let me preface this by saying you do whatever works best for you.
this is just my list of things I’m personally doing before baby #2.
this round, baby prep more looks like: what would help life with a toddler and newborn? where can I reduce decision fatigue and mental load so that our household is a little more automated for that transitional time? what favorite baby things (and systems) do we want to try again?
and this list was born.
and arguably, none of this stuff is necessary. but Future Haley will be so grateful.
but also - pregnancy after loss is a beast. (see our pregnancy loss story here.) this list provided a lot of comfort (and distraction) in a time filled with a lot of skepticism, cynicism, and anxiety. so again, none of this stuff is necessary, but my word did I personally find it helpful.
i finished our capsule-ish wardrobes
not the first thing you imagined on a baby prep list, I bet. but wow I’m happy I did this. see the full post on what’s in our closets here.
not only does this make getting dressed effortless (and not only does brett look so dang cute), but it makes keeping tabs on my family’s clothing needs so easy - and making sure everyone in my house is both appropriately clothed - and within budget - is a serious mental load I’m so glad to have significantly lessened in time for Baby #2.
which leads me to…
i invested in postpartum pieces i love
similarly, I also swear having postpartum pieces I love makes postpartum so much better - if anything, it allows me to be so much gentler on myself since I have items that make me feel good now. and I can’t recommend enough investing in a color consultation, either - it made a world of difference for me.
my absolute favorites:
high waisted black leggings
(Old Navy’s PowerSoft line is probably my #1 favorite)
also my beloved bike shorts for days I’m running hot (#hormones)
black joggers, especially when I’m not ready for tight leggings
(Lululemon, Old Navy, or these)
nursing bras + tanks
(favorites TBD, but so far I love these tanks and Old Navy’s bras - just know I’m relatively small-chested so take that with a grain of salt)
comfy, high-waisted black underwear
amma cocoon in two different colors, mainly because I love a good classic poncho
a variety of yummy cardigans, sweatshirts, and zip-up jackets that coordinate with my capsule-ish wardrobe
and also:
the only robe I find flattering enough (and comfy enough!) to love
love my comfy and flattering housedress, too
my beloved donut I sit on for the first 379237 days (#massivebabies)
see more on my capsule-ish wardrobe here.
*note: with KK, I had a third degree tear. and for months postpartum, standing too long on our tile floor would make my stitches ache something fierce. I found what really helped was wearing these supportive house shoes (or supportive shoes of some kind). I also remember really loving these compression shorts - something about the crotch of these provided both an immense amount of relief and support - but we’ll see if that rings true this time.
i joined a gym with childcare
i’m a swimmer. always have been, always will be. so I joined a gym with gooooood pools and goooood childcare, and it has been such an asset. kk loves going to our gym’s childcare and I love going to swim laps, so it’s a win-win outing for both of us - I’m happy and recharged, she’s happy and worn out.
when I was so sick this pregnancy, I’d drop KK off at childcare and I’d sit outside by the pool in the fresh air with crackers for two hours. the gym saved me. and when I started to feel human again around week 24, I’d drop KK off at childcare, I’d get in a good, slowww swim (or water walk) and take a nice shower. (swimming while pregnant is the best.) and I love that when I feel up to it postpartum, I have the option of dropping KK off at childcare while Baby Boy and I just sit and rest somewhere in a cozy chair. (and maybe eventually drop Baby Boy off at childcare, too.)
all that to say, this gym membership has been serving us well throughout this change in seasons.
swimming takes care of me both mentally and physically (although I truly only do it for the mental benefits), so it is a high priority for me, especially after last year’s loss. i accredit a lot of my happiness to the fact I’m back to swimming, and I’m so grateful gym childcare allows me to fill my cup so that I can better serve my family.
related blogposts you might like:
note: I plan to pause my gym membership and my Fit4Mom membership for the first two months postpartum. and use the extra funds in our budget to afford more takeout. :)
i registered kk for preschool
KK started going two mornings a week. she is such a happy, active, independent kid, and she thrives when she is exploring with other kids. going to preschool has been so good for her. and I’m glad to have that additional support. (not to mention a good portion of this list happened while she was at preschool. BLESS.)
plus, when Baby Boy arrives, I’ll be even more glad to have KK’s Preschool and Our Gym Childcare - both for support, but also for a strong sense of structure (and normalcy) for KK.
