Things to do before baby arrives « Back to Group Discussions

[WindyCityMom]

I've seen threads like this before in other DDCs.  Let's make lists of things we have to get done before baby gets here, and update on our progress as things go :)  Ready?

Here's mine..

-Get center seatbelt in DHs truck fixed.. (the retractor broke and it no longer locks.. a new one is $400, bleh)

-Organize the kids toys and throw away the junk

-Get the kids new bed and our crib from IKEA

-Organize the pantry

-Wash down all baseboards and windowsills, doorframes, etc.

-Get the cushion covers on the couch washed

-Organize the kids' closet

-Knit booties and mittens for baby

-Figure out whether I'm UCing or hospital birthing this babe.  Lots of factors.. including my husband.

-Pick a name out for this little girl- easier said than done!

[border stories]

That's a pretty decent list WCM :)

For me:

1.  Get my breech baby to turn ;)

2.  Paint my bedroom (read - get my dh to paint the bedroom, we have the eco paint already here in it's tub we just didn't yet find the time)

3.  A week ago I would have added wash all sofa cushion covers but this week I just did that, it feels good to have them clean.

4.  Wash all insides of windows and sills and skirting boards.

5.  Order the changing table my MIL said she'd pay for :)

6.  Carry on with my yoga each day even if only ten minutes and make sure I walk the dog as well as my dh

7.  Wash the new sling, it smells kinda weird (maya wrap ring sling)

8.  Think of more names.... so far we have none that we all like

9.  Find time every single day to REST.  Which I really need right now.

10.  Try and make some food for the freezer.... soups and some stock and maybe sheperds pie etc

[MIrandaM]

I was just going through my list before I logged on here . . . I have a spreadsheet that is basically open on my laptop at all times.

1. get the phone numbers and e-mail addresses organized to easily announce that baby has arrived

2. organize files in home office (DH)
3. refresh first aid kit and medicines, inc. getting rid of expired stuff

4. get a diaper bag, waterproof sheet for our bed, ergo, nursing pillow

5. give dimensions of stokke crib mattress to MIL because she's sewing us some custom sheets :)

6. curtains and rug for baby's room / guest bedroom

7. finish cleaning and organizing in baby's room / guest bedroom

8. sort through the insane amount of clothing and toys we've been handed down, donate some, wash & organize the rest

9. buy baskets/hampers that will fit wetbags for cloth diapers

10. buy pyrex containers and eat the food from, de-ice, and clean freezer so that it's ready to stock with food when my mom comes in august (she'll cook a bunch of food for us for postpartum)

11. get the baby health insurance and a pediatrician

12. get everything organized to apply for US and UK citizenship and passports once he's born

13. stock up on post-partum tea, herbs, cod liver oil etc.

14. a slew of sewing projects that i probably won't get to

15. so much cleaning that I don't even want to list it 

16. continue with yoga and reflexology dvds

17. continue practicing hypnobirthing techniques

18. start perineal massage

19. make a diaper changing station

20. get some live plants in the house, everything we bring into the house dies

21. re-up vaccines for the cat & dog, make sure they're set for a while after baby arrives for food, litter etc

22. make sure i have enough clothes for myself for after he's born . . . comfy, decent looking lounge clothes that i can nurse in

today we went around and replaced every single lightbulb that was out, fixed a problem with our kitchen sink, and installed the toilet sprayer for the cloth diapers.

[nilatti]

Wow, I had such a huge list before DS and now I'm like...eh, things.

I guess my list is:

1. Shuffle some furniture around--big comfy chair and changing table out of DS's room and into mine.
2. Repair our rocking chair (broken caning in the bottom and some joints that need to be reglued)
3. Make a series of Montessori mobiles (Like this: http://www.etsy.com/listing/80393223/montessori-visual-mobile-series-kit?ref=sr_gallery_15&ga_search_query=montessori+mobile&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=1&ga_search_type=handmade ). I just did the Gobbi one.
4. Wash all the windows in and out.
5. Figure out what homebirth supplies I need to replenish.

I guess that's really it. Lots of work stuff, of course, but nothing else major.

[judybean]

Good idea! Writing it all out is helpful!

Sewing
-- make simple fleece jacket/romper/blanket thing. I have a cute pattern and just need to sew it up so baby can stay warm in the car seat without the bulk.
-- ideally make six more newborn fitteds and 6-12 simple semi-fitted snappiable diapers
-- sew up two newborn and two small PUL covers and two small wool covers.
-- sew up six pairs of newborn pants in basic color (brown, grey/charcoal, etc).

