Share your Things to do before Baby Arrives list... « Back to Group Discussions

[expat-mama]

Hey there, long-time lurker, infrequent poster here!

Back in my July 2010 ddc I remember we started a thread where people posted their lists of stuff they needed to do before baby arrives and could go back to update on accomplishments or add to their lists. It really helped me put together and follow-up on my own list, and seeing other mamas' lists gave me good ideas for preparation and things I had forgotten!  (if there is already a thread with something like this, just point me to it and i'll post mine there)

So if you are list-crazy like me please join in and share! I'm so tired and disorganized this pregnancy with my insane 2.5 yo running around that I could really use the motivation...

My TODO b4 Baby list in no particular order:

1. make appointment for house cleaners to come and do top-to-bottom clean incl windows
2. put together sidecar crib, change table
3. buy new & bigger fridge
4. wash all old and new baby clothes, blankets, cloth diapers etc
5. organize diaper station and baby's dresser
6. stock freezer with ready-made meals, snacks and crockpot meals
7. buy mama supplies for labour and after birth (need another list here entirely...)
8. wash ergo, sling, and infant carseat 
9. buy new nursing cover
10. find/clean/organize breast pump, bottles & all pumping and bottle accessories
11. write up birth plan to give to midwives and post on wall at birth centre
12. decide whether or not we'll use oral vitamin k this time- if so, order it!
13. design email birth announcement
14. potty train DS (working on this one, it's SLOW going)
15. organize kitchen cupboards and pantry
16. buy a bassinet or other portable around-the-house spot for baby to sleep/rest in
17. KEGELS - yoga - breathing/birth practice and more kegels
18. look for occasional baby sitter for DS
19. Have more sex! to get DH ready for the dry spell I know is looming...

oh there is more... I know there is more...

Edited by expat-mama - 1/29/13 at 12:44am

[Oliver's Mama]

Perfect... I was just thinking I need a list.  I feel so flustered and nothing's getting done.  Lots of repeats of your list!

1. potty train ds2 and solve ds1's poop accidents

2. buy a crib, mattress

3. wash all the baby stuff

4. buy a pump and a few bottles

5. review some breastfeeding books; it's been a while. buy one first

6. kegels and other stretches/exercises

7. perineal massage

8. start listening to some hypnosis cds

9. order some belly binders

10. shouldn't be a priority, but order a cute headband / ruffled bloomer set for newborn pics

11. pick a middle name!

12. pick out / design birth announcements

13. pick a pediatrician for the hospital stay only

14. pack hospital bag

15. take boys to build-a-bear to make teddy for baby

16. pick a preschool for ds2

17. plan and execute ds2's birthday party

Edited by Oliver's Mama - 2/13/13 at 11:06am

[omphaloskepsis]

Ahhh...I love lists. :)

1. Order this: http://www.pottypail.com/order.php?pp100094 (not sure yet if I just need the sprayer or if I should go ahead and get the whole thing...any suggestions? it's mainly for my DH, who has a bit of a poop phobia, lol)

2. Purchase some cloth pads (I'm working on switching over to all cloth, but I'm super new at this. Does anybody have favorite pads to recommend?? Particularly for postpartum? Why are they your favorite?)

3. Adjust my sleeping schedule...I need to get to where I can get up before my kids do, lol. Mornings are hard!

4. Possibly order a belly binder (been loving the info this group has on that! I'd never heard of it before!)

5. Knit more wool soakers.

6. Figure out the best place to hang my new wet bags (my list seems a bit centered around the whole cloth diapering thing, lol...)

7. Get baby clothes out of attic/sort/organize

8. Set up baby's hammock

9. Order birth kit

10. Get my bed set up (nice sheets, then plastic sheet, then notsonice sheets...that way after birth you just take off the notsonice and the plastic and you have delicious clean sheets to snuggle into!)

11. Wrap my head around the idea that I am *ACTUALLY* going to have to *BIRTH* this baby at some point, LOL. It's all still feeling so surreal!

ETA: 12. Get my swing back from my mom!

Edited by omphaloskepsis - 2/3/13 at 2:29pm

[alaskanmomma]

I'm pretty much done with the purchasing thing.. well.. for a little bit at least. I've gotten the rock n play sleeper(yes, yes I know about the recall/mold issue lol), car seat, bassinet, clothes, diapers, breast pump, etc. I only really need to get a first aid kit(though I might just buy the nail clippers and maybe an automatic nose sucker and ear thermometer...), hats, and receiving blankets as far as material things for Calliope goes..