I started a weekly movie + snack dinner night
all in the spirit of adding some easy, predictable structure to our household during this time of transition.
but also? growing up, my dad was a very successful, very busy patent attorney. and my mom - the most incredible person I know - was a stay-at-home mom to three girls, all eighteen-months apart. and every single Friday, she’d load the three of us up in the car, we’d pick up Burger King, and we’d come home to a movie night. it is honestly some of my fondest childhood memories. (a Burger King burger is still one of my favorite comfort foods and Brett will never stop giving me grief.) and looking back, my mom brilliantly found a way to prioritize some weekly, built-in rest after another long week of solo parenting.
so in that same spirit, we’re slowly working our way through the Disney+ catalogue (and/or holiday movies, when applicable), one week at a time.
and I clear out the fridge and make some sort of snack platter: produce, cheese, crackers, meats, dips, whatever’s hanging around. (I could also do some frozen chicken nuggets or fish sticks or taquitos or PB&Js - nothing’s set in stone here.)
see a full list of alllll the things we love for Snack Dinner here
but know I also love Yummy Toddler Food’s Snack Dinner blogpost, too.
but on weeks we have a little wiggle room in the eating out budget (or weeks we just can’t do leftovers for whatever reason), we’ll order our favorite pizza. or pick up some special takeout. or maybe find our own version of Burger King.
i signed kk up for swim lessons
I feel very strongly about KK being confident in the water - kk learning to swim is a thing of safety and survival. she already loves being in the water and has no fear of it, so I signed her up for lessons asap.
(It shouldn’t be shocking to hear that as a swimmer I find most - if not all - toddler swim programs to be incredibly disappointing, and an utter waste of both my time and energy. but we found the unicorn that is Miss Kristen and I cannot adequately express how much I love her and her teaching. after six weeks of lessons, KK now swims completely independently and without any sort of floaties. it’s amazing.)
and let me say this: I was so sick this pregnancy. (and so nervous.) and it was approximately 39292738 degrees outside for the first six months of my pregnancy. so kk and I went to the pool and practiced her new skills. all the dang time. like, four to six days a week. I couldn’t have been more grateful to do the lessons when we did - around the same time I took a pregnancy test.
plus, pool time with KK is one of my favorite outings - investing in quality swim lessons was worth it for that reason alone. and while swimming is awesome for burning off her endless toddler energy (and with minimal effort from me), it gives me great peace of mind to know she’ll have the skills needed to make safe choices, especially when another sibling joins us. you’re welcome, Future Haley!
note: when I was seven months pregnant, KK fell in my parents’ pool, fully clothed, while we were all outside. KK knew exactly what to do: she swam to the side and pulled herself out of the pool, all on her own, thanks to her lessons. and while it was reassuring to see she had the skills to handle such a moment, it was also so nice that Pregnant Haley didn’t have to jump in after her. and KK was fine after - just mildly upset about her wet and heavy diaper. words will never adequately describe my gratitude for Miss Kristen and her swim lessons.
i made a play room
we started this when I was, like, two minutes pregnant. because I could already see that we needed a designated play space in the main area of our home. and a comfy place for me to sit nearby, either while sick and pregnant, or postpartum and nursing.
and while making a play room - and investing in favorite, open-ended toys that would be played with for years - might not be a normal thing to have on a baby prep list, it felt imperative for me to do to get ready for a new baby. a space where I can rest (or take care of baby), a space that KK can play - a soft place to land while we navigate that first year as a family of four. play, I decided, was really going to help us during this transitional time. (that and Elinor Wonders Why. bless.)
see the “play area” highlight on my Instagram.
i made monthly play themes
again, this might be a weird thing to have on a baby prep list, but hear me out.
i loved our playroom, and I loved the favorite, open-ended toys we had available for play in our playroom. and I loved the idea of toy rotations and sensory bins and bookshelves and play dough activities and sticker books and coloring pages and and and and. but I needed to figure out a way to streamline these things in a way that didn’t overwhelm me.
because I could see great benefits to having quiet, pre-planned activities at my fingertips - things that I could offer when I needed 10-30 minutes of quiet, occupied KK, for whatever reason. (don’t get me wrong - we love us some screen time. i just like having other options, too.) like, I loved the idea of having a play dough tray or sensory bin, ready to go for whatever reason. but I didn’t want Future Haley to have to always reinvent the wheel every week, searching Pinterest late at night, wasting precious energy that would be better spent resting.
so I created monthly play themes.
and, this huge project became the best thing I didn’t know I needed for this pregnancy. because I spent the first twenty weeks in such a state of anxiety and skepticism thanks to last year’s rare, rare form of pregnancy loss, focusing on this project was such a healthy distraction. (and what further helped me was knowing this project was safe - meaning, if we were to have another loss, this project wouldn’t be a painful reminder of our lack of baby. instead, I’d reap the benefits of this completed project regardless of how this pregnancy went.)
