How Parents Prep for Baby Number Four

This is a sponsored post by Proctor and Gamble and Acorn Influence. All opinions are my own.

Prepping for a baby is going to be different for every family, and for every child, especially when that child is not your first, your second, or even your third. By the time a family is doing prep for a fourth baby, things are going to be easier, more relaxed, even if it’s finally a child of a different gender. That is because parents of three kids already know what is really necessary for a baby, and what is not.

A first baby is prepped for to the fullest extent. From over-the-top baby showers and nurseries to adorable layette, a first child will have the best room and clothes of anyone in the family as soon as they are born. Parents spend a lot of time researching the best brands of car seats, diapers, wipes, strollers, cribs, and breast pumps in preparation of baby #1. They also read parenting books, breastfeeding tips, and sleep advice.

But by the time you’re welcoming a fourth baby it’s maybe a few gifts of diapers from close friends and family (if you are lucky) and hopefully a designated sleeping area and some hand-me down clothes. I mean, why pay for a whole new wardrobe when they can wear those onesies that were only ever worn three times (maybe) before by an older sibling before they outgrew them? 

Rachel of A Mother Far from Home said that for her first she created handmade decorations, organized all the clothes just so, rearranged, and spent time in the nursery everyday until the day her baby arrived. For her fourth child, she took the swaddles and warm onesies out, bought a pack of newborn diapers, and set up a pack ‘n play in her room, and Bam! was done!

Or as my friend Rachael of Adventures in Wunderland, who just welcomed her fourth baby said, “Baby #1: BUY ALL THE THINGS! Baby #4: we’ve got diapers, right?”

The thing is, as my friend Krissy of B-Inspired Mama said, “Prepping for your first baby is more focused on learning and gathering, whereas prepping for babies #2, #3, or #4 are more focused on rest and emotional prep.” And she’s totally right.

The blessing of welcoming in that fourth child is that you are way more sure of yourself and what you babies, and yourself, really do need. Plus, as Jaimi of The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide, said “There was no zero comparison to ‘what other moms had or were getting.’ I was comfortable with my choices, likes, and dislikes.” In fact, when Jaimi was expecting her twins, babies #3 and #4, she actually reduced the number of blankets, quilts, and clothes because she knew she didn’t need as many! I had my twins first and I totally get what she means because we received so many clothes and blankets for our twins that they barely used!

So, what exactly do parents do to prep for a fourth child? If you’re like us, probably something a little like this:

How to Prep for Baby Number Four

1) Prep the Baby Clothes

Have your in-laws ship boxes of baby clothes, blankets, and bedding that you left at their house to store, because you’re living in an apartment and didn’t have room to store it, nor did you think you’d be needing it this soon. When the boxes arrive, wait a few days (or weeks) to open them, because you still have time.

When you finally get around to opening them, do a sniff test to see if you really need to wash them before baby arrives, or if they’re good.

You decide you better put them through a wash for good measure, so you pick up some Dreft liquid baby detergent from Sam’s Club, because you’ve learned by now that buying in bulk is going to save you some serious money when it comes to baby goods. Plus, September is Baby Days at Sam’s Club, so it’s a great time to buy and stock up.

You organize the box of clothes by size, knowing full-well to put aside all of those newborn sized layette you have (why do you even still have them?), because you’re babies come out huge and come late, so you certainly won’t be needing those itty-bitties. You also don’t hang up all of the clothes in the box, just the ones sized 0-3 months, because baby will be sharing closet and drawer space with an older sibling, so no one has room for all of them to be hung up or put in a drawer.

But, I will be honest. We still bought a new outfit for our baby for a “Coming Home” outfit. My husband insisted she had something that was just for her. Baby clothes are so cute! 

2) Prep the Nursery

Because big brother is still in the crib, and you really don’t want to make the transition over to a toddler bed right now, cause four walls seem to be working well for him, you make some room somewhere (in your bedroom or another’s), and pop-up the Pack ‘n Play, put in the bassinet insert, wash the little sheets and mattress protector for it (again with Dreft), and voila! You are done!

Baby’s “nursery” is prepped, cause all baby really needs is a bed. Any decor is already set in place by an older sibling (Bonus! It’s done already!) who the baby will be sharing a room with since you live in a 3 bedroom apartment.

3) Prep the Home & Car

Natural nesting is still sure to occur, so deep cleaning, organizing every closet, packing up old clothes, downsizing, and rearranging is bound to occur. Even with babe #4. You’ll also make sure to set up the baby swing because those things are a godsend, especially when no other horizontal space may be safe from older children’s presence.

And of course you’ll need to prep your car for a new baby. We got a new infant car seat (mostly because the one we have is set to expire in December) and tidied up our vehicle.

4) Prep for the Waste

If there is one thing you need to be prepared for with every new baby, it’s the diapers. Newborns go through a lot of diapers in one day. One of the best nesting instincts to have with a fourth child is to stock up on diapers. And with Sam’s Club, the boxes of Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers are bigger, bringing the cost per diaper down, and preventing you from having to run to the store as often. And as its September, Sam’s Club is running some awesome Instant Savings on diapers, wipes, and more. I totally took advantage of the savings during my recent visit this week.

And I even picked a small additional item for my new baby (can you believe she’s already 5 weeks old?!) – a new book! I didn’t even realize that books were marked down at Sam’s Club before. Why did I not know that? I could stock up my kids book collection!

To encourage you to hit up the awesome baby deals during Sam’s Club Baby Month, be sure to enter the giveaway below! And

Sam’s Club Gift Card Giveaway!

Lucky you have the chance to win one of 36 $50 Sam’s Club gift cards with a single tweet! Just another reason you need to have a Twitter account! To be eligible to win, you must tweet about your favorite Sam’s Club baby item and include #SamsClubBaby and #finds in the tweet. That’s it! The giveaway is live now until Tuesday, September 15, 2015. Good luck!

$50 Sam’s Club Gift Card Giveaway