says a good selection of bottles (BPA free)

vibrating bouncy seat

white noise machine

Good, large diaper bag (you'll be carrying stuff for both kids in it, no matter how old the older ones are -- we still often have stuff for our 8yo in there) -- we use a good backpack at this point with 3 kids)

A supply of infant tylenol, rash cream, teething tablets, etc. -- you want to have it if you need it.

If breastfeeding, The phone number of a good lactation consultant posted somewhere you can find it easily -- you don't want to have to start researching this in the middle of a nursing crisis.

Something I have my clients and students make (I'm a childbirth educator and birth doula) is a list of people and their phone numbers who they can call upon to bring over a meal, pick up some groceries, or come by and help out for an hour while you shower, nap or whatever, and a list of people and phone numbers who you feel you can call anytime of the day or night if you are having a crisis.

A freezer full of frozen meals that all you need to do is throw in the oven and dinner is taken care of. You've got plenty of time to make meals and freeze them so that they are what you normally eat. Okay, not really a baby product, but it sure does make those first few weeks easier.

That's all I've got off the top of my head, and I need to go get ready to take my 5yo to a birthday party.

-B.

With #2 I loved my Maya wrap. Couldn't have kept track of #1 and snuggled #2 as much as she needed. I just strapped her on and away we went. Great for nursing on the go or in public too! No one every even knew! The web site is great and has videos about all the ways to use it. As she got older I used it to hold her on my hip for hands free carrying and to support her weight and to strap her into those large wooden restaurant high chairs that they always slip around in!!

a good nursing bra, walker, swing, bouncy chair., headrest pads for every machine and seat. bordreauxs butt paste. baby book to jot down all those moments. a baby sling, really light blanket that i could weave through my bra straps to hide the boobs while breastfeeding in public., lanolin, for nipples.

A travel mug.

When I was tired or overwhelmed, it was great to relax with a nice cup of tea while cuddling/watching/feeding my son and not worry about spilling anything hot all over him (or me or the furniture!)

A boppy type pillow! I didn't have one until my 4th babe and I wonder how I did w/o it! He now uses it in his crib for a pillow! (he is now almost 1 1/2)
Also, Gripe Water was nice to have for his gassy tummy.
Another thing I didn't have until my last babe was a sling! Man that was nice everywhere we went, like church, shopping or just outside!
What all my kids used and is nice to have is a bouncy seat! I put them in the bathroom w/ me when I was desperate for a shower, and the shower calmed them while they were safely buckled into the seat! Lovely thing!
One other something, or someone, that is nice is an older sibling! You'll see :)

My baby was a winter baby, so the best product we got was a fleece pouch from kangrooKorner. com. It was expensive, and not as great for your back as my other carriers, but it was so easy to use and pop the baby in/out of. I have pictures of my husband doing crossword puzzles, because he has his hands free and the baby is snug and happy against his chest. I tell all my firends to get one. The other wrap we really liked, was the cuddly wrap. It;s very ligthweight and comfy for long walks, but it took more effort to tie.

Original Arm's Reach co-sleeper (we still use it today as a travel crib and can for years to come.) MOM's flow bath tube w/built in themometer (used from birth until my son was 18 months and he's a big boy!), Swing (get one of the new ones that plug in and have a 30 pound weight limit), Wearable blankets (we had the swaddle ones and are now in the toddler size - loved them all! Summer flat screen video monitor - great to watch & hear baby sleeping in the crib. It's basically a mini TV that's been going strong for almost two years and has been dropped many times too! Some things were expensive but well worth the price considering how long we were able to use it all.

A bouncy seat, cloth diapers to use as burp clothes, Cetaphil for the baby acne, Mylicon for gas and Diaper Champ.

Bobby pillow, hooter hider, sleep lamb sound machine for the crib.

Spring for the Boon high chair. It goes up and down like the chair at the hairdresser and it's on wheels. Hands down the best baby thing we bought! I could do commercials for it!

Baby Bjorn front carrier - this is my favorite baby product. I put both of my kids in it when they were fussy. Hands free to do housework, etc and they would fall asleep. Also, carseat w snap n go stroller, sleepsacks, exersaucer, bouncy chair. Good luck! :-)

I used our Fisher Price cradle swing quite a bit (until he was around 22lbs) it was a little too fast for my brand new baby, but was such a help during stressful times when my baby was fussy and I needed to give him a quick distraction. This was also nice for helping him fall asleep whenever I had trouble putting him down for a nap.