A good carrier.
With my first, I thought I needed every piece of equipment — swings, loungers, the lot. By the third, it’s the opposite. If they’re unsettled, I just put them in the carrier and get on with the day.
It’s the only thing that actually works consistently — especially for naps on the go or when you’re juggling other kids.
How little of it is predictable.
You can do the exact same thing two days in a row and get completely different outcomes. Sleep, feeding, moods — none of it really follows a formula, even if you try.
It forces you to let go of control a bit, which I wasn’t expecting.