How to Get Organized for Baby
Today’s blog post is a little different than our usual content but it’s a topic that we are passionate about and is very close to our hearts.
Getting organized and ready for a baby can be quite a daunting task especially for first time parents. I know for me, having a sister and several close friends who had babies right before me provided invaluable knowledge and insight into what we needed to prepare. But even having that, I felt ill equipped, under prepared and disappointed in the lack of information provided to pregnant and postpartum women. As a professional organizer, I am all about the details and for this life-changing journey, I found the details to be sorely lacking.
I am by no means a doctor or baby expert but I am a mom and planner, and I wanted to provide some tips and guidelines to getting yourself organized for a baby based off my experience. So, here’s a list broken down by trimester with the most important items to complete each step of the way.
First Trimester
Choose a Doctor – Step 1 after finding out you’re pregnant is finding a doctor that you like and are comfortable with. Confirming that all is well and good with you and baby is the number one priority. This would also be the time to research and hire Doulas or mid-wives if you plan on having one during your pregnancy and birth.
Buy Books – research/buy a pregnancy book and I’d also recommend a baby sleep book and/or newborn care book. Start reading!
Take Naps – LOL but seriously, I think I took a nap every day during the first trimester. Growing a human takes a lot out of you, and there’s not much else you need to get organized during those first 3 months.
Second Trimester
Create a Baby Registry – start creating a registry for everything you’ll need including nursery furniture. I found it most useful to get tips and ideas from other moms because there’s a lot of stuff out there that you really don’t need.
TIP: Most registries offer a discount up to a certain point after your due date so make sure you fill it up!
Register for your free breast pump! Most insurances offer a free breast pump once per year so if you are planning to breastfeed or pump, go to this website to see if you qualify! https://aeroflowbreastpumps.com
Prep Freezer Meals – You can really do this at any point but you tend to have more energy in your second trimester, and there’s a lot of other things going on during your third so it’s as good a time as any! Highly highly recommend prepping as much as you can meal wise before baby because the absolute last thing you want to do in those early postpartum days is cook or worry about your next meal. Casserole type meals are great and don’t forget about breakfast and lunch items too!.
TIP: Make sure to label your meals with the date they were made and what they are.
Check with your Insurance Provider to see what the process and timeline is for adding your baby onto your plan after delivery.
Third Trimester
Tour Hospitals/Birth Centers– tour the different hospitals/birth centers in your area, choose which one you like best and pre-register! This way, you don’t have to fill out a bunch of paperwork when the day actually arrives.
Write a Birth Plan – research all of your birth options, there are a lot more than you’d think and a lot of decisions you’ll have to make that you’ve never thought about. It’s good to be prepared ahead of time for those decisions and be as informed as you can. You can download a free template online to fill out and keep with you in your hospital bag.
Take a Breastfeeding/Newborn Course - if you plan to breastfeed, I can’t stress enough the importance of taking a class. For some, it might click right away, but for a lot of women, it doesn’t come as easily as you would hope and having as much info on hand before delivery will only help you. I also recommend taking some sort of newborn course because as much as I’d like to say that being a mother comes naturally, those first few weeks can be terrifying and very isolating. There are so many new changes happening with you and your baby, and having some extra knowledge on what to worry about and a general routine to follow can be SO helpful and honestly, life-changing.
TIP: Follow @karrie_locher on Instagram for all things postpartum, breastfeeding and newborn care. She’s a Postpartum Nurse, Lactation Consultant and momma of four, and she has the absolute best info along with a breastfeeding course, newborn course and checklists for hospital bag, postpartum and newborn care.
Install Car Seat – make sure you install your car seat at least a few weeks before your due date. Although it’s fairly simple, there can always be unexpected difficulties. We recommend following @safeintheseat on Instagram for all things safety and car seat related!
Pack your Hospital Bag – make sure you get this packed a few weeks before delivery date because you just never know!
Setup your Nursery – this is really the part where we can come in and help you tremendously. We LOVE setting up nurseries and while this can technically be done after baby is born, you’re not going to want to worry about it then. Besides setting up the crib and other nursery furniture, here are some areas we recommend getting organized.
Nursing Cart – This will be a game changer for feeding your baby. We love these 3-tiered rolling carts so you can customize the shelves to your needs and move the cart to wherever you are. Make sure to at least have one shelf with items for you like nursing pads, snacks, water, hand sanitizer, hair tie, chap stick, etc. The other shelves can be customized based on your space and needs. You’ll likely need some items for baby like pacifier, burp cloths, wipes, extra change of clothes, swaddle, socks, and diapers. A pumping shelf can also be really convenient or a shelf for toys if you have other kids.
Clothing Organization – You will likely be getting baby clothes in a variety of sizes so we find it best to organize your drawers and/or closet by size. For drawers, we like to use a combination of dividers, file folding and labels to keep all of the clothes organized and easy to find. In the closet, we love using hanging dividers to keep like sizes together.
TIP: Be sure to de-tag and pre-wash all the clothes, blankets, burp cloths and swaddles before baby arrives!
Changing Table Organization – we love using a hanging organizer on the side of the changing table for extra diapers, medicines, burp cloths or swaddles. Bins inside of the changing table or in your closet can help organize extra diapers and keep like sizes together. We like to use the side hanging organizer for easy access to diapers you are using now and other items you need more frequently. On top of the changing table, we use bins & jars to keep creams, medicines and hygiene products organized.
Postpartum Basket – this was by far my favorite recommendation I received during pregnancy. Once you’ve given birth, the focus often switches right over to the baby, but don’t forget to prepare and take care of YOU! There’s a lot that you’ll need in those first weeks postpartum and having your bathroom essentials all together in one basket is necessary. One less thing to be searching for or trying to figure out what you need while also taking care of your newborn. Again, we recommend @karrie_locher for tips on what to include in your basket!