Everyone has their own way to prepare for a new baby. We’ve been blessed to prepare for a new baby 7 times and it never gets old. The kids are excited and as I pull out, and wash clothes and all baby paraphernalia, we have lots of discussions about the baby. After so many kids, some might wonder what I do to prepare. Well, I’ll tell ya!
1. Have multiple discussions about when the baby is going to “crack out.” (Courtesy of Miss O)This always leads to discussions on when everyone’s birthday is because baby is due shortly after Miss E turns 2.
2. Pull out and wash clothes/swing parts/bouncer parts/car seat parts and any other parts I can think of!
3. Go to Costco and stock up on freezer meals. If I were more domesticated, I’d probably cook and freeze a bunch of casseroles. But I’m not cool like that. So Costco it is!
4. Make sure hubby knows who to call and where all phone numbers are. I’ll have to tell him when I’m in labor anyway, but it makes me feel better having told him beforehand.
5. Make sure I have arrangements for the kiddos. Luckily, this time around I have kids old enough to babysit, if needs be.
6. Name the baby. Yeah, we are still working on it. Believe me, it gets harder the more kids you have, not easier.
7. Evict Toddler from the crib. We’ve already done this, but it’s something I’ve had to do nearly every time. I plan to let this last baby stay in the crib till college.
8. Make the nursery the appropriate gender. I just couldn’t make my little boy sleep in a girly room. Couldn’t do it! I just have a couple more touches to add, and then our little boy will have a gender appropriate nursery!
9. Pack a hospital bag. I probably only did this seriously beforehand with my first couple of kids. With Miss E, I think I was packing my bag in between contractions and I told my husband he’d have to bring me everything I forgot, which surprisingly was only a couple of things!
10. A little pampering goes a long way. I highly recommend a little pampering. I have gotten my hair done, a mani-pedi and I’m having a maternity photo shoot later this week. It’s good to pamper myself a little for a change and I know it’s going to be harder to do once this baby arrives.
What have you done to prepare for a new baby?
I had to laugh at the one about Costco. Thank goodness for them because I don’t cook and freeze my own food either. By the end of my pregnancies, my family is lucky to eat.
I also had to laugh at this baby staying in his crib until college. It was so hard to evict my toddler before she was ready and I am fully planning on leaving the boys in their cribs until they figure out how to climb out. Why free them when you can rest easy knowing exactly where they are. 
I can’t wait to see your maternity photos. I am so excited about them and Rachel will do such a beautiful job!
I totally agree on pampering yourself. I didn’t realize that with my first but I understood completely with my second. About a month before baby #2, my oldest and I would go get manicure’s and pedicure’s and ice cream. Afterwards mama got to go home and sleep! Of course not much sleep happened but it was the whole rest thing that I enjoyed the most!
Good luck with the while name thing!
Candi´s last [type] ..great weather my girls PLAYGROUND
Thanks for the tips! I will definitely pack my bags earlier next time. I was telling Scott what to pack while I was sitting on the toilet letting my water finish gushing out (while my friends ran to the store to buy me some pads for the drive to the hospital). We packed a lot of stuff and ended up needing more!
Awesome tips! And good luck!
What a great list. Now why didn’t you publish this when I was having babies?
angie´s last [type] ..The Tale of the Missing Puppy- aka- my Tale of Woe
I love how you refer to it as evicting a toddler from the crib! I highly encourage this pampering that you’ve been doing!
blueviolet @ A Nut in a Nutshell´s last [type] ..I&8217m Back From Mom 20 With Mixed Feelings
Out of the mouths of babes….and I know I read it before, but Miss O’s comment about “cracking out” makes me laugh again and again. Just don’t “crack up”. Hang in there.
Awww, I want another baby-pretty sure hubby would divorce me if we added another baby to our brood! I loved getting everything ready.
Jen´s last [type] ..Top 2 TuesdayThings you Collect
I loved anticipating that new baby! I can remember sitting in the glider rocker late at night with the little nursery nightlight/lamp on and rocking. Couldn’t wait to get a baby home and in my arms! I’m more than a little jealous! I do love a new baby! You’ve got some good stuff ahead!
I packed the bag and the car seat weeks ahead with Adam. By the time Sam, my little one rolled around, I did good to care about bringing a toothbrush!