I assigned each month of the year a theme. and the Past Teacher in me loved scouring the internet for ideas and seeing what we already had to create a list of books, an assortment of quiet activities, a sensory bin, a rice bin, a play dough tray, and a play kitchen invitation for each month of the year. and then I put everything I needed for each month in a tub.
so that all Future Haley has to do is pull out a tub each month, set up the few activities, and enjoy.
see this post for our full list of monthly play themes (and each month’s list of activities), as well as 5 reasons how monthly play themes reallyyyyy make our lives easier.
I streamlined gifts (and holidays)
let’s just all agree most things on Haley’s List of Prep for Baby #2 are going to be a bit eccentric, yes?
but this was huge.
KK is still so young…and she’s only one child. and already was I overwhelmed by the mental load of gifts. honestly, I think I only made it to three birthday parties (not to mention the years of stumbling my way through my own holidays and birthdays) before I broke: there has to be a better way.
so I Decided Once on allllllll our gifts. meaning, I made a Google Keep List, and Decided Once on what I would give for baby shower gifts and toddler birthdays and New Mom meals and neighbor holiday treats and KK’s Easter Basket. and Future Haley won’t have to waste time and energy coming up with a new idea each and every time. because while I love gift giving, I found that the art of finding the gift was overwhelming for me, usually ending up with me spending too much time (and money!) last minute to get a gift I felt only lukewarm about (or skipping a gift altogether), only to promise myself I'd "do better" next time. so listing out what I like to give for every occasion and every holiday - and referencing it all year long - really serves me well. see more details here!
and I made a simplified gift wrap system. i threw up one of those Container Store door racks and invested in a pile of assorted brown paper bags, white tissue paper, and a variety of personalized gift tags. and we use this combo for any and all occasions: birthday parties, christmas celebrations, baby showers, new mama meals, surprise doorstep deliveries, Just Because treats. we have gift tags from KK, gift tags from me, gift tags from the family, and gift tags for Christmas. a one-time purchase that serves us well for many, many years. (we love investing in personalized stationery, too. brings me such joy.) a simplified gift wrap system works so well for us. we always have it on hand, and I always thank Past Haley for it every. single. time. see a photo of our system here!
are these typical baby prep things? no. but will these for sure help lessen my mental load and help automate our household a little more as we expand our family? you betcha. you’re welcome, Future Haley!
i implemented four crucial systems in our home
more importantly, I implemented four systems in our home that ran on their own and that were fluid enough to be tweaked in new seasons. both important attributes when thinking about that newborn phase.
and, to be fair, I implemented these way before I ever got pregnant, but the minute another human was joining our household, we further realized how vital these systems are for our family, especially in terms of automating our home and significantly reducing my mental load. aka the MVPs of the newborn phase…or any phase.
our fridge whiteboard + our split responsibilities
ps we love our fridge whiteboard
ps we use this box for this system (as you’ll see in the reel linked above), but know that it’s the same box we use to house all my postpartum recovery supplies (more on that in a bit). all that to say, we love this box for many purposes throughout our home!
and bonus: not a system per se but we can’t live without our fridge calendar
i updated our Subscribe and Save order
this isn’t news to anyone, but give me a minute here. I promise our Amazon Subscribe and Save order is another way I’m taking care of Future Postpartum Haley.
as I mentioned in my list of my favorite systems and routines, I love using subscriptions whenever we can on products we use often. because the mental load of running a household can be overwhelming, and automating what I can works reallyyyy well for me - subscriptions automate a big part of our household, especially since there are many items that we use on a predictable, regular basis to run said household.
and as a book I'm reading says, “creating structure creates freedom.” I couldn’t agree more. subscriptions can be such an easy way to add some structure to a household.
and let me say this - sometimes buying items via Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program is cheaper, yes. but sometimes, I’m paying for the convenience of automation. meaning, it may be similar in price to my grocery store, but I prefer to have it set to Subscribe and Save, rather than remember to add it to my grocery list. and I only go to the grocery store once a week, and Costco whenever the mood strikes (and I hardly ever go to any other stores), so sometimes I’d just rather an item arrive on my doorstep via Amazon, than seek out a separate store, online or in-person. (because a separate store takes more energy - mother mental and physical - and more time. and oftentimes that separate store tempts me to spend more.) while saving money can be a perk of subscriptions, my main goal here is automation and simplification. lighten that mental load of mine.
and this part may sound tiny, but this is huge: up until now, I’ve bought our dog food at Costco. but I didn’t want Future Postpartum Haley to have to navigate Costco until she felt ready, and I also didn’t want her to have to remember to order it online at Costco in those hazy first few months, either. so I switched my dogs to another dog food that I love - a dog food that’s conveniently available through Amazon Subscribe and Save. one bigggg less thing for Future Postpartum Haley to remember.
