It’s been 5 years since I’ve had a newborn. It’s amazing how much my husband and I have forgotten!  As I get closer and closer to “d-day,” I’ve been frantically emailing my friends and my sister to make sure I haven’t forgotten what I’ll need. In fact, many of the things I thought I needed have been replaced with newer, better, safer items. It’s pretty amazing how quickly the world of child-rearing changes!

Of course, I’ve also started thinking about how I’m going to establish healthy sleep routines with our new child. When we had our first, I was in the dark – my sister tried to give me as much advice as she could but I was so sleep deprived myself and feeling so overwhelmed that it took me a while to really grasp what I had to do. Since then, I’ve become a sleep consultant and feel so much more prepared. However, I also recognize that every baby is different, and who knows what the temperament of our second will be!

Here is what we are doing to prepare for the healthy sleep of our newest family member:

• Re-assembled and checked the safety of our crib (without any bumpers or soft fabrics – just a mattress and sheet!) so that our baby will have a consistent and still place to sleep

• Got a new, organic crib mattress and let it air out

• Set up a pack-n-play in our room for the first few months the baby is home so that I can nurse more easily and quickly get her back to sleep

• Installed an air conditioner in the baby’s room to ensure that she will be cool enough for the last few weeks of summer

• Checked to make sure we have enough swaddle blankets & pacifiers

• Bought a new white noise machine (my sister thinks this is silly because she uses the white noise from a humidifier or a white noise app on an old iPod)

• Installed room-darkening shades in the baby’s room

We thought about our 4.5-year-old as well. We moved her into her new room a few months ago so that she would not feel “displaced” as a result of her sister’s birth, but we told her she was bigger and needed a bigger room. She was involved picking out new sheets for her bigger bed. We’ve been reading books about being a big sister and talking about what she might expect. We’ve lined up family who will be available to entertain her if the baby arrives before she starts school again and have come up with some events for her to look forward to doing with them. Maintaining her routine will be key for her own well-being when the new baby arrives.

Now…if only I could get some rest before #2 arrives…!