Things I need to get done:

1) Deep clean the house. I'm lazy. I'm even lazier while pregnant. My house literally looks like a tornado blew up in it. Since we're having a homebirth, I kinda need a clean house.

2) Order my birth kit/pool. 

3) Find recipes and prep freezer meals. 

4) Wrap my mind around the fact I'm actually having a baby. I know it's baby #3 and all, but this pregnancy still seems so unreal. I think it's because I have the other two to keep me busy.

[alaskanmomma]

Originally Posted by omphaloskepsis 

6. Figure out the best place to hang my new wet bags (my list seems a bit centered around the whole cloth diapering thing, lol...)

LOL, actually cloth diapering has been one of my "biggies" this pregnancy too! I rather invest in a ton of cloth diapers than the frilly girly clothes, does that make me weird?

[firespiritmelody]

Originally Posted by omphaloskepsis 

2. Purchase some cloth pads (I'm working on switching over to all cloth, but I'm super new at this. Does anybody have favorite pads to recommend?? Particularly for postpartum? Why are they your favorite?)

I just received a small order of these: http://www.dominopads.com/ and though I haven't used them for a period yet, obviously, I have worn them for the um... leakage issue... that most mama's have this late in pregnancy lol and I've been quite happy with them. Very comfy! I also have an assortment of GladRags and LunaPads and I like them both for different reasons and would like to pick up some others too and love it when I get a good recommendation from other mamas!

I'll be back to post my (ridiculously long) to-do list later

[bmcneal]

Originally Posted by omphaloskepsis 

2. Purchase some cloth pads (I'm working on switching over to all cloth, but I'm super new at this. Does anybody have favorite pads to recommend?? Particularly for postpartum? Why are they your favorite?)

4. Possibly order a belly binder (been loving the info this group has on that! I'd never heard of it before!)

11. Wrap my head around the idea that I am *ACTUALLY* going to have to *BIRTH* this baby at some point, LOL. It's all still feeling so surreal!

Kind of all of these. I'm interested in cloth, but at the same time, I don't really care for pads at all (outside of postpartum, of course), so I'm not sure if it would be a worthwhile investment for just postpartum.

I've been reading all the posts about belly binders, and find the idea intriguing. I may have to look further into that.

And 11, I'm still *so* far from that right now, it's sad. Especially since we're getting kind of close now. 

Originally Posted by alaskanmomma 

I've gotten the rock n play sleeper(yes, yes I know about the recall/mold issue lol)

I have one of those my friend gave to me. It does have some mold on it (not terribly a lot, though), and while DF says to clean it, and use it, I'm not so sure how I feel about that. How have you decided to handle it when/if it happens? (I'm not judging one way or the other, or trying to start anything, I just would like opinions to know if I'm being unrealistically paranoid, and it would be acceptable to wash/use it, or if I'm not so crazy to worry.)

Things I need to get done:

1) Deep clean the house. I'm lazy. I'm even lazier while pregnant. My house literally looks like a tornado blew up in it. Since we're having a homebirth, I kinda need a clean house.

3) Find recipes and prep freezer meals. 

4) Wrap my mind around the fact I'm actually having a baby. I know it's baby #3 and all, but this pregnancy still seems so unreal. I think it's because I have the other two to keep me busy.

I need to get my house cleaned up, as well. With all of us being sick the last couple of weeks (well, mostly, with *my* being sick the last couple of weeks...), the house is in really sorry shape right now. In fact, I might not should be on Mothering right now... 

I've found a *ton* of tasty looking recipes, I have approval of DF to use/make them, now I just have to wait for money/time/energy.  At least I'm kind of like halfway there on that. LOL

Originally Posted by firespiritmelody 

I just received a small order of these: http://www.dominopads.com/ and though I haven't used them for a period yet, obviously, I have worn them for the um... leakage issue... that most mama's have this late in pregnancy lol and I've been quite happy with them. Very comfy! I also have an assortment of GladRags and LunaPads and I like them both for different reasons and would like to pick up some others too and love it when I get a good recommendation from other mamas!

I'll be back to post my (ridiculously long) to-do list later

I am interested in cloth for this reason. I have that issue even non-pregnant, and if I could find something re-usable... I would be ecstatic. 