(and yes, there are other subscription services available out there. I just love having it all in one place, so I do Subscribe and Save whenever I can. whatever works best for you is fantastic.)
and then I thought through - what else do we use on a frequent, predictable basis in our household that I could add to our order?
see our full Subscribe and Save order - one of my favorite ways to take care of Future Postpartum Haley - here.
i rearranged (and prepared) our kitchen
because I knew we now needed to have easy access to toddler things…and those darling baby things. and, truth be told, I had never purged our kitchen since we moved in six years ago. so it was long overdue.
so i:
purged our kitchen - what do we no longer need? what do we not use?
deep cleaned our kitchen, thanks to our easy deep cleaning schedule (and my mom)
vacuumed all kitchen drawers, wiped them down, added these expandable drawer dividers
created a drawer for my pumping parts, the breastmilk bags, and a sharpie*
rearranged our pantry door rack to store our toddler eating things and our baby bottles*
made space on the counter for our darling baby brezza
put our favorite basket nearby for spare Baby Breeza funnel + formula*
we love our Baby Brezza, but we love having a spare funnel even more - makes cleaning so much easier
got a second tripp trapp chair for Baby Boy, added our beloved newborn insert
gave our twin-size kitchen helper stool a good scrub, thanked Past Haley for getting twin-size
thanked Past Haley for hanging robe hooks in pantry for bibs
wiped down our custom baby gates
finished adding our favorite locks to all cabinets and drawers
*With KK, I felt strongly about her getting a bottle of formula as her last feed of the day, and I felt strongly about having no breastfeeding goals - that I would only do breastfeed as long as it worked for both KK and me. (I don’t publicly share my reasons for these, as I think it’s beautiful we all get to choose what works for us.) I plan to have the same mindset with Baby Boy - and I’m open to whatever differences there may be - but I’m just setting up a few tools I loved last time, just in case they work again for us this time around. You can read more about my Postpartum Favorites with KK here - but know some of the post is outdated (like some IG highlights it references no longer exist, for example).
i added these finger pinch guards to all our doors
when I was about six months pregnant, KK became really into shutting doors. so I added these foam door stopper things to all our doors so that she couldn’t shut herself (or a dog) in a room while I’m nursing - or worse, pinch her fingers while I’m nursing.
(but our doors I want to stay closed - like our cleaning closet and our back door - I have these door knob covers.)
i made nursing caddies
with kk, I had one nursing cart near our comfy, comfy recliner and it was awesome.
but this time, I wanted to create a few different nursing spots around the house where I naturally hang anyway - my bed, our playroom chair, and our den. so I grabbed three caddies from Target’s Dollar Spot (similar to this), and in each caddy I put:
a burp cloth or two
I really wanted to like my reusable ones, but ended up preferring these with KK
chapstick that KK can’t open
I deep cleaned my beloved recliner
when I was pregnant with KK, our precious neighbors set out by the curb the nicest, comfiest, and ugliest electric rocker/recliner thing. and I dragged that gemstone into our house, wheezing the whole way.
and while House Beautiful isn’t asking to photograph my den anytime soon because of this chair, it was the best postpartum asset - I recovered in that chair, I nursed in that chair, I rocked in that chair. even now it’s our favorite place to sit with our toddler…or just sit and rest. we love that thing and we love love love that it’s in the main area of our home.
(so all that to say - keep an eye on Facebook Marketplace - people are always selling these things for cheap!)
so I gave it a gooood overdue vacuum and a goooood overdue clean. (I used our upholstery cleaner.)
and I got smart and I added a clip-on tray to one of the arms.
and around week 27, I became excited to rock another baby.
I prepped the main area of our home for sitting
okay, bear with me. we spend the majority of our time in the main area of our home - basically our kitchen, our dinner table, our den, and our playroom is one big room. (it’s awesome.) and so realistically speaking, this is where we’ll spend the majority of our time postpartum - which is why a lot of this list deals with this area of our home.
so I prepped those nursing baskets I just mentioned. and I gave that recliner some overdue TLC.
and our two couches in our den are two of my favorite things. one is from my childhood home, one is a Facebook Marketplace find - and they’re both the best couches. to prepare for milk and spit-up and such, we finally bought protective couch covers for them. (a way overdue purchase, considering who lives in our home.) and I vacuumed the couches. and washed the slipcovers. and attached a tray to one of the arms. basically I gave them some overdue TLC too, but also got them ready for another baby…and lots of sitting.
