5non-baby things to do before baby arrives

by erin cornett

After the initial shock that you are becoming a parent has settled in, you'll soon become consumed with wondering if you have everything you need for the baby or babies. Checklists of must-have items, baby shower gifts, and Amazon orders can make for a mess of cribs and other furniture, blankets, clothing, and towers of diapers and wipes. Materially, you've got it all covered and then some, but it's easy to forget about other ways to prepare for the baby's arrival, things that do not even really have to do with the baby at all. Remember, although your life seems to be all about the new addition coming soon, there are still other obligations to uphold in your general sphere of life. There are all sorts of things you had to worry about before children, and will still need to keep on your radar, even once your baby arrives. Here are five things to work on other than baby prep before the due date that likely haven’t yet crossed your mind (you can thank me later). Stock up on house supplies The last thing you want after feeding a baby at 2 am is to go into the bathroom, only to realize someone forgot to buy more toilet paper. Stocking up on household items is an easy way to make sure you have everything YOU need so you can focus on everything THEY need. Here are a few necessary items you will want to have on hand: -Toilet paper -Paper towels -Hand soap -Hand sanitizer -Disinfectant wipes -Dish soap -Facial tissue -Laundry detergent -Dry shampoo (for when you

won't be able to wash your hair) -Food for your fur babies

Stock up on freezer/ non-perishable foods Once a baby is born, visitors will come in and out of your home for visits for weeks (possibly even months, if you have a lot of close friends and family). You begin to worry more about feeding groups of people, and may overlook pantry or freezer essentials for your every day needs. Something as small as a couple of microwave dinners or easy to heat soups can be a big help to you in a moment of little (and precious) time. Here are a few items you may want to keep in your freezer or pantry:

-Your favorite snacks and drinks -Cans of soups -Frozen single meals -Boxed Rice and Mac-n-Cheese -Breakfast cereal or oatmeal -Granola, protein or cereal bars -Frozen pizzas or lasagnas -Nut butter for crackers or fruit connexions 9

You may even wish to prepare some crockpot or instant pot meals in advance, so that once the baby arrives, you'll have a nice stockpile in your freezer from which to pull for dinner. Deep clean your house There is nothing that you and the new baby are going to love more than a clean house. A lot of people push this off, saying “I’ll do it before they are crawling”. Those are the parents who don’t realize how little time a person really has when the baby actually arrives. Doing it before they come will help save you from scrambling later. There are three tricks to getting it done now. Do it in steps. This means room by room, so just focus on one area at a time. You may not clean all of the floors today, but just accomplish the kitchen. You can even break it down into smaller portions. Instead of cleaning and organizing all of the cupboards, focus on just the lower ones today. Save the upper cabinets for the next time. The earlier in your pregnancy that you start at this, the more you’ll accomplish. Remember, it’s only going to get more difficult as time goes on in the pregnancy. You could end up with a complicating circumstance that lands you on bedrest halfway through. If you are 34 weeks pregnant, scrubbing a shower is not going to be the job for you. Have you just received the news that you’re expecting? Now is the time to start. Pick one day on the weekend where you and your partner can work on a project together. The house belongs to you both and you both will appreciate how clean it is once the baby arrives and you can focus on other, more important and demanding, things. The biggest trick to deep cleaning a house while pregnant? ENLISTING HELP. It seems nothing is more exciting than when a new baby arrives, and even more exciting is when twins or more are involved. I found that with that excitement comes the phrase “If you need anything, let me know”. Don't naively dismiss these offers. I made the call out to my family and they delivered. So rally up your troops, put together a task list, and have them strap on their rubber gloves and get to work preparing your little nest. Clean out your phone I remember thinking to myself “I will never be one of those new moms that overflows their phone with baby pictures”. Then I became a new mom. Within a few weeks, my phone storage was full and I didn’t want to delete anything.

If you are like me, then your phone is probably filled with vacation pictures from 2 years ago, pictures of your dog or cat, and too many pictures of meals you don’t even remember eating. Snap shots like these can hold many wonderful memories that you don’t want to lose forever, but they can also hold all of the storage space you will want for the new baby's milestones and memories. Try backing them up to a home computer, an external hard drive, or even Google Photos or The Cloud.

Cleaning out your phone doesn’t always mean deleting media files, either. Take a look at the apps that are currently on your phone and pick the ones you no longer use or need as part of your every day life. This will increase your phone storage, as well as make room for new baby apps that may prove especially helpful sooner than later. Treat yourself to a “Mama/ Daddy Needs This” Day If only I knew the amazing experience that is prenatal massage before I was eight months pregnant with twins. I would have had one every other week! Many practices will even offer a discount if you book bi-monthly or even once per month, so be sure to ask. Whether you are pregnant with one or more, every parent should take advantage of a little “me time” as you're eagerly awaiting the baby to come along. Here are a few suggestions to get the ball rolling: -Get your hair done -Schedule a massage -Treat yourself to a manicure and pedicure -Enjoy a night out with friends -Schedule a night out with your partner at a play or movie -Book a round of carefree golf -Plan a lazy day filled with pajamas, warm drinks, movies and fur baby cuddles (they're going to miss the routine, too) Becoming a parent is thrilling and nerve-wrecking all at the same time. By following these five “nonbaby” things to do before he or she arrives, you can breathe a little more easily and feel a little more prepared.

Erin is a 30 something mom of twin girls; Eliza and Olivia. After taking a step back from her career in Digital and Social Media Marketing, she quickly discovered raising twins was the life for her. Erin resides in Mid-Michigan with her husband, two daughters and two Pomeranians. As the “keeper of chaos” she is a Pure Michigander who has a passion for writing, traveling and a new tolerance to Baby Shark.