Put those nesting instincts to good use and take this time before baby arrives to make sure that your house is not only clean but decluttered and organized. Because once your little one gets here things are going to get messy quick and you’re not going to have a lot of extra time or energy to put into cleaning.
If you’re not familiar with nesting. It’s a pretty overwhelming instinct to clean and organize your surroundings. Generally, it happens during the last few weeks of pregnancy, but it can really hit you at any time.
I know that I’ve hit my nesting phase when I look around my house, wonder to myself when did everything get so filthy (it’s really not at all) and proceed to start scrubbing every nook and cranny in my kitchen.
If you feeling the urge to start prepping your house for baby then this list of projects and ideas is just what you need to help you channel those nesting urges and get your house ready for baby!
Cut down on paper clutter
One of the biggest causes of clutter is of mail and random paperwork that pile up in all corners of the house. Take time to go through any stacks of paperwork and mail and find a place to neatly organize them. You could even scan everything to your computer and go paperless.
Once you have all of your paperwork organized and you’ve thrown away what you no longer need come up with a systems to keep it from piling up again. Some easy ways to do this is to;
- A basket for mail by the front door that you go through regularly
- A folder or small filing box to hold important paperwork, bills, school art projects
- Use a portable wand scanner like this Vupoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner
to quickly and easily scan receipts, paperwork, and bills to your computer so you can go completely paperless
Create a baby binder – Speaking of paperwork you’ll be getting a lot of paperwork while you’re at the hospital. Everything ranging from newborn care tips to insurance paperwork, and medical documents. You’ll want to create a baby binder to store all of this in an organized way that is easy for you to access.
The binder doesn’t have to be fancy. A simple three-ring binder, dividers, and page protectors are all you need. You can also use this binder to store any paperwork you’re given at future doctors appointments.
Organized and declutter
Babies come with a lot of stuff. Its crazy just how much stuff you’ll have to take care of a tiny little person. Making sure you have a place for everything will be a sanity saver later on.
Use this time before baby arrives to get rid of anything you no longer need or is broken. Sell stuff you no longer want or need on a place like Facebook marketplace or have a yard sale. Any extra money you make can be put towards baby supplies. Anything that doesn’t sell, bring to your local goodwill.
Living room – You’ll probably be spending a lot of time in your living room once baby arrives. So it’s important to make sure that this space is clear of clutter, junk, and anything you don’t need. Some things to organized and consider getting rid of are
- old magazines
- DVDs
- video game equipment
- unused electronics
- broken and unused toys
- random boxes of stuff
This is also the perfect time to start the process of baby proofing your living room and remove anything that they will eventually be able to grab or could be unsafe. You’ll be surprised just how quickly time flys, because before you know it your little one will be on the move!
Bedroom – Most people have baby sleep in their bedroom for at least the first few weeks. Regardless of if you plan on cosleeping or using a bassinet, you’ll need to clean and organized this space.
- Put clothes, shoes, socks, jackets in their proper place
- clean out draws and your closet, get rid of anything you don’t need
- organize jewelry and accessories
- rearrange anything that you could bump into or trip over in the middle of the night
- Make room on your nightstand for things like baby bottles and other small baby related items.
Once your room is cleaned and organized create a space for the bassinet. You’ll also need a space for extra diapers, clothes, and anything else you’ll need during that 3 am feeding.
Entryway – Make sure your entryway is cleaned and cleared. You’ll need space to place the baby carrier while your getting shoes and jackets on and off. Consider getting a coat rack for jackets and a bench to place shoes under.
Kitchen – A lot of family life occurs in the kitchen so keeping it organized and clutter free helps to make life that much easier. Keeping your countertops clean and clear also helps to ensure you’re keeping baby stuff germ free.
It’s also a sanity saver not to have work around piles of mail or a pantry full of expired food. Some easy organization and decluttering tasks in the kitchen are;
- Remove piles of paperwork, junk mail, and school art projects
- Check your pantry and cupboards for expired food – it’s surprising how quickly things like canned food can expire without you noticing
- Donate boxed and canned food that you won’t be using
- Throw away any Tupperware containers that are broken or missing lids.
- Donate items you don’t use and toss things that don’t work or are broken.
Make Space for baby Supplies
Feeding Supplies – Regardless of if you are breastfeeding, formula feeding, or doing a combination of both you’ll need a clean place to store everything. You’ll want to consider creating two spaces for feeding supplies.
The first one should be in a central location, normally the kitchen. Here you’ll store the majority of what you need including bottles, formula, breast pump equipment, and bottled water. A shelf or two in a cupboard usually works just fine for this.
The second space you’ll want to create should be where ever you will be regularly feeding your baby. Such as the nursery or in your bedroom. Create a clean and organized space where you can keep burp cloths, and an extra bottle or two, water bottles, a small container of formula.
Having feeding supplies in this second space will make late night feedings easier since everything you need is within reach.
Other Supplies – Having stashes of extra baby stuff may seem excessive at first. But trust me, you’ll be happy that you won’t have to run across the house to get what you need while the baby is crying or in need of a diaper change.
Organize a spot in your living room for extra diapers, wipes, burp rags, and clothes. If you have other young children make sure that all of this stuff is out of reach. There’s nothing worse than your toddler going through and throwing all your baby supplies across the living room.
If your baby will be sleeping in your bedroom make sure to have a stash of everything they will need in the middle of the night easily accessible and well organized.
This not only prevents you from running up to their nursery to get new clothes when they blow out their diaper. It also reduces the need for you to turn on lights, which helps your baby go back to sleep faster. Your partner will also appreciate the fact that you don’t have to turn on the bedroom light 3 am because you can’t find diaper wipes.
Give your house a deep clean
Once your house is decluttered and organized give it a good deep cleaning. Tackle all those cleaning projects you’ve been putting off now because once baby arrives you’ll have even less time to get them done.
Be careful while using cleaning chemicals and make sure you are in a well ventilated room. If the smell of the cleaning products makes you dizzy or nauseated then open a window, leave the room, and take a break.
A few deep cleaning projects you can tackle before baby arrives are;
- Washing Windows, window sills, and window tracks
- Dusting Ceiling fans and light fixtures, use a Microfiber Duster with Extension Pole for those hard to reach fans and lights
- Clean the inside and outside of kitchen appliances
- Clean the washer machine and vacuum out your dryers lint trap (trust me you’ll want the washer and dryer clean before you start doing tons of loads of baby laundry)
- Change air filters
- Steam clean rugs
If you can afford it then go ahead and hire someone to come through and give your house a good deep cleaning. Or if you have any friends or family who are neat freaks or pros at organizing enlist their help. Take advantage of the quiet before the storm and tackle these household projects now.
Bring baby home to an organized, clutter free, and clean house will seriously help to keep your stress levels. You also will be able to focus on spending time with your little one instead of feeling like you need to get up and clean when guests come over. And you won’t be running around the house trying to find baby items that you need.
Do you have any nesting tips, tricks, or ideas? I would love to hear about them in the comments below
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