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As cliche as all the sayings are, your life is about to change drastically. Nothing will ever be the same once baby arrives (and while that might seem scary now…you’ll look back later and be unable to imagine life without your littles anymore). So as a 2 time Mama, I thought I would share some tips with you on how you can prepare for the big day!

10 things you should do before baby arrives to get ready for their big arrival!

1. Sign up for any baby classes you want to take & attend them

   • As a first time mom, I took several classes to prepare, and I think they were all well worth it. At the very least look into and Infant CPR class and a Hospital Tour where you will be delivering. We also took a labor class and one on caring for baby (since we were super nervous as first time parents).

2. Prepare the nursery & your room

   • Things will go a lot smoother if you have already washed baby’s clothes and sheets and prepared the room where they will be staying. You don’t want to suddenly go into labor and come home to an unprepared house. Trust me you will be anxious and exhausted leaving the hospital, so coming home to an already prepared house will make life much easier!

3. Deep Clean the House (and swap to “clean” cleaning products while you are at it)

   • It may be a while before you have the time again to get around to cleaning the oven, the fridge, the blinds, the baseboards…etc. And the thing is at some point baby will be crawling around touching everything at their level, so you’ll want that to have been cleaned more recently than a year ago! If you don’t feel like doing all that cleaning yourself because you can’t even bend down or see your toes anymore, you can always hire a professional. Additionally, you may want to consider swapping out any harsh chemical products that you may be using for non-toxic ones. Here is our favorite line of natural cleaning products. They are amazing, and I can’t recommend them enough.

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4. Look into Grocery Pickup options near you

   • This was a life saver for us when we had our first! It can be a struggle getting out of the door with a newborn and making it through a whole shopping trip without them getting upset for some reason. Having grocery pickup made it so easy to get the groceries we needed. As a bonus, we always spend less when we order our groceries online. You can better budget and watch the price tag than in the store!

5. Consider purchasing Amazon Prime

   • For so many reasons when you have a newborn, being able to purchase items and have them show up 2 days later on your doorstep is incredible. Plus, many items are cheaper from Amazon than in the brick and mortar store. You can sign up for a free trial here to give it a test drive!

6. Pre-make some Freezer Meals (or purchase some if that’s more your style)

   • Those first few days at home with a newborn can be a bit of a shock. You will be sleep deprived and trying to take care of yourself and your baby. Do yourself a favor and pre-make some easy freezer meals that you can either toss into the oven to bake or into a crockpot to cook. If you’re breastfeeding, you’ll likely be starving, but either way it’s nice to have some real food to eat when you get home!

     

7. Pack your Hospital Bag & Diaper Bag

   • Don’t wait until the last minute to pull something together. Pack your bags for the hospital in advance. If you do use a list, make sure you know what the hospital provides so that you are not bringing a whole bunch of items that you won’t use! Most women tend to overpack for their first baby!

8. Stock up on diapers and wipes

   • If you are planning on using disposable diapers and wipes, it is a great idea to stock up on several sizes ahead of time. From a cost perspective it will get you ahead to have some of that cost already invested, and they will definitely come in handy to already have a stockpile at home.

9. Sleep as much as you can now

   • Everyone tells you this because it’s true. Enjoy sleeping in on Saturdays…it will be awhile before you get to do that again.

     

10. Enjoy some alone time with your significant other

    • This is another thing you won’t get a lot of once baby arrives, so soak it all up now. This isn’t meant to be a scary warning, but just a reminder to appreciate the present. Many moms spend so much time anticipating baby while they are pregnant, they forget to appreciate the present. Go out to a fancy dinner and a movie and just soak up that time!

Now go out there and get ready for that precious little baby! I wish you all the best with your labor and delivery and bringing that little bundle home!

Also, check out The Ultimate Baby Registry Checklist: Must-Haves and What you Don’t Need for First Time Moms it’s a great resource for all the baby items you will want as a first time mom!

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie