Get ready for baby #2 with these 11 brilliant consejos

So you're not left scrambling in the days before your due date, avoid assuming that you already have everything you need. As soon as you have the energy, dig through all your baby stuff and figure out what you have, what is still usable, what needs to be replaced and what you don't have at all.

As for any gear items, check that they are fully and safely functioning. Swings, bouncy seats and play chairs likely need new batteries, cribs may be missing hardware, car seats could be recalled and strollers could need new tires.

Once you've gone through all of the clothing you saved from your first baby, throw what your're keeping in the wash. Even if it was cleaned before it was stored, it's probably a little stale from being packed up for months or years. And remember to wash any newly purchased duds, bedding, etc. while you're at it.

Once you have a good idea of how much stuff your new little one is going to have and how much space he's going to need, start making room. Decide where the baby will sleep, eat, play etc. and clear out those areas to make room for the baby's things. Babies don't have to take up a lot of space, but they often do!

One thing I didn't think was super-important with my first baby was prepping meals to have on hand in the freezer for busy days. I had no idea how time-consuming basic infant care is. This time I'm planning to start stocking my freezer with casseroles, soups and breakfast foods about two months ahead of my due date.

It's best to start preparing your first child for the arrival of your second as soon as possible. Read books about welcoming a new sibling, point out babies and their older siblings in real life and on TV, involve your child in your preparations for the baby, bring her to OB visits. Make sure she feels included.

If you're planning to breastfeed, you'll want to explain it to your first child, especially if she's old enough to understand about body parts and private parts. Make sure you use simple words and don't make a big deal out of it. I told my son that babies drink mommy milk and that mommy milk comes from breasts. I remind him that he drank mommy milk when he was a baby.

I'm talking about those unfinished (or unstarted) projects that you think about on a daily basis and that will annoy you when you're staring at the walls for hours a day while your feed and rock your baby. The projects that if you don't get done now, you won't have time to get done for months after the baby is born.

You'll need to have a network of people that you can call for help. You may be a seasoned mama, but you have never had to care for two children. Know who to call to bring you food when you don't have energy to cook, who would love to hang out with your older child for an hour so you can take a nap when the baby does, who can help you figure out why the baby is crying, etc.

Even if it hasn't been very long since your first was an infant, it's a good idea to refresh your memory on the basics of labor and delivery as well as caring for a young baby. Take the refresher classes offered by your local hospital or skim through some of the books and web sites you read the first time around.

Last but not least, one of the biggest things you'll have to plan for is who will care for your first child when you are delivering your second. If you're planning a hospital birth, you'll need to leave him with someone for around two to four days. Even if you're planning a home birth, you may want someone available to take him once things get intense.