Cleaning
-- wash up saved baby clothes, incorporate newly sewn baby clothes
-- arrange/sort/wash saved diapers and new diapers on changing table
-- get rid of at least eight bags of trash from our house (AT LEAST!)
-- clean out laundry room
-- seriously declutter my own room as it's not large and baby will sleep in here too
-- clean up, shampoo carpet in family room in the basement... if the midwife has to stay here, that's where she'll sleep
-- clean out refrigerator
-- general cleaning/maintenance of house

Misc
-- clean baby insert for car seat
-- figure out names
-- order birth kit
-- somehow find time to relax and enjoy these waning weeks

[MamanFrancaise]

1. Have baby shower (tomorrow!)

2. Figure out what I still need and what I need to return from baby shower, then go shopping. And of course un-package all the stuff I'm keeping and organize everything.

3. Go through all my daughters' clothes and donate everything they don't fit/wear any more.

4. Clean the bathrooms until they sparkle

5. Go buy my favourite wine to drink a glass during labor and save the rest for after. And enjoy the judgmental looks while I buy it. LOL Man I have missed wine. I think about the taste of it almost daily. LOL

6. Order a few baby items I've read such fantastic reviews on but can't find here.

7. Order some post-partum items that mamas rave about but again, I can't get here.

I think that's it! I've kind of been impossibly clean during the past few months (because I was a total lazy, useless blob for the first several months of this pregnancy and I made up for it during the 2nd trimester) so there isn't too much to be done, nesting-wise.

But I plan to have everything done for the 1st week of August so I can chill out and do nothing but download TV series I haven't seen, go to the beach and nap until the baby comes.

Luckily, I was in TRU on Wednesday and asked about the car seat that's on my registry (Britax). Someone already purchased the stroller for me and I was concerned that the car seat isn't available on-line and is sold-out in-store. So she said I'd have to special order it and it will take 8-9 weeks! So the earliest it will get here is the first week of September. Good thing I didn't check a few weeks from now!

So hopefully I will not need to go anywhere for the first week or two. Midwife will make home-visits I'm sure.

[judybean]

Originally Posted by MamanFrancaise 

5. Go buy my favourite wine to drink a glass during labor and save the rest for after. And enjoy the judgmental looks while I buy it. LOL Man I have missed wine. I think about the taste of it almost daily. LOL

I LOVE THIS!!!  It had me laughing out loud because it just tickles me ... epsecially the "and enjoy the judgemental looks while I buy it" bit!!  Oh goodness!  I needed this!

(and.. ugh... motivation to clean the bathrooms... yuck... it's so #@%$^@ hot... but it's not getting cooler any time soon and still needs done! Off to scrub toilets while my girls are running through the sprinkler!)

[crystal_buffaloe]

Oh my goodness I have so many things I need to do. I don't even want to think about this at all.

I'll get out from under the chair when I'm done with work in 3 weeks.

[BRC_MacKenzie]

Originally Posted by nilatti 

Wow, I had such a huge list before DS and now I'm like...eh, things.

Make a series of Montessori mobiles (Like this: http://www.etsy.com/listing/80393223/montessori-visual-mobile-series-kit?ref=sr_gallery_15&ga_search_query=montessori+mobile&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=1&ga_search_type=handmade ). I just did the Gobbi one.

That's on my list as well! I just finished the octahedron which was really simply so now I'm moving on to the gobbi and the munari. I have the supplies and DH is on nightshift this week so I'll have free evenings to work if I can force myself not to go to sleep at 8 as soon as the house is quiet

I had a big burst of energy a few weeks ago when I got out all the baby clothes and diaper from storage and washed and put them away and we got the new car seat this week and luckily convinced DD that she wanted to move over to the new one and leave her "old baby one" for the new baby so I feel like we'd survive even if nothing else gets done although I do have some other things on my to-do list

• making some tot school stuff for my DD (2yrs), mostly to keep her busy when I'm taking care of baby.
• clean out freezers (this week) and start freezer cooking (in August)
• get homebirth supply list from midwife, go through birth kit box from last time and reorder what I still need 
• gather postpartum herbs, sprays, etc
• finish master bedroom makeover (including convincing DH to repaint bedroom - wish me luck :-) and bring up baby stuff from basement (co-sleeper, changing pad for our dresser, etc)
• get a nice haircut. I'm so bad about finding time to get my hair cut and of course it will only get more difficult with another kid so I really should get that scheduled :-)

[MissE]

LOL about the wine comment :).

I didn't read all of it because my OCD nesting will kick back in :).

1. Sew about 20 more wipes

2. Finish DD skirt that I have laying in about six pieces, needs to be sewn together

3. Order on amazon for extra breastpump stuff

4. get pads for after birth and some Evening Primrose Oil.

