Getting ready for baby is a big job.
You know that feeling of panic-cleaning before your mother in law comes to stay for a week? Or the feeling of getting the house ready to take family pictures with your favourite local photographer?
Getting the house ready to bring a new baby home to it kind of feels like that. Except, this house guest is never going to leave, and they’re going to make a hell mess of it faster than you can believe.
If you’re feeling the nesting urge (and we know, that urge is REAL), here are some house projects to put on the list to make the adjustment from “we” to “three” a little easier.
1. Make your room your safe haven.
Sure, it’s way more fun to decorate the baby’s room than to spend time on yours. However, in the early weeks, you’re probably going to spend way more time in your room than your baby’s. Experts recommend that babies sleep in their parent’s room for the first six months, and if you’re resting as much as you should in the early days, you’ll be spending a lot of time in your bed! Make your bedroom a calm, relaxing space to unwind in to help everyone get the sleep they need.
2. Create a couple of change stations.
Look, newborns poop a lot. Like, 12+ diapers a day. Do future you a favour by creating several changing stations in different areas of the house (maybe in your bedroom, the living room, and baby’s bedroom) so that you don’t have to go back to one spot each time. Stock these stations with diapers, wipes, receiving blankets, extra onesies, and a laundry and garbage bag. Having necessities close by will be a life saver- especially if you have a c-section and struggle with stairs or getting up.
3. Organize and declutter.
Even though caring for a newborn is a full-time job in and of itself, new parents love to make themselves feel guilty for all the things they’re not getting done around the house. When you’re trapped on the couch under a baby all day long, it’s easy to see all the cluttered parts of your house that are making you feel anxious. Clearing out the old mail, the mismatched Tupperware, and the growing donation pile in the closet now will let you focus on resting and bonding later.
4. Take care of the annoying chores.
You know those things that you never seem to get time for on the weekends? Things like cleaning out the gutters, pressure washing the driveway, or organizing the garage? Yeah, there definitely won’t be time for that after the baby comes- even if both of you are off work and you’ve got an amazing postpartum doula on your team. If it bugs you now, it will bug you even more later (see above), so schedule in some time to get these chores done while you can (or outsource them if you can’t!).
5. Make sure your washer and dryer are good to go.
You are about to get your money’s worth out of your washer and dryer. Now is a good time to clean out your dryer ducts, get new filters, and give your machines a tune-up if they need them. We promise, you do not want to be without a washer and a dryer when you’ve got a newborn. Nope, no thank you.
No matter how many chores you add to your list, you’ll probably never feel quite ready. Remember, what your newborn needs most of all is you and in the end, you won’t care if you didn’t get everything crossed off your list.
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