(we also have ten-foot charging cords we put out in this area for when KK was born, but we may not need them this time since we have newer phones with a better battery life. however, we also LOVED these for the hospital, and love keeping a spare one in the car.)
and when KK was a newborn, we purposely saved a new-to-us show (Schitt’s Creek) for that time. and it was awesome. so we’re already brainstorming possible shows we’d love to watch this time around. (seeing Schitt’s Creek episodes still give us all the warm and fuzzies.)
which reminds me…
i set up our Safe Places to Set Baby
basically we create a whole slew of safe places to put Baby Boy, but also safe spaces that match our home’s decor when possible so that our home seems less cluttered with Baby Stuff (because I know myself and I know clutter will especially stress me tf out postpartum). I set out these things that we loved with Baby KK…and I set them out during the second trimester so KK and the dogs would get used to them.
our beloved playmat a friend gave as a hand-me-down
two of our favorite bouncers - both in a color that matches my home - one from Facebook Marketplace and one a hand-me-down from a dear, dear friend
my treasured dockatot - shamelessly in an animal print because it makes me happy, shamelessly purchased as Retail Therapy in March 2020 when the world shut down and I was 479382 months pregnant + 479382 amounts of nervous
my treasured snuggle me organic lounger, too - we have this as a hand-me-down in a color that matches our home and I love it as yet another safe space to set Baby
a second one of our favorite highchair that becomes a toddler/kid chair (since KK still uses hers) + THIS AMAZING NEWBORN INSERT = our favorite way to maintain some dinner/life normalcy
i set up my favorite breastfeeding lights
the exact ones I have are no longer available, but they’re similar to these. I put one in our room and one in the den - perfect for middle of the night feedings or changes. I love that it’s dim and I love that I can pick it up and carry it to wherever I need to go. bless the inventor of this gem.
i found a spot in our den to store my heating pad
even better: a convenient, yet out-of-sight spot, tucked right next to the couch. because I use my beloved heating pad alllllll the time those first few weeks, but I also don’t want it staring me in the face when not in use.
i have this massive one, but also this delightful one for neck/shoulders
the latter one got so much use, since I felt like I always had a sore neck those first few months with KK, but that first was was imperative for those postpartum cramps
I also loved my back massager, neck massager, and theracane. postpartum is hard work.
I hung our baby carriers - and praised our Wall O Hooks
we have some handmedown baby carrier that Brett likes to use, and I hang that on the back of our laundry door using a longggg over-the-door hook so that it’s handy - but out of the way since he doesn’t use it all that often.
I have a secondhand Wildbird Sling in the happiest pink color that I usually keep in my car (or diaper bag) as a back-up. but my go-to carrier is my leopard carrier, and I have that with me at all times. but when I’m home it’s hung on our Wall o Hooks.
see my “home favorites” highlight on Instagram for a visual of our Wall o Hooks. basically I took an unused wall in the entryway of our home and hung two rows of hook racks: three of these on top, three on bottom, creating a massive Wall o Hooks. we especially love this system postpartum because it’s the easiest, most mindless way of giving everything a place. like a favorite baby carrier.
and I hung our baby tub
I did this when KK was a newborn, but here’s the Instagram post for where we store our baby tub so that it’s out of the way…and easily dries after use. special thanks to a zip tie and a 3M hook for the loveliest hack ever.
see our other bathtime favorites here
or visit my Amazon storefront
i set up postpartum baskets in two of our bathrooms
woo, this saved me with KK. for those that are new, KK was a nine pound baby, who shot out of me in six pushes - so, like, the anatomical equivalent of a shuttle launch. and while recovery was slow, recovery was so much more delightful because I stocked our house with allllllll the goodies.
namely I stocked two of these pretty baskets - one for each bathroom I frequent - with:
various pads
plus whatever goodies they give at the hospital
another thing I swore by during recovery? Sonic ice diapers. But we’ll get to that at the veryyyy end.
which reminds me…
i brought out my prized possession: a gooooooood donut
this fancy donut was the MVP with KK - I sat on it in the hospital, I sat on it on our ride home from the hospital, I sat on it at the pediatrician’s office, and I sat on it gleefully for weeks postpartum. it truly is one of those things that made the postpartum phase so much better, so I’m pulling it out just in case I need it after Baby Boy’s birth.
and I know there could be a chance an emergency c-section would be needed and if that were to happen some of this stuff on this list might not have been necessary, but I’d rather have it and not use it, versus need it and not have it.
i deep cleaned the house (and garage) (and patio)
mainly in the second half of my second trimester when I felt good.
i was so sick until about week 22. so no deep cleaning happened then.
actually, not much of anything happened until then.
anyway. i got the intense itch to nest. so we deep cleaned and purged and organized and all the things. mainly so Future Postpartum Haley can rest and heal without being stressed out by clutter. (I know myself.)
