15 Things To Do Before Your Baby Arrives + Printable Checklists

My daughter is going on five months now and it still feels like only a few days ago I was running around this house like a mad woman double and triple checking everything on my list before I was getting induced the next day. With my son my water broke prematurely so all I grabbed with me on our way to the hospital was underwear and a toothbrush because I was too busy calming my husband down who was freaking out thinking he was going to have to deliver our son in our living room. So the second time around I made sure I was prepared early, like six months early!

These are some of the things I made sure I had done before my due date, and believe me some of the things like preparing meals ahead you will thank yourself because even though you may be swollen and uncomfortable now you will not want to be cooking while you’re on 3 hours of sleep and just birthed a baby 48 hours ago!

15 Things To Do Before Baby Arrives

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1. Freezer Meals – When it get’s closer to your due date start preparing some good freezer friendly meals. I made sure to stock up the house on our grocery necessities and packed our freezer full of our favorite meals because the last thing you will want to be doing that first week is cooking.  This gives you a break and more time to focus on your new little bundle of joy.

2. Bookmark Birth Announcements – Start browsing sites like Tiny Prints who offer adorable birth announcements. And bookmark the ones you like so that after the baby is born it’s one less thing you have to do.

3. Schedule Newborn Photos – It’s a lot easier to photograph a newborn that first week they’re born. Waiting a few weeks makes a big difference because they’re more alert and usually when you change poses or try to use different props they’re fussier because they want to be swaddled. So try to book an appointment with your photographer ahead of time to ensure that you’re able to get in a newborn session, most photographers are booked so far in advanced anyways!

4. Finish Nursery – Make sure all of the last minute touches are finished and all of the baby furniture is built. You want the room ready for the baby to use it as soon as you bring them home! Nothing like trying to build furniture or paint a room when you have a newborn!

5. Choose Your Babies Name – Some people know what they’re naming their child before they even find out their pregnant. If it was up to me baby naming would have been a lot easier if my husband would have just said his usual ‘ Whatever you want’ reply. So before we knew the sex of our baby we came up with a baby name brainstorming list that narrowed down our top 3 that we both agreed on. I included the list in with the printables included in this post!

6. Packing Your Hospital Bags – I started packing my hospital bags early and kept it in the car once it was packed. It’s a good idea to have a list that you can check off once you pack the item so you know nothing is left out and what’s already packed. I’ve included our hospital bag printable with all of your labor and delivery necessities in with this post!

7. Wash, Sort, Organize – After your baby shower I’m sure the nursery is filled with bags and bags of clothes. Start washing the clothes, blankets, and bedding with a gentle detergent. After everything is washed start sorting and organizing the clothes by size. Because your baby will be growing so fast it’s ideal to keep out a few sizes bigger so that you’re not constantly unpack and packing clothes away.

8. Schedule a Pedicure – Probably the most important tip is to take care of yourself. So take yourself out and get pampered. Because once that baby comes it’s going to be so hard to find time for yourself not only because your newborn is going to want you 24/7 but you’re not going to want to leave them! And your feet could use some attention considering you probably haven’t seen them for a few months!

9. Date Night – With how busy your husband and you are with preparing for your new baby you have to remember that besides becoming new parents you are husband and wife! And that date night isn’t going to come as often as it does before the baby arrives so get in those last few dinner dates and enjoy some alone time.

10. Sterilize Bottles and Breast Pump Supplies – Even if you don’t plan on pumping if you’re breast feeding it’s still a good idea to have a breast pump ready because labor is unpredictable. I was unable to breast feed my son with his birth defect so I pumped and with my daughter I had all intentions of fully breast feeding but she had high blood sugar so they ended up supplementing formula, after that she ended up having latching problems so I pumped. So start sterilizing everything now so they’re ready to use.

11. Big Brother/ Big Sister – If this is your second child don’t forget to show you’re oldest how important their role of being a big sibling is going to be. In my Promoted To Big Brother – Tips For Preparing Your Toddler post I went into detail about creating big brother/ big sister baskets, making a gift for the nursery, or a sibling celebration to help transition into your new larger family!

12. Finalize Plans for Other Children/ Pets – Contact your baby sitter or pet sitter and finalize everything to make sure you have someone to watch your child or pets on the day of labor.

13. Water Proof Your Bed and Car – I wish I would have done this with my first child because my water broke at 7 am while I was in bed! So the second time around I kept extra towels and blankets in the car and near our bed!

14. Install the Car Seat – A week or two before your due date read over the car seat manual and install it according to Safety Regulations.

15. Preregister with the Hospital – Unless you want to answer your families health history and search for insurance cards during labor make sure to preregister with your hospital. Most hospitals offer this and usually recommend it. It eliminates a lot of steps that you’ll have to do the day of labor.

And be sure to check out our Free 12 Month Onesie Printable Stickers that you can use to capture those monthly milestones!

 Download Your Own Hospital Checklist & Baby Name Brainstorming PDF Here

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