Top 7 Things To Do Before Your Newborn Arrives

Expecting the arrival of your new baby is both exciting and overwhelming. You know the clock is ticking for you to prepare for your bundle of joy, and you don’t know how you are going to feel as you approach your due date. During both of my pregnancies, I was very uncomfortable during the third trimesters. I had a list a mile long of things to do but my pace was slow. In the end, all that truly mattered was having a healthy baby. But man, I really wanted things to be perfect when they arrived.

Below are my top 7 things I recommended to do before you newborn arrives. But just do your best, mama.

1. Install Car Seat

   This one is most important. Everything else can get figured out, but they won’t let you leave the hospital with your baby without a car seat. And they can sometimes be more tricky to install than you think. Especially if this is your first baby. So get this bad boy in before you do anything else, just in case. Obviously, you don’t have to do this too early as if you’re little one is more very premature, they will probably be in the NICU for a while, but I wouldn’t go past 34 weeks.

2. Pack for the hospital

This one is probably the most important. While the hospital will definitely have all the essentials, it is nice to have some of your own things with you at the hospital. And it makes it less awkward then to have to ask your mother in law to go through your home looking for some things you want her to bring you after the fact. Don’t overpack, you most likely won’t use a lot of the things you think you will use, but some comfort things are great.

Here’s a list of some of the essential things to pack for your hospital bag that I put together with details, but here is the run down

Essentials:

1. Identification

2. Devices with chargers

3. Baby’s going home outfit

4. Comfy PJ’s/Clothes for you

5. Toiletries

6. You birth partner’s stuff

Nice-to-have’s:

1. Mints/Gum/Mouthwash

2. Chapstick

3. Blanket/Pillow

4. Tablet

5. Earphones/Buds

6. Camera

7. Snacks

8. Baby blanket

9. Nursing supplies

10. Birth plan

3. Organize the baby’s closet and changing area

Once your baby arrives, you want things to be as much on auto pilot as possible. Try your best to get all those cute little clothes that your received at your baby shower or that were handed down to you washed and hung, or folded in a drawer. I got TONS of hand-me-downs and I couldn’t have been more appreciative of them, but it did take a lot of time to sort through them all and get them organized.

Getting the changing table all set and ready is also important. Have it ready with diapers, wipes and diaper cream. The last thing you want to do after your baby’s first blow out is to be searching for wipes!

Get a diaper pail or trash can set up next to the changing table as well. For my first baby, I had a diaper genie, which was great. But I quickly learned that it didn’t contain the smells as well as I thought it would. I ended up taking the bag out after each diaper change, which made me go through the plastic inserts very quickly. And they are EXPENSIVE. The foot pedal also broke about 6 months in. I ended up tossing it and just put a small trash can that I bought at the dollar store on the changing table. I would line it with plastic grocery bags that I got when shopping so the bags were free. It was also so much easier to take the little plastic bag out and tie it up rather than flipping open the diaper genie and trying to rip just enough bag out to tie it without wasting too much…it was just exhausting. Spend a dollar on a trash can and spend your money on something more worthwhile.

4. Tour the hospital/birthing center and register

It doesn’t seem like a big deal to get to know the space where you will be delivering, but it is very helpful. It will also give you an idea of how much or little to pack because some facilities offer more than others. It will also give you an idea of the space that your partner will have to nap and sleep. Will they need to bring a blanket or pillow or do they offer these things? How many toiletries do they provide for you? What are the rules around visitors? It’s also nice to know exactly where you need to go once you’re in labor so you’re not scrambling to go to the right spot when it’s “go time.”

Most places offer or even require you to register before you give birth. This helps everyone out so you don’t have to worry about signing a million forms in between contractions. Check with your facility about pre-registering if they haven’t already given you information regarding this matter.

5. Get all the baby essentials and recovery items ready to go

Even if you can’t get everything perfectly organized and ready before your baby arrives, try to at least have the essentials on hand. Diapers, wipes, some outfits, diaper cream and wraps. Having them laid out on a changing table so you aren’t scrambling at the first blow out is key.

Also try to have your post partum items stocked and ready. Things like extra heavy pads, some over the counter and nursing friendly pain reliever (if needed and applicable) and maybe some extra pairs of underwear that you don’t mind getting messed up in case of any accidents. Those first few days and weeks can welcome some pretty heavy bleeding as your body is shedding everything post birth. Before to have it on hand than scramble to find some or have to send someone out to get you some.

6. Freeze some meals - any favs

If you’re lucky, you’ll have some wonderful friends or family bring you some warm meals in the days and weeks post delivery. But it’s also good to be prepared and make a few of your favorite meals ahead of time and freeze them. Truth be told, I didn’t do this. Instead, we relied heavily on take out. It made us spend a lot more money than we liked and I also started to feel weighed down by the greasy foods I was constantly consuming. I had wished I had some of my healthier favs on hand. But honestly, it’s also a lot of work and not a necessity. Just nice to have.

7. Book your newborn session

I’m partial to this one, of course, but let’s get your newborn session on the books. It’s best to get booked by your third trimester, but even if it slipped your mind and your baby is here, reach out! I can often times still get you in!