My birth experience was really positive. It was just us. I labored at home for a few hours, finishing a few last-minute tasks and mentally preparing for what I was about to do. We went to the hospital when contractions picked up. After almost 15 hours, we welcomed our beautiful baby boy.
As amazing as it was, it was absolutely exhausting. By the time we made it back home, all we wanted to do was rest and cuddle with our new little bundle of joy. When we got home, I realized how truly helpful nesting and preparing for our baby really was.
I nested over the course of months. I even hosted a nesting party so my friends could lend me a helping hand. If you follow me on Tik Tok, you know I did a nesting series when I was preparing for my baby boy’s arrivalI wanted to share some tips and ideas of things to prep for a baby.
For Your House
Clean – Cleaning before the baby is obvious but I suggest hiring a professional for this task. Although this can be pricey, I’ve found great deals on Groupon to have a company come and give your house a good wipe-down.
Create Stations – Make sure you create baskets to keep around the house with the essentials: Diapers, wipes, diaper cream, lotion, and burp cloths. Also, keep a couple of changes of clothes in all the rooms you frequent. Babies have LOTS of accidents and quick changes are essential.
Stock up on the essentials – The last thing you want to do is run out of your essentials. Stock up on laundry detergent, disposable dinnerware, soap, paper towels, and toilet paper.
Prepare for Messes – I suggest buying a good stain remover if you don’t already have one. Spit-up on your shirts and accidents on your sheets happen almost every day. For the first couple weeks, set aside comfy clothes that make you feel good and that you don’t mind getting dirty. There will be lots messes! Speaking of beds, make sure you have a good waterproof mattress protector. Although I support practicing safe sleep of babies in their own beds, when you cuddle and contact nap…things happen! Also, when your milk comes in you end up having a lot of leaking.
Home Nesting Tasks
- Clean Everything!
- Change air filters, water filters ( you won’t want to worry about it the first couple of months)
- Grab some good black-out curtains for the nursery and your room if you plan on room sharing
- Stock up on essentials ( Paper towels, toilet tissue, soap, body wash, disposable dinnerware)
- Prep your Bed with a mattress protector
- Autopay any bills or things you usually schedule every month
- Wash sheets and pillows
For Baby
Wash, EVERYTHING – Clean and sterilize your bottles, baby clothes, pacifiers, and sheets before you bring the baby home from the hospital. You can sterilize on the stovetop, but I bought a sterilizer that works really well for us. I still use it often since its drying function is super helpful. Don’t forget to disinfect the toys you bring home. Babies like to put things in their mouths! It is so much easier to start off with clean items from square one.
Set-up Your Car – Now’s a great time to clean out your car or have it detailed. You’ll want to make sure you set up your infant car seat BEFORE the baby comes. Some hospitals will even check your car first before allowing you to leave to make sure you have a car seat and it’s properly installed.
Put Together Sleep Areas– Don’t wait to put together your crib, bassinet, or pack-n-lay. You’ll want to have it ready for when the baby is here. I’m a fan of the bedside bassinet because it’s easy to keep the baby at arm’s reach. We had a whole bedside nursery that turned out to be super convenient.
Baby Nesting Tasks
- Wash and sterilize bottles
- Organize Baby Items
- Wash Clothes, blankets, bassinet/crib sheets
- Create supplies baskets (Diapers, pacifers, wipes in different areas of the house)
- Set up Crib/Bassinet
- Organize Baby Clothes
- Install the Car Seat
- Set up stroller
- Buy supplies, especially medicines and skincare items
- Set up a Bedside Caddy
For the Parents
Meals and Snacks – Both healthy and indulgent! Prep some freezer meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But in the very beginning, you’ll find you often need to get by on snacks. Go ahead and stock up on your favorites.
Baskets for Mom – Postpartum can be rough. Make sure you keep pads, pad-sicilies, perennial foam, and any other postpartum supplies you want in the bathrooms in your house.
Earmark you Shows – Binge-watching during this time is normal! Save up a couple of good shows for Mom & Dad to binge-watch while they’re home in the first couple of weeks.
I hope this list helps with your postpartum preparedness!
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