Before my first baby, Brooke, was born, I spent countless hours preparing. I read baby books, went to a class, read parenting books, looked up articles online and stalked Pinterest for the best checklists. I wanted to be as prepared as possible for this crazy thing called parenting. Of course, nothing could truly prepare me for the adventure we were about to embark upon. I remember standing in the baby food aisle at Target feeling utterly overwhelmed, I remember going back and forth about which pack n play to register for, I remember spending hours putting together her crib with my husband.. There are so many decisions, and so many things to prepare for with a new baby.
However, this time around with baby #2, things are slightly different. I will admit that I am still very TYPE A, so I love being organized, but things are just different this time. I’m not overwhelmed with the thought of registering, or what type of diapers to buy. I’m not worried about if I have enough baby clothes, or if he will like the blankets we picked out. I’ve done this before. And, while I know, that every baby is different, I feel way more relaxed this time around. But, lets face it, you still have to prepare. Here are 10 Things To Do Before Baby #2:
Stock Up On Baby Supplies
Wether you register and have a baby shower, or opt to just grab a few things you need, make sure you are stocked up. This time around, we really ran out of time to have a baby shower with the holidays and this little guy coming early, so we might have a sip and see after he is born. We bought a few things like sleepers and onesies since we are having a boy this time. We also grabbed a set of our favorite swaddle blankets, a wubbanub, and burp cloths! Ah – & don’t forget diapers!
Get Transitions Out of The Way
If your first child is anywhere near major transitions, try to get those out of the way so that they don’t associate those with the new baby. Plus, a big transition will be even harder with all the changes taking place. We did the “toddler bed transition” in December, because the new baby will be using Brooke’s crib. We wanted to make sure Brooke had time to fully transition and get use to her new bed. Also, if your first child is close to potty training, you might want to work on that as well. We have been working on potty training slowly and are just going to wing it after the baby comes I think. I’ll be sure to update you on that…haha.
Talk About Baby
Begin talking about the new baby a lot with your first child. We really worked on teaching Brooke what a baby was and have been introducing her to friend’s baby’s. We also taught her that baby brother was in mommy’s tummy. She even started kissing him (my tummy) recently, which is so adorable.
Buy A Baby Doll
Also, buy a baby doll to help with this. We show Brooke how to “love” the baby – aka rock the baby, and how to kiss the baby softly. We have really been practicing being gentle with the baby doll and treating it like its real so that she gets the idea to be gentle.
Teach Toddler How To Get Essentials
We have also been teaching her how to help us by getting essentials. Lately, she has learned how to say “diaper” and get a diaper for us. She also knows to how to say blanket and get a blanket. She even brought a blanket and pacifier to our friends’ baby the other day when she was crying. It was so incredibly sweet, and we knew it was working at that point! We hope she will be a great little helper!
Create A Hospital Game Plan
This is KEY!! & can be really hard. Our parents live four hours away and most of our friends and family in town having working schedules. We have found that it is really hard to come up with a game plan for something you can’t plan. So, we have different scenarios in our head and then we are just going to go down our list of people and see who can watch Brooke at the time. When we had to go to the hospital for contractions the first time, my cousin was able to come get Brooke from the hospital. We quickly saw how important it was though, because Kevin was very torn about taking care of Brooke and not being able to be with me at the same time.
Work On A Meal Plan
If your family does freezer meals, get to cooking! Or if you have friends offering to bring food, set up a schedule. Do what you do to plan out your food. With our first baby, our moms pretty much took care of this, so it worked great! Just be sure to have a plan.
Choose Birth Announcements
I know this part can be slightly hard before your baby is even born. I know I want to really see his face before I pick the final one. I decided to narrow it down to a few favorites, then I will decide once its time. I know that I will be ordering them from Minted, because they are my absolute favorite!
Go On A Date Night
Plan a special date night or two with your spouse before this baby arrives. Get a baby sitter and go all out. Make a trip downtown, go see a movie or even just go to a nice dinner. Take time for each other. It will be a little while before you two can really have time alone again, so soak it up!
Make Special Time With Your First
Also, be sure to make special time with your first child. You can do this by planning a fun family outing to the zoo or aquarium, or even just by setting aside special time each day to just focus on them. Their little world is about to be rocked, so just take time to enjoy their last moments as an only child.
While I know there could be pages and pages of “to do’s” before baby #2 is born, I hope this helps you focus in on a few things to do before baby #2 arrives. At the end of the day, all you need is each other! Don’t sweat the small stuff, soak up this special time!