I have done precious little to prepare for this babe, and it just hit me how much we still have to do! We have a rock 'n' play sleeper we may use, three diaper covers, six or eight reusable liners, a pack of disposable liners, and some clothes. DF keeps telling me not to freak out, because we're doing *uber* baby shopping/preparation when we get our tax check, but it's very hard. I keep having the feeling this babe is going to come before due date, so I worry we won't have anything ready if we wait.

[camprunner]

1. Order birth kit 

2. Clean up the house (had it going great and started to not feel so energetic :( )

3. Clean out a dresser we already have to make room for baby girl's clothes

4. Wash babygirls clothes and diapers.

5. Get carseat for older child so baby can have his infant seat

6. Make freezer meals.

There is probably more but this has gone by so fast, I don't think the fact that we are having another baby has hit me yet!  However, by necessity, pediatrician was picked at 12 weeks.  The crib will go straight from one child to the other as we are working on the transition now.  The baby stuff is already down and just needs to be arranged.

Edited by camprunner - 3/19/13 at 9:24pm

[firespiritmelody]

1. a couple of my girlfriends are going to come over for the day once we get the shop settled and try to help me make some sense of the chaos. I seriously need help. Might ask for a professional cleaning for mothers day though.
2. pull the cosleeper, changing pad, car seat and other baby items out of storage and clean them up
3. Sort through all the baby stuff and decide what we're going to keep and use, what we're saving as keepsakes, what we can sell, and what needs to go to goodwill.
4. wash all old and new baby clothes, blankets, cloth diapers etc - sort through the cloth diapers that were give to us to see what we really have.
5. organize diaper station and baby's dresser
6. stock freezer with ready-made meals, snacks and crockpot meals
7. find/clean bottles & all bottle accessories, figure out what is useable and what needs to be replaced
8. figure out if I can get a pump through insurance (I think I can) and if not, I'll need to buy a new one.
9. buy a few upgraded baby items - going to get a rock n play and a new swing for sure - waiting until after the shower though\
10. write up birth plan in case we need to transfer to the hospital
11. Order birth kit/pool and misc supplies
12. Put together birth basket - massage lotion & tools, music play lists, essential oils etc
13. Get my bed set up  (probably not until mid-march)
14. decide what we're going to do for a birth announcement and thank you cards
15. Pick up a few more cloth pads
16. Possibly order a belly binder (with all the talk on this *and* the March board, I'm really considering it this time too!)
17. Wrap my head around the idea that I am *ACTUALLY* going to have to *BIRTH* this baby at some point, **AND WE'RE HAVING A **BOY****
18. PICK A NAME
19. Take the girls to make a Build A Bear for the baby (family tradition) 
20. Put together some goodies for the girls to keep them occupied during labor.
21. get the books for our shop in order so that I can take a bit of time off without feeling too guilty
22. ETA: Take Maternity/Family Photos
23. ETA: Schedule my maternity massage (christmas present from my mama!)
24. ETA: I'm thinking about doing a 3D ultra sound this time - I've always wanted to and this is our last baby so we'll never have a chance again...
25. ETA: make a decision (and then buy) something to store dirty diapers in
26. ETA: buy supplies (and then make) a belly cast - I have a cast for each of my girls so it's tradition now

Thanks for the great lists that I was able to copy ladies!! There were only a few things I had to add that weren't already on your lists!

Edited by firespiritmelody - 1/30/13 at 3:30pm

[Kara9080]

Originally Posted by alaskanmomma 

1) Deep clean the house. I'm lazy. I'm even lazier while pregnant. My house literally looks like a tornado blew up in it. Since we're having a homebirth, I kinda need a clean house.

2) Order my birth kit/pool. 

3) Find recipes and prep freezer meals. 

4) Wrap my mind around the fact I'm actually having a baby. I know it's baby #3 and all, but this pregnancy still seems so unreal. I think it's because I have the other two to keep me busy.

I hope I can find the money to get the house cleaned. I was a great house cleaner 10 years ago but each year I let more and more of the maintenance of house cleaning slip. The last 2 years have been the worse since I've been sick, housecleaning just hasn't been a priority. Things are kept picked up and vacuumed, kitchen cleaned but even the walls need wiped down in some areas.

Originally Posted by alaskanmomma 

LOL, actually cloth diapering has been one of my "biggies" this pregnancy too! I rather invest in a ton of cloth diapers than the frilly girly clothes, does that make me weird?

I have 5 diapers to every piece of clothing I think LOL If I had a girl I can see getting more clothes but I'd have even more diapers! I love cloth!

