I’m well over halfway now with my last pregnancy! How did it go by so quickly? My mind is blown with everything I want to get done before our little guy joins the team. I’ve been making to-do lists, crossing my Ts and dotting my Is, and thankfully I think I have everything set in place. Of course, I still have some time before his arrival, but I prefer to be prepared. I’m a planner and it works best for me and my stress level if I can plan and prepare a few steps ahead! Welcoming a new baby into the family can be a huge change for everyone and I have a few tips I want to share that can make that change easier.
1. Plan for child care (Daycare and Delivery!)
If this is your first child, and you will be going to work, it helps to check out some daycare options beforehand. I found that it was easier for me to go while pregnant and without my baby to places, then come back later with my baby to my top choices and see how everyone meshed together. It worked for me doing it this way so I could go into a place with certain expectations and needs and after becoming a mom and getting to know my baby (and the reality check of my expectations!) to find the right daycare for our family.
If this is your second + child, you’ll need to secure someone to watch them while you’re giving birth. My situation is a little easier since I have scheduled C-sections- I can notify my work, family, sitters, etc. to the exact date and time. If you’re baby is coming the “old fashioned way”, you’ll need to set up the same thing, but on a loose, flexible timeframe. Be sure that whoever will be watching your kid(s) is aware of the days/time and what they’ll need (sports activities, school, etc). Having as much planned out ahead of time as possible is so much easier.
2. Clean the house
Before having each of my babies, I went crazy cleaning and doing as much as I could the week before our little one’s arrival. It’s so nice to come home to a clean home, especially when you’re recovering for birth and taking care of your little one(s). If you have the disposable income, use it to hire someon, it’s worth every penny! Bending, scrubbing, etc. is hard work when you’re at the end of your pregnancy. Anytime I’m away from home for any reason, it’s the best feeling to come home to clean bathrooms, mopped floors, and freshly washed sheets!
3. Quality Time
Before each baby, I’ve always had a list of things I wanted to do with my husband and our family to spend some time together before our lives are turned upside down. Restaurants, movies, activities, things that are fun for everyone. When we had Ellie, we took a “babymoon”, with Emma we took Ellie to see her first theater movie, and now with our baby boy we’ll probably go bowling, to a pizza place with games, and maybe Emma’s first theater movie! I always want to remember each stage of our family and the time before our family is growing seems to be extra special.
4. Pamper Yourself
The week before I’m due, I like to get my hair done and treat myself to a mani/pedi. The last month of pregnancy is the hardest for me; my body aches, it’s hard to sleep, nothing fits and I’m sick of wearing the same 4 items that still do. I love pampering myself when I may not be feeling my best, it gives me a boost and I’m ready to meet my newest little looking my best. LOL! I like to get my hair done before for pictures during/after the delivery and in preparation for our newborn photos. Having my hands and toes done are just the icing on the cake.
5. Do the Laundry
Matt and I can have sensitive skin so I assumed with each of our children, having that newborn perfect skin, they would have sensitive skin as well. Ellie wasn’t too bad, but Emma still has pretty sensitive skin. She’ll use a blanket somewhere else (like at daycare/someone’s home) and break out in a huge rash. New babies can go through so many outfit changes a day, I like having all of their clothes washed and ready to go. That’s why this time, I’m using Dreft purtouch, a hypoallergenic baby detergent to prewash all of our clothes. For our family, we need gentle detergent that’s safe and irritant free for our skin, but is effective in cleaning and getting out stains. Dreft purtouch has a 65% plant-based formula- free of dyes, chlorine, phosphates, ethanolamine and optical brighteners - specially formulated to help make the world gentle for baby. One thing I've always made sure to do with each baby is pre-wash their clothes (here's a great video that highlights the importance of doing so), 90% of dermatologists recommend pre-washing to get rid of excess dyes and processing chemicals that can linger on baby clothes.
Each week seems to be going faster and faster! There's so much I want to do before our little guy arrives! I finally decided on a nursery theme and it's almost time to get to work on it! These five things I feel is the most important to get prepared and will be my main focus this second half of my pregnancy.
What are some of your to-dos before baby arrives? Any tips on the transition from two to three?
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