My Checklist To Prepare For Baby 's Arrival - The Nest Phase

My goodness, only four more days till Valentine's day, and we're so ready to meet our baby boy. I doubt I'll ever be fully ready for labor, but he is definitely a little too snugged in there and pushing around to hopefully make his debut soon. During this waiting period, I'll post a few pregnancy related topics while the countdown continues. 

The Nursery Decor

I understand soon-to-be parents or soon-to-be mommas tend to get very excited about decorating the baby nursery. The whole decorating part can be fun as the anticipation of baby’s arrival builds up. Even though we live in a two bedroom apartment, and I’m highly tempted to invest my energy on these cute nursery ideas and nursery themes on Pinterest, I’ve decided to not dedicate an entire room to creating one just yet. Although designing and putting together baby's room would be so much fun, it’s not necessary for us right now. Why? Because of two reasons:

1. We live in an apartment. I want to keep the second bedroom available mostly for my parents and guests without having to redecorate. We have enough room in our second walk-in closet, where we store all our ethnic/hardly-used clothes. For baby’s clothes, I plan on utilizing that closet and get a small chest of drawer to maximize space and functionality.
2. I plan on co-sleeping, so a bassinet is more important right now than a crib. A crib won’t be used for at least another six months. I have so many friends and family members who'd put together their nursery in advance but hardly ever used the baby cribs, so I decided to wait on it. I definitely see myself investing in a crib eventually and looking forward to decorating the baby nursery when it’s time. I also hope to understand our needs as first time parents before investing in more baby furniture pieces and decorating the room. We've been in search for a nice side-table for my husband since he's been using a $10 Walmart side table from when he was a bachelor. We removed that and setup that corner in our bedroom room for the bassinet. We are pull it over the bed whenever needed and push it away towards the wall whenever it's not being used. 

The Home Organization

How we've been preparing for a baby you may ask? I doubt we can ever prepare ourselves for what’s ahead, but one thing I can do is prepare our home for baby’s arrival. I’ve been nesting hardcore. For some reason, I’ve been feeling this crazy urge to reorganize everything in the house before arrival of baby. The pregnancy due date feels like a deadline to tackle all the incomplete projects and deep clean the house. Seeing any clutter has been added stress. As if baby will judge us or we are preparing to impress this tiny person by making that first impression count (In my head, that was funny. Excuse my poor sense of humor).

My list of things to do before baby arrives

1. Get Baby safe Cleaning Supplies
   1. Baby Clothing detergents for laundry
   2. Safe and non-toxic Cleaning supplies to disinfect kitchen countertops and bathrooms
   3. Safe soap to wash bottles and pacifiers
2. Empty out a Kitchen Cabinet shelf for baby feeder/formula/etc
3. Set aside a medicine drawer or first aid kit for baby
   1. Thermometer
   2. Nail clippers
   3. Cough medicine
   4. Gas medicine
   5. Infant Tylenol
   6. First aid kit
   7. Gauze pads
4. Figure out a chest of drawer or storage solution for baby stuff. I’ve realized that baby doesn’t need much in the beginning and the tiny clothes fit nicely in a three-drawer-dresser or a five-drawer narrow chest. We always use drawer organizers for our drawers, so did the same for baby, and got a 5-drawer chest (ASKVOLL) from Ikea.
   1. Onesies
   2. Pants
   3. Hats
   4. Mittens
   5. Towels
   6. Wash Clothes
   7. Blankets
   8. Swaddles
   9. Burp clothes
   10. Socks
   11. Baby Shoes (I find this the cutest)
   12. Books (reading to baby early on)
5. Set-up Bassinet
6. Wash all clothes
7. Wash and sanitize all feeders
8. A Basket for Dirty clothes

The Car

1. Infant Car Seat - There are so many options out there for newborn car seat that it was insanely confusing to figure out the best car seat for our baby. I was repeatedly drawn to the prettiest seats and stroller combos. However, they came with a steep price tag. We went with one that was listed high on consumer report and reasonably priced. Ours is a rear facing car seat and research showed it as one of the safest options out there. I'm adding a few that I've been eyeing.
2. Stroller - Ours is a caddy stroller that acts as the frame for the car seat. There are so many different kinds out there. 
3. Baby on board sign - honestly, I’ve decided to put this up already to ward off crazies behind the wheels. Baby IS onboard - just in my belly for now that’s all.

The Hospital Bag

Now this one was a bit challenging, but a friend of mine has really helped me narrow down what to pack and organize, and create my hospital bag checklist. In fact, she helped me with most of my questions. Poor soul: That’s what she gets for earning my trust in her experience more than google. My pregnancy hospital bag has:

• Comfortable Slippers for hospital
• Bathroom flip flops
• Socks
• A night gown - I got this black one from Target and the material is so comfortable. However, it runs small so order one or two sizes up.
• A robe - I have an older black one from Target as well. I’m just taking that with me.
• Nursing tank top(s)
• Nursing bras​
• Breast pads
• Baby clothes - onesies, hat, mittens, swaddles
• An outfit for baby to go home in - it can be a one piece onesie, or a set if you like. No need to over think (Overthinking is my middle name, so I’m trying to save you the trouble)
• An extra pillow and/or throw for your comfort - I don’t like hospital pillows, and I know my husband won’t be able to sleep well either, so taking our own.
• Phone chargers
• Camera
• A folder for/with important hospital papers
• Cash/change for vending machine
  
• Snacks - I haven’t really packed this yet. I’ll grab something later.
• For husband, a pajama set and slippers
• Toothbrushes

I want our small place to be as functional as possible while minimizing clutter (Yes, even with a baby). An environment can impact a child and I believe a healthy, loving, and clean environment is important. I'm starting with the belief that very little is needed to have a happy baby... at least the first few months. It’s all about feeding, cleaning, crying, and sleeping… all the while realizing the blessing it all is and soaking in the moments with my baby. ​

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