51 Things To Get Done Before Your Baby Is Born

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Congrats, mama – you’re expecting your first baby and that likely means you want to know what things to get done before your baby is born.

It’s NEVER too early to start planning what you need to get done before your bundle arrives.

There are things to buy, stuff to organize, rooms to declutter and so much to get done around the house…when they say your first child changes your life, they weren’t kidding!

I gotta tell you, while 9 months might feel like a long time, it really isn’t.

The more you can get done before the baby arrives, the better.

I was surprised at how many things we needed to do before my daughter was born.

Since all the things to buy and organize in our house were adding up, we used the big whiteboard I have in my little corner home office to list all the tasks that needed doing before baby.

The last thing we wanted was to be running around once our daughter arrived.

Those precious first few weeks should be dedicated to bonding with your new baby 🙂

Our whiteboard list inspired me to write this post – my goal is to simplify the ‘getting ready for baby‘ process.

Pin this post so you can come back 🙂

SOME GENERAL TIPS TO REMEMBER AS YOU GET READY FOR YOUR BABY’S ARRIVAL: 

✔Consider taking a prenatal class to help you prepare for taking care of a baby.

I took this class and LOVED it – it’s taught online by a labor and delivery nurse who also has this FREE prenatal course (also online) that’s pretty awesome too.  Another favorite if you want to have a natural birth (or are considering it) is through Mama Natural. 

✔Since you’ll be preparing many things over the next few months, it’s important to complete the labor-intensive tasks earlier in your pregnancy – before your belly reminds you of a basketball!

✔Choose the nursery color and paint as soon as possible. You’ll be receiving shower gifts and purchasing sweet baby items so you’ll want to place them in the nursery. You don’t want to get paint on anything!

✔Don’t be scared of the cost of baby items. If you’re planning to add to your family in the future, think of the items as investments NOT expenses. PLUS, don’t get sucked into consumption mode and stop to think of what you really need!

✔While we’re on the cost part of having a baby, sit down with your partner and go over your baby budget. For example, if breastfeeding doesn’t work out for you, what formula fits your budget?

What To Buy Before Baby Is Born

FOR BABY:

• Swaddles – Make sure you check out the swaddles over at The Ollie World. I LOVED mine. They offer the most womblike swaddles that will keep your newborn warm and secure – that’s very important in the first few weeks as your baby is getting to know you.
• Soft Baby Blankets – get quite of a few Aden + Anais blankets – they’re breathable and good quality.
• Burp Cloths – you seriously can’t have enough burp clothes and you’ll need them for quite a few months.
• Zippered sleepers – Just trust me on this one – get some zippered sleepers in every size – you don’t want to be fumbling around with buttons during the 2am feed when you’re already exhausted.
• Bassinet – our daughter spent the first 6 months in a bassinet with legs beside our bed and I loved how close she was 🙂
• Soothers – your choice if you want to use them or not. I thought we wouldn’t a pacifier and then they became a lifesaver as your daugther got older.
• Change Pad– get a changing pad both for home and a portable one for on the go!
• Rocking Chair – Definitely get a rocking chair – it’s the perfect spot to get all those sweet baby cuddles and snuggles.
• Baby Bottles – Planning to breastfeed? If you’re like me, you’ll want the ability for someone else to feed the baby pumped breast milk to give you a much-need Mom break, so get some good bottles. I loved Dr. Brown’s bottles because they reduced gas and burping meaning my daughter was comfortable 🙂 Read more about the bottles here.
• Bottle Sterilizer – yes, you can wash your bottles and nipples with warm soapy water OR you can rinse, then sterilize them for 6 minutes with this sterilizer that I swear by! It’s a great time saver 🙂
• Bottle Warmer – a good buy even if you’re breastfeeding. Again, you want the ability to share feeding duty when you can.
• Rattle Toys – lots of them 🙂
• Tummy Time Mat – important to get those muscles developing!
• Playyard – I know a lot of Moms are on the fence, but I LOVED mine. We live in a two-story home, so having a playard with change table meant I didn’t have to climb any stairs during the weeks I was recovering from giving birth.
• Car Seat- find a new one that fits your needs and budget.
• Stroller
• Baby Monitor- there are a lot of different options depending on your technology preferences for a baby monitor. Many monitors allow you to see baby with night vision wheras we opted for a good old sound option.
• Diaper Bag – this is the bag we chose. It’s PERFECT. Standard black so it “matches” everything, but most importantly, it fits all the sweet baby stuff with EASE. And, my husband didn’t mind carrying it around 🙂

RELATED READ: 10 Must-Have Baby Products to Help You Survive the First Year

FOR MOM:

Don’t forget yourself, Mama. You’ll need to prepare for taking care of yourself and your newborn 🙂

• Comfy Nursing Nighties – I basically lived in this one.
• Nursing Bras – these ones are awesome and truth be told I still wear them! Ha!
• Breast Pump – loved mine, but it really does come down to your preference.
• Nipple Cream – your nipples are going to get sore, try this cream.
• Breastfeeding pillow- save your back and give your arms some support in a position you’ll be spending a lot of time in for feeding!
• Comfy clothes for after delivery – meaning pants that are big and stretchy. Like your maternity pants 🙂
• Stretch mark prevention – here’s what I used and I don’t have stretch marks!!!