here’s our easy, peasy deep cleaning schedule we follow (and why it’s perfect for when I’m too sick to do do anything - much less clean - for the first five months of a pregnancy).
note: if we had the funds to do so, I may have outsourced all this! next time I may hire a house cleaner, a power washer, a carpet deep cleaner, and a car detailer. mama wants a cleannnn space. whatever works best for you and your family is great!
i figured out Christmas early
Baby Boy is due on Christmas Day, but I knew there was a chance he’d come early. and I also knew there was a big chance I’d be too tired those last few weeks to do anything but keep myself and KK alive.
but also? I know myself. and I knew there was a huge chance that - if I didn’t have a plan in place - I’d deal with any third trimester nerves by spending too much on last-minute Christmas stuff. :)
so I figured out Christmas early. see the post here on how we simplified Christmas this year, how we use gift formulas every year, why Brett and I love our joint gift tradition, what we’re getting as gifts, and what we’re asking for as gifts!
i got the crib for free
i actually had decided to not buy my favorite, beautiful crib until later, as Baby Boy will be in the Snoo for the first six months. but when someone posted in a Buy Nothing group my exact favorite, beautiful crib for free, I said, “I’ll be there ASAP!”
note: kk still sleeps in her crib in a backwards sleep sack, and the crib converts to a toddler bed whenever we’re ready for that - so we needed a second crib.
i kept the nursery the exact same
it’s kind of hard to see on Instagram, but we have a corner of our house where there’s two bedrooms and a bathroom - the bedrooms and bathroom to be shared by all our future children. so for now, we have KK’s room - the room she sleeps in now that she’ll eventually share.
and then we have the nursery. and we keep the nursery the exact same for each new baby. meaning, I don’t change up any decor, regardless of gender. Baby Boy will sleep in here, and then eventually he will move to KK’s room, in preparation for the next baby. (or, even if it’s not meant for us to have another baby, I’d still like KK and her brother to share rooms, at least for the time being.)
in the nursery we have:
the comfiest queen bed known to man, because I love having as many comfy places to sleep as possible, especially when there’s a baby in the house. and because I had some of the best naps here while KK was a baby.
our beloved Snoo we got secondhand on FB Marketplace*
the aforementioned free crib
some wire Ikea drawers in the closet for onesies, spare sheets, etc
some hangers, too
and that’s it
*The Snoo lives in our room for a little bit until we’re ready to move Baby Boy to the nursery.
i pulled out the Baby [Paper} Binder
for those that might not remember, when I was pregnant with KK I bought a gigantic binder and stuffed it full of sheet protectors. and in this binder I kept anything baby-related that I felt was important enough to keep for reference: manuals/warranties/spare parts/proof of purchases/etc to baby items, informational printables from baby classes I found helpful, the 37927893 hospital papers, etc. it was so nice having everything in one easy spot.
so I pulled it out, purged anything I now knew I didn’t need, and tucked the binder in a handy spot for when new papers arise this pregnancy. like those 37927893 hospital papers.
i bought the biggest pack of disposable eatery
paper plates, paper bowls, disposable silverware, disposable napkins, whatever. a massive amount for postpartum - we’re shamelessly minimizing dishes for a long, long time. we did this for KK’s birth and we were so dang thankful.
that last few weeks of pregnancy I store the paper bowls and plates in our cabinets, stacked on top of their reusable counterparts - this reminds us to actually use the disposable stuff postpartum. and I keep a cute wicker silverware caddy on our counter or bar for the disposable silverware.
and then if we have any leftover disposable stuff when we feel human again, I tuck it away in a tub. and we pull out that tub for emergencies - whether that be a natural disaster or when we had that plumbing nightmare. (it’s also handy for family visits, camping, etc.) see my oldddd post on our prepared-ish home for more.
I stocked (and cleaned) my car
because my car is already well-stocked for a toddler, I just needed to supplement with a few things for a newborn. so i used my beloved unlimited car wash membership to give my car (and car seats!) a good clean (or as clean as I could get without getting massively out of breath) and I took inventory of my car’s baby/toddler stash.
in my car I like to keep:
this gap filler for the front seats because I got so tired of losing my phone 37928 times a day
a divided box like this with basic first aid supplies and medicine essentials
yes, this gets hot and that’s not ideal. but in an emergency I’d rather have something than nothing
I keep it on the floor behind the driver seat for easy access
this trunk organizer kept in the back of my car with everything I need to change a diaper, including two sets of changes of clothes each for me, KK, and Baby Boy
when KK was a baby I kept this portable changing station/bassinet thing in my back too as a designated spot to change KK and as a visual reminder to myself to keep this area clear for changing diapers - I loved the the side pockets and the easy-to-clean material
an extra quilt (for sitting outside)
a few extra towels (for messes, impromptu swims)
these $2 target trays for holding fast food in your lap while eating
I learned the tray trick from this account on Instagram!
