With a baby on the way, are you suddenly having the urge to organize and clean everything in your sight? Guess what – you’re nesting!
According to the American Pregnancy Association, “Nesting is the overwhelming desire to get your home ready for your new baby.” In other words, you’re preparing your home to welcome the newest member of your family.
Believe it or not, the nesting instinct goes back thousands of years. Just like you, birds and other animals also experience this maternal intuition to get the “nest” ready for a newborn. It’s nature’s way of preparing soon-to-be moms feel ready to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their baby.
If you’re far along in your pregnancy and your nesting instincts haven’t kicked in yet, don’t worry because it’s different for every expectant mother. Nesting usually peaks at the end of the third trimester, around 38 or 39 weeks, but it may happen much earlier in your pregnancy too.
Every woman is different and may experience “nesting” at varying levels, but here are some tell-tale signs that you’ve entered this phase in your pregnancy:
⦁ Your utmost priority is to clean everything… now. This is not your routine dusting or sweeping. We mean a whole new level of deep cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting every inch of your house. Anything the baby will have contact with or anywhere the baby will be must be in tiptop, germ-free condition.
⦁ You must do and re-do the laundry. This chore you dreaded so much has now become an obsession. You’ve washed and folded the baby’s clothes a hundred times, and still feel compelled to do it again… and again… and again.
⦁ You’re baby proofing the entire house. It will be months before your baby will even be able to roll over, more so walk, but it’s absolutely necessary to baby proof every corner of the house right now.
It’s no secret that preparing for a baby can be overwhelming with the amount of things to do. You might find yourself thinking “Where do I even begin?!” Don’t worry, because we’re here to help! Here’s the ultimate checklist to help you prepare for the arrival of your bundle of joy.
Overall, the entire house needs to be carefully cleaned, organized, and prepared before the baby moves in. They are new to the world and can easily get sick or form allergies. The first step in preparation for a baby is to deep clean the entire house.
The nursery is where the baby will be most of the time. For the next couple of months, the nursery will probably be the most important room in the house. Before organizing or decorating the room, remember to make sure that everything is clean & bacteria-free.
The baby’s closet is an exciting area to tackle since it will be filled with your newborn’s tiny clothes. Wash and organize everything in advance so you’ll have enough time to see if there’s anything lacking and needed to be purchased before the baby arrives.
Bath time is a fun part of the day and a great bonding time with your baby, but you must observe precautions, especially when you’re with your newborn. Make sure your bathroom is free from mildew and your toiletries are within arm’s reach to make the bathroom a safe place.
You might be so focused on fixing the nursery that you forgot to fix the master’s bedroom. It’s best to also equip the master’s bedroom with the baby’s essentials like diapers, milk bottles, and burping towels.
A lot of memories are made in the living room because this is where the family comes together to watch TV or lounge around. Make this room cozy and safe for the baby by ensuring no couch mites are lurking around.
The kitchen is where a lot of preparations for the baby will happen – sterilizing bottles, cleaning the breast pump, storing breast milk, etc. Make sure the kitchen is not a place where disease-causing bacteria will thrive.
Preparing your car for a baby goes beyond the “Baby on Board” sign. Make sure your car is equipped with essentials like wipes & diapers. Of course, the most important item to have is the car seat to ensure safety while you’re on the road with your newborn.
Your home’s utility spaces may be the last on your list, but might as well tackle these areas of the house while you still have the energy to do so. You might not have the time to take care of these spaces when the baby becomes more mobile.