Attention pregnant mamas: Here are 10 things to do before the baby arrives!

You’ve probably heard of nesting, right? Mamas of all species are notorious for spending the last few weeks before a new baby’s arrival preparing the home for their new little ones. Some dads do it too!

If you are expecting a baby, chances are that you have found yourself looking for things to do that will help you prepare and feel ready. This post is focused on 10 things to do before the baby arrives!

Figure out your new baby gadgets.

Hopefully, you were lucky enough to be given some fun new baby gadgets that will make your life with a newborn a little bit easier! Take some time to unpack and figure out how to use each one!

If you have some smart baby technology, you will probably need to install some apps on your phone to properly use it. This is definitely not something you want to be doing at 3 am.

Some baby gadgets I recommend becoming familiar with before the baby arrives are:

• The sound machine: I absolutely love the Hatch Baby Sound Machine! You can control it from your phone which is SO helpful! It also serves as a nightlight which is really great for those newborn late night feeds.
• The baby monitor: Even though baby might not be sleeping in their room for a while, it’s a good idea to figure out the baby monitor and mount it in a safe place! I just recently ordered a new monitor that’s perfect for having two kids and this is on my list of things to do too!
• Your breast pump: If you are planning to pump, definitely spend some time figuring out your breast pump! You might even want to order a few accessories to go with it like an extra set of parts or milk storage bags!

Wash clothes, bottles and pacifiers.

This is definitely a task to get checked off the list! Did you know that there is a special soap for washing bottles? I thought it worked great for milk film and one bottle of it lasted us close to a year! Definitely worth it to me! There is also a special detergent for washing baby clothes! It smells amazing and is extra gentle for sensitive baby skin!

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Take a class.

Before EK was born (and pre-Covid) we took all of the classes that our hospital had to offer including child birth, baby safety and CPR plus a breastfeeding class. They definitely helped both of us feel more comfortable with having a newborn and what to expect with breastfeeding. If your hospital doesn’t offer classes, there are tons available online and tons of free content on Instagram too!

I also highly recommend the Taking Cara Babies sleep classes. My husband and I completed the Newborn Sleep Class when EK was a few weeks old and started implementing the simple techniques. EK started sleeping an 8 hour night around 7 weeks and she’s still the best sleeper!

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Pre-register at the hospital.

Surprise! There will be paperwork to fill out at the hospital (or any place) that you deliver! Many hospitals allow and encourage you to pre-register! This will cut down on the paperwork you have to fill out on your baby’s birth day! Most of it can usually be completed online too! Definitely reach out to your hospital or doctor’s office and get this checked off the list.

Speaking of the hospital, many moms are bringing a special snack basket with them when they deliver! You can read about how to put together a nurse snack basket and download a free gift tag to attach to the basket in this post! Don’t worry, multiple versions are included to fit your family’s needs!

Research pediatricians.

If this is your first baby, you will need to do some research and choose a pediatrician that is a good fit for your family! The best place to start is by asking your friends with kids who they use or even getting a recommendation from your OB. You will be making lots of visits to the pediatrician, especially during the first year of your child’s life so take your time and really find someone that you trust.

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Pack the hospital bag.

Packing the hospital bag was really exciting for me because it meant that it was almost time to finally meet our baby! I spent a lot of time researching on items to bring and put together the ultimate list; I even updated it after giving birth! Be sure to check it out here or pin it to reference later!

Write thank you notes.

One of the best things I did during my pregnancy was set up an spreadsheet to keep track of gifts. I would type in who the gift was from, what the gift was and keep track of if I had written a thank you note or not.

I just ordered this simple set of thank you notecards and stamps from USPS.com so I was ready. Knock out as many as you can before the baby arrives! If you plan on sending out birth announcements shortly after baby’s birth, you can also hang on to the thank you notes and send them both at the same time so you only use one stamp!

Set up diaper changing stations.

In addition to the changing pad and diaper changing station in the nursery; we put together a few buckets of the essentials to keep throughout the house. We kept one in our bedroom (where the baby would be sleeping in the bassinet) and one out in the living area where we spend most of our time during the day.

It was really helpful to have everything we needed in every area of the house. Be sure to include diapers (these were our favorite), wipes, ointment and this (life changing!) in each basket!

Install and practice using the car seat.

This was one area of baby preparation that I happily let my husband take the lead on! We used this carseat for EK as an infant and plan to do the same with Baby #2! It was super easy to use and snapped right into the stroller which was great, but you still want to make sure that it’s installed correctly and that you are comfortable using before baby arrives!

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Put together essentials for mom.

I know you are probably totally focused on preparing for the baby, but don’t forget about yourself! There will be lots of items that will be helpful for you to have on hand for yourself especially if you will be breastfeeding or even just recovering from birth and coping with lack of sleep! Here are my favorite postpartum mom items:

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Start a baby book or journal.

I absolutely loved putting together EK’s baby book! This is the one I ordered and used for her! A few of the pages are about pregnancy and there is even a place to write your little one a letter before they are born; so you can start on this now! I also set an alarm on my phone calendar to remember to fill out the monthly pages each month!

If you aren’t a baby book or journal type person, maybe think about putting together a milestone tote to hold all of the baby keepsakes! Learn how to put one together HERE.

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Not your first baby?

If this isn’t your first baby, you will definitely want to spend some time preparing older children for the transition too! Be sure to check out these posts to help!

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