Brett loves these sauce holder car clips, too
extra hair ties for me/KK, extra brush
spare phone charging cord, ten-feet long
(the same one we keep near nursing spots and pack in our hospital bag)
I also keep a wall plug in the car, just in case we need a back-up - like the time Brett forgot to bring a phone charger on our beach trip
a pack of baby wipes, a roll of paper towels - stored in the pocket behind the passenger’s seat for easy access
hand sanitizer, a pack of Wet Wipes
some sort of emergency snack that works for either me or KK - like a Costco canister of peanut butter pretzels or a big box of goldfish
a dishpan tub like this stored on the floor with a few of KK’s favorite look and find books (sometimes a toy or two makes their way to this tub, too)
this phone/tablet holder is kept in here too so in a dire emergency I can play a show for KK
I like to also have a set of plastic cups - splash pad toy, pebble scooper at the playground, emergency snack holder, etc
spare pair of shoes and socks for KK, tucked in KK’s door, since we don’t always put shoes on her to drive somewhere, only to discover we’d like to stop in a place
one of my favorite emergency lanterns
spare cash for emergencies
spare dog leashes, collapsible dog water bowl
some car emergency things, but I really need to learn how to use them - so I won’t link them, simply because thank goodness I have no idea what works well yet
note: our unlimited car wash membership is one of my favorite things as a mom for four reasons - see the quick reel here. this membership (and a larger-than-usual line in our budget for coffee drive-thru) will especially come in very, very handy postpartum for days I want to get out of the house, but don’t want to load everyone in and out of the car 4779823 times.
second note: we put a little money away each month to get a professional car detailer to deep clean our vehicles once a year. best annual purchase ever.
additional note: we don’t take the dogs anywhere other than grooming, the vet, or my parents’ house, so I really don’t keep things for them in my car. however, I do keep stuff for them in our evacuation bag.
yet another note: speaking of cars, once we get closer to the due date we’ll install baby boy’s car seat and our mirror. and we’ll give everything - including KK’s car seat - a good clean. see my baby + toddler favorites board in my amazon store for links.
I freshened our changing stations
we have two separate changing stations in our one-story home - a changing table* in our bedroom, and this changing pad on the kids’ bathroom counter (not to mention the aforementioned changing area in the back of my car). we love having several spots to change diapers. so while these spots are already pretty newborn-ready since we use them daily for our toddler, I’ll make sure to freshen these spots up a bit.
gave changing table, changing pads a goooood wipe-down
gave our weighted baby wipe containers a good wipe-down, too
and let’s wipe down the magical diaper cream spatulas so they don’t feel left out
gave our favorite diaper pails a gooooood scrub
added two jugs of my beloved (albeit pricey) hand sanitizer to our tiny registry so I can keep track of any potential sales, so I can receive them as a gift, or so I can use that completion discount towards them
*note: I loveeee our changing table in our bedroom and I love that it coordinates with our favorite crib, but know that I got it dirt cheap on Facebook Marketplace, mainly because I didn’t know if a changing table would work for us. and I was pleasantly surprised to discover baby things can be found very inexpensively if patient, so a good portion of our baby things are secondhand that I found while pregnant with KK. this pregnancy I made monthly play themes, KK’s pregnancy I scoured Facebook Marketplace and thrift stores.
i checked our medicine cabinet + first aid stash
this is something I do anyway every September and March, a recurring task I only remember thanks to my yearly tasks + expenses list. but this time it felt much more important - a baby was coming!
so while I did my usual purge of our stash to throw away any expired medicine, replenish anything that was low, check to see if we were out of any first aid supplies, double check that the thermometer works because why not, clean the humidifier that seems a little gunky, etc, I also took inventory to see if I needed to add anything for Baby Boy.
and also, the main reason I do this task is this: the last thing I want to do when someone’s not feeling well - especially with a new baby in the house - is run out to get supplies. if I can have some things on hand already - at least to buy us some time - then I consider that the greatest gift for Future Haley.
if you’d love to see a peek into how we store and organize our stash of medicine/first aid things (hint: these lazy susans), see my “hallway closet” highlight on Instagram!
note: I don’t list out what we have on hand, but my instagram highlight does give some peeks - and know that I found Google to be an excellent starting point!
I assembled Baby Boy’s memory box
you can see a better idea of this in my quick reel. I took these filing boxes*, these hanging files, and taped a blank business card to the front of the box with his name. boom, done. i love this system with KK’s stuff, so I wanted to make one for Baby Boy. I’ve already tucked a few ultrasounds and sweet cards in his box.
