You might be feeling that life with a newborn is going to be a little overwhelming and busy, and you might be thinking that you won’t have time or energy to get the things you would usually do completed. This might be true, and it’s OK. If you’re feeling exhausted after giving birth, your housework doesn’t matter. However, these tips might help you feel a little bit more organised before you come home with your baby. Here’s how to prepare to make life with a newborn easier.
Things to do While You’re Pregnant
There are a few things that you can do while you’re pregnant that will make things a little bit easier when your little one is here.
Test Out Your Baby Items
Now is the time to test out some of your baby equipment. Practice putting the car seat in and out of the car. Make sure that you can drop the sides of the cot if you’re using one from birth. Take the time to figure out how to collapse your pram and stow it in the boot. Practice using every piece of equipment so that when your little one joins your family, you won’t be stressed trying to figure out how to use the baby things.
Set Up Changing Stations
If your home has more than one storey, set up a changing station on each level. This doesn’t mean that you need to buy multiple changing units, or tables. You could use a changing mat on the floor and set up nappies and wipes around it.
Download Apps
Download some entertainment apps onto your phone or tablet. Try things like Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube and Spotify. Many of these apps offer a free trial if you don’t want to commit to a subscription. They can be useful for middle of the night feeds and nappy changes.
Make a List of Movies You’ve Been Meaning to Watch
Make lists of all the movies and TV shows you’ve been meaning to watch. Make a list of all the books you’ve been meaning to read, and albums or podcasts you’ve been meaning to listen to. Keep your lists close by, and watch, read or listen when you’re feeding your baby, or before you have a nap. Mark off the ones you’ve finished and give yourself a sense of accomplishment.
Batch Cook
You probably won’t feel like cooking after you’ve had your baby, so you could take the opportunity to batch cook and freeze foods now. You can try making things like lasagne, cottage pies, and shepherd’s pies.
Things To Do After You’ve Had Your Little One
Here are a few tips to help you stay organised after your little one has arrived.
Prepare Your Nappy Bag
Every time you come back from an outing, refill your nappy bag. Make sure you have more nappies than you think you’ll need, wipes, at least two changes of clothes, and a change of clothes for you as well. You might also want to keep seasonal items like coats, and blankets in the bag, or in the boot of your car.
Make Laundry Easier
You can make washing your baby’s laundry a little bit easier by putting all small items such as socks, mittens, hats, etc into a net bag, and washing them in the bag. It keeps them all together and makes sorting out clean laundry much easier.
Invest in Lounge Wear with Pockets
Choose comfortable clothing but look for clothing with pockets, so that you can always have things like your phone, dummies, pads, and even small snacks very close to hand.
Set Time Limits
A lot of people will tell you to sleep when the baby sleeps, but if you feel that you need to do something, set a time limit. Limit yourself to ten or twenty minutes of housework once your baby is asleep, and then spend the rest of the time, lying down. If you can’t go to sleep, you need to be sure that you get some rest.