5. Definitely the wine...LOL...with the pads, and the EPO ha.

6. Do some more cleaning and nagging, you know, same old, same old.

[wendipauline]

-order breast pump and nursing pillow
-talk to hr about getting babies on insurance
-get a few more blankets, cloth diapers, burp cloths
-SO needs to finish the changing table he's making
-this house needs to be cleaned. oh, lord. I think I might call in a professional cleaning service.
-more freezer food. so far I have lots of burritos and lentil soup.
-air in my tires, get the damn blinker fixed, clean it out
-install car seats
-figure out who will care for cats, turtles, chickens while we're in the hospital
-find a pediatrician
-figure out what my plan for belly binding will be
-new batteries in all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms
-have landlord replace a broken pane of glass in one of our windows

I'm sure there are many many more things that I will add to this list once I think of them!

[mamalovex3]

oooh, I like lists! 

-finish basement

-move DS1 to new room

-set up playroom

-find a new van!

-install carseats

-wash baby clothes/blankets/etc. and organize

-get second swing

-buy newborn diapers

-make freezer meals/muffins/breads

-find baby names!

-get DH to fix the glider

-get a haircut

-get baby books

-pack a hospital bag

-schedule help for M & Z

-hospital tour/figure out where L&D is

I'm sure there are more but somehow my pregnant brain is not the sharpest!

[WindyCityMom]

Progress is nice! 

-Get center seatbelt in DHs truck fixed.. (the retractor broke and it no longer locks.. a new one is $400, bleh)

-Organize the kids toys and throw away the junk

-Get the kids new bed and our crib from IKEA

-Organize the pantry

-Wash down all baseboards and windowsills, doorframes, etc.

-Get the cushion covers on the couch washed

-Organize the kids' closet

-Knit booties and mittens for baby

-Figure out whether I'm UCing or hospital birthing this babe.  Lots of factors.. including my husband.

-Pick a name out for this little girl- easier said than done!

New things:

-DEEP clean the guinea pig cage so we can put him back in it.  He's currently staying in a smaller cage.  He's angry at us 

-Premake soup for after birth (lentil soup) and freeze so I can throw it in the crock pot when I go into labor.

-Buy coconut water to have on hand for labor.

-Premake & freeze bread loaves for labor (I love it when my house smells like baking bread- very homey.  I'd like that in my atmosphere!).

-Make wetbag!

[MamanFrancaise]

Oh yay, progress:

1. Have baby shower (tomorrow!)

2. Figure out what I still need and what I need to return from baby shower, then go shopping. And of course un-package all the stuff I'm keeping and organize everything.

3. Go through all my daughters' clothes and donate everything they don't fit/wear any more.

4. Clean the bathrooms until they sparkle

5. Go buy my favourite wine to drink a glass during labor and save the rest for after. And enjoy the judgmental looks while I buy it. LOL Man I have missed wine. I think about the taste of it almost daily. LOL

6. Order a few baby items I've read such fantastic reviews on but can't find here.

7. Order some post-partum items that mamas rave about but again, I can't get here.

[MadiMamacita]

Wcm- are you fixing the retractor in the truck because you need to install a car seat there? You can use a locking clip for that. There should be one on the back of your car seat.

[MacKinnon]

Originally Posted by MadiMamacita 

Wcm- are you fixing the retractor in the truck because you need to install a car seat there? You can use a locking clip for that. There should be one on the back of your car seat.

A locking clip cannot be used to fix a broken retractor, but a belt shortening clip can. The locking clip holds the seat in place UNTIL the emergency locking retractor kicks in. In order to use a belt without a working retractor (unless it's got a locking latch plate) you would have to use a belt shortening clip. I would not trust anyone but an experienced Instructor to place one, and I would call ahead. I've been a CPST for 7 years now and a CPST Instructor for 4 years and I've only done ONE in the field.

[MadiMamacita]

yes- sorry that is right. belt shortening clip not locking clip.

[mamalovex3]

Yay!  We get our new (used) Honda Odyssey on Tuesday - we will officially have enough seats for everyone lol

-finish basement

-move DS1 to new room

-set up playroom

-find a new van!

-install carseats

-wash baby clothes/blankets/etc. and organize

-get second swing

-buy newborn diapers

-make freezer meals/muffins/breads

-find baby names!

-get DH to fix the glider

-get a haircut

-get baby books

-pack a hospital bag

-schedule help for M & Z

-hospital tour/figure out where L&D is

[MamanFrancaise]

mamax3 - An Odyssey is my #1 pick for a van, too. Do you love it? 

[WindyCityMom]

Originally Posted by MadiMamacita 

Wcm- are you fixing the retractor in the truck because you need to install a car seat there? You can use a locking clip for that. There should be one on the back of your car seat.

It's a retracting lap belt, so unfortunately not.  I do however want to say that I love having an older vehicle because the locking clips make the installs so easy - after the fact.  If my husband needs to take a seat out to clean the truck, he can, and the locking clip is still in place to re-buckle after he is finished.  We do of course check the install before putting a kiddo in it, but they've always stayed rock solid.  LOVE locking clips...