*this is a four pack of filing boxes, so I used one for KK, one for Baby Boy, and two for our emergency stash of diapers. more on this in a second.
note: when I was experiencing lots of nerves that first trimester, a dear friend gave me three affirmation cards, saying wonderful things like, “my baby and my body are safe,” “i am loved and supported,” and “my baby is meant to be.” i still tear up thinking about that wonderful gesture. they’re tucked in Baby Boy’s box for forever safekeeping, along with the ultrasound of Baby Boy giving me a reassuring thumbs up.
I caught up on our photo routine
because let’s be real: I didn’t keep up with it when sick. but it was very important to me to catch up before Baby Boy came, since I knew there were lots of special memories (and photos!) in our future.
here’s my photo routine:
once a month, I transfer all my phone photos to Google Photos. I empty my phone. and then in Google Photos I delete any photo I don’t like or find unnecessary to keep. a big purge, if you will.
unofficially I have this task as a Saturday routine to do in moments of waiting (waiting in the car, waiting on KK to wake up, waiting for football game to end, waiting on Brett to finish, etc), but I don’t always get around to it. so I also have it as one of our monthly routines to make sure that it happens at least once a month. (I find if I go longer than that, I get overwhelmed by the volume and never do it.)
I stream our favorite photos on our Google Home Nest Hub thing (and our TV, too).
and four times a year, I take our favorite candid photos and our favorite moments - big and small - and I make a photobook, titled with the season. big moments like milestones and holidays and trips, but also small, day-to-day moments like weeknight meals and sleeping dogs and messy playrooms. they’re all in one book.
like this year, I’ll have published Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Summer 2022, and Fall 2022. we store our photo books in a basket in our den and we love looking through them, especially KK (and guests!).
I personally use (and love!) Chatbooks, and I do the 6x6 soft books.
every now and again I may print a few of our favorites to update the frames in our home, but I don’t get to this all that often.
the end. a way to get those cherished candid photos off our phones and into our home. photos are a high priority for me, so while this routine takes effort, it makes me so happy.
i rewatched our two favorite newborn videos as a refresher
i checked our evacuation bag + our emergency tub
for two reasons: we’re adding a baby to the mix and therefore we had a few things that needed to be added to our stash of emergency things. but also? on my yearly tasks + expenses list, one of my january tasks is to check our evacuation bag and our emergency tub to make sure everything looks good. and because I don’t want to put that kind of task on a newly-postpartum Haley, I’m doing this important annual task now.
here’s some helpful resources:
…and I checked our emergency diaper stash
I have two small tubs with some back-up diapers in each size. because while it saved us the week of that Nasty Ice Storm where us Texans were all stuck at home for a week, it also gives me such reassurance to know we have extra diapers just in case. because while I have our diapers set to our Amazon Subscribe and Save order, I like knowing that if we’re a few short, I can just grab some from the emergency diaper stash instead of making a late-night trip to the store. because mama has enough going on already and mama needs to rest.
note: I used two of these filing boxes that I had leftover from our Memory Boxes, but any box would work!
i got more life insurance on brett
because another human was joining our household, yes. but also we like to keep a term insurance policy on Brett that is ten times Brett’s annual income, and he recently got a substantial raise, so an additional policy was needed. (we have a policy on me as well.)
but bottom line is this: we live exclusively on Brett’s income, so if something were to happen to him, his life insurance policies ensure that we’d be taken care of financially. and getting that second policy on him gave us additional peace of mind, especially with a second baby on the way.
i signed up for a CPR class and wrote a will
because I never did these with KK, and it has always bothered me.
so Brett and I signed up for a CPR class and called it a date.
and with the help of My Dad the Lawyer, we put into writing where KK and her brother would go should something happen to us. and between this, the CPR class, and the aforementioned emergency stuff, I feel so much better. you’re welcome, Future Haley.
I protected our mattress from fun postpartum things
don’t laugh. we already have a standard mattress protector on our bed, but I also added this heavy-duty guy to my side of the bed. I did this while pregnant with KK because I worried my water would break in the middle of the night and ruin our mattress. but. it ended up being an appreciated addition to our bed postpartum, between all the night sweats, leaking boobs, and other fluids that come with having a baby. it’s such a magical time.
i got the stroller (and diaper bag) ready
y’all know how much I love my stroller. love love love. i love it for neighborhood walks, I love it for adventures, I love it for my beloved Fit4Mom classes, I love it for going to the gym - I love it for everything.
(see my baby + toddler favorites board in my amazon store for links.)
so I gave it some overdue TLC in preparation for Baby Boy’s arrival. I cleaned it out, I gave