RELATED READ: 18 Must-Have Pregnancy Products for Mom

Fun Things To Do Before Baby Is Born

✔Pick up a pregnancy journal. Writing down all the things that happen during your pregnancy is great for memories. I had one during my pregnancy and I LOVE reading through my notes. You can also store copies of your monthly belly shots!

✔Choose how you’ll announce the arrival of your new baby! Figuring out how you’ll share your wonderful news is so much fun. Sharing a photo on your social media doesn’t have to be boring. Check out this post for some inspiration.

✔Find a baby book that you can capture memories in. They’re only babies for a small amount of time and you’ll enjoy looking back at all the firsts. I didn’t buy a book, but was gifted one and love filling it out!

✔Go on some date nights. Now, this doesn’t mean you’ll never have date nights after the baby arrives, but it may be a few months and you likely won’t get out as often as a couple for awhile.

✔Take a day trip. Similar to a date night, but probably more up your alley since you’re a lot more tired than you used to be! Take in some sights. Pack a picnic lunch. Have some fun!

✔Get your hair done. Because trust me, you won’t have time to get it done for awhile. And, getting your hair done is one way of showing yourself some self-care as a soon to be Mom!

✔Sleep. Really? I’m recommending sleep as a fun thing to do before your baby arrives? Yup. Go to bed early, sleep in late. You’ll be thankful you did.

✔Have a movie marathon day. Seriously. Once baby arrives, you won’t have a solid two hours in a row to get through a movie, nor will you want to spend any stretch of time on movies. You’ll be sleeping! So, kick back and have a fun movie day!

RELATED READ: 8 Ways To Speed Up Your Recovery from Vaginal Delivery

How To Organize Your House Before Baby Arrives

Now that your house will be baby’s home too, it’s important to take a look around now to see what you can do to ‘baby proof’ and organize.

✔Clean and paint the nursery. Over the course of your pregnancy, you’ll receive lots of sweet baby items. Having the nursery painted will ensure you don’t get any paint on anything but the walls 😉

✔Declutter, declutter and declutter some more. Take it one room at a time. What can you purge? You need to make room for a lot of new baby stuff!

✔Find a home for all your stuff. Yes, those random household items that are in places they shouldn’t be. If the item needs to go upstairs, start a pile of similar things that need to go as well. Getting organized will make you feel much more prepared to transition into motherhood.

✔Prewash all your baby clothes. It’s a smart move to have everything washed and put away properly before your baby arrives. I love this gentle detergent for washing baby’s clothes.

✔Sort and organize baby clothes according to size. You’ll receive a lot of clothes as gifts and it’s safe to say some of the clothing will be in bigger sizes. Organize the sweet baby clothes, label the boxes and store the ones that aren’t needed for a while.

✔Do a scan of any toxic products. Where do you keep those items? In baby’s reach? Before you know it, your baby will be on the move and touching everything. Not to mention lots goes in their mouths! Remove any potential dangers to a higher shelf. Or better yet, eliminate them and switch to using more natural solutions – like water and vinegar for cleaning.

✔Clean out your fridge and freezer. Family and friends might make you yummy casseroles since you won’t have time to cook for a bit. Another idea is to clear your freezer and premake some food that you can throw in your oven and heat up. Stews and soups come to mind…

✔Stock up on household items. Like toilet paper, kleenex, toothpaste, shampoo etc. Get all your everyday items in order.

RELATED READ: The Complete Postpartum Care Checklist

Things To Prepare Before Delivery

✔Decide where you’re comfortable delivering. Thinking about a home birth? Do your research. Personally, I decided to deliver in my local hospital, that way if anything went wrong I was surrounded by the best people to help.

✔Pack your hospital bag a month before you’re due. My daughter was 8 days early so you just never know when you’re little bundle will decide to join the world!

RELATED READ: What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag for Labor

✔Brainstorm and write your birth plan. My only advice is to be flexible with your plan. You never know what can happen during actual labor and delivery.

RELATED READ: The Honest Truth About What to Expect During Childbirth

✔Who will help you? Yes, you’ll have your partner for a few days after your baby has arrived, but what is the plan once they go back to work? A friend to come over for a couple hours so you can sleep? Will your Mom stay for a few weeks as you adjust? Get your support plan in place before your baby arrives.

There you have it.

A pretty clear idea of all the things to get done before your baby is born.

There are a lot of things to get done before your baby is born, eh?!

But, the process is actually so much fun.

Before long, your sweet baby will be in your home and you can start making all those precious memories.

Tell me, do you feel I missed anything?

What else would YOU get done before your baby is born?

How are you getting ready?

Share your thoughts below!