Originally Posted by bmcneal 

Kind of all of these. I'm interested in cloth, but at the same time, I don't really care for pads at all (outside of postpartum, of course), so I'm not sure if it would be a worthwhile investment for just postpartum.

I've been reading all the posts about belly binders, and find the idea intriguing. I may have to look further into that.

And 11, I'm still *so* far from that right now, it's sad. Especially since we're getting kind of close now. 

I used something cloth after my last birth but I can't remember if it was prefolds, towels/rags or what. I know I didn't invest in cloth pads. I like them for use during my cycle when I need them however I usually just use the Diva cup and have no issues.

During this pregnancy (never before) I've had to wear liners. At first it was because of leaking when I sneeze but the last few months I've had more vaginal discharge.

Belly binder - never used before but I'm also intrigued.

[Munchkin08]

I love to plan and have had a third trimester to do list going for a few weeks now. Looking forward to crossing things off the list.

• buy beads for necklace
• make necklace
• meet with doula
• take maternity photos
• send out thank you cards for shower
• buy any items final items needed
• call and set up diaper service
• pack hospital bag
• tour hospital
• write birth plan
• create playlist for labor
• ask a friend to send out email about meal train sign ups
• install carseat
• deep clean/organize apartment
• buy & assemble Ikea furniture for second bedroom

Edited by Munchkin08 - 2/2/13 at 11:11am

[alaskanmomma]

Bmcneal, I got one of the "new" models, I don't really know what the difference is between this model and the older one, I compared mine to my friends and couldn't tell lol. Mold(outside of something getting wet and creating mold) isn't very common here since we don't have very much humidity, so I don't think the recall was a huge thing up here unless you didn't fully dry the seat. My friends had hers for 4 babies without any issue, at least! I think to be on the safe side I'd probably get a new one instead of used though!

[stormysky]

For cloth pads I like essence of eve. She sells on etsy. I'm on the iPod and too lazy to figure out exact link right now. I haven't used them pp, but they were great for regular periods.

[Lisanne]

Hmm, I haven't really thought about a list. Let's see what I can come up with. 

I have 2 baby showers in March so I'll hold off until after those for some things. 

• Buy 2 car seats. One for my 6 year old and one for the baby. 

• wash baby clothes and diapers

• buy, borrow, (or get at baby shower) at least another dozen infant prefolds. 

• order a few of these http://hyenacart.com/PamperedMama/mt/2437/28343/Postpartum-Ice-Overnight-Pads

• freeze a few meals

• put crib together

• Buy plane ticket for my sister to come help when baby arrives

Edited by Lisanne - 3/14/13 at 6:11pm

[Greenlea]

1. Get a coming home outfit.

2. Buy a double stroller.

3. Wash/get ready my cloth diaper stash. Buy cloth diaper soap.

4. Get newborn gender neutral clothes back from my sister.

5. Get the cradle from my Uncle.

6. Buy a garbage pail for dirty cloth diapers.

7. Tour the hospital birthing rooms.

8. Find a newborn/birth photographer.

9. Buy my belly binder.

10. Get new bottles or at least new nipples for my bottles.

11. Get electric pump ready/clean.

12. Buy nursing pads, nipple cream, & milk bags.

13. Buy a mini van.

I'm sure there's TONS more, but I'll start with that.

[stormysky]

This is the link to the store where I buy cloth pads. She is great to work with.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheEssenceofEve

[firespiritmelody]

Had to add a few things to my list as I remember them lol. Sigh.

[expat-mama]

Can someone pls point me to the thread about belly binding? This is (most probably) our last baby so I'm very motivated to get my body into great shape. After DS I kind of just felt like, well I'm just going to do this all over again in a couple of years so I didn't try THAT hard.

Thanks...! 

[bambihelton]

Originally Posted by expat-mama 

Can someone pls point me to the thread about belly binding? This is (most probably) our last baby so I'm very motivated to get my body into great shape. After DS I kind of just felt like, well I'm just going to do this all over again in a couple of years so I didn't try THAT hard.

Thanks...! 

I'm coming back later to make my list, but the belly binding conversation was on page 11 of the January chat thread. 

[firespiritmelody]

Pft. Well, I was all excited to come and update my list because I could have sworn that I got a few things done and could cross them off! Ha! The only thing on my list that I've done is ordered and received the fishy pool! I feel much less accomplished then I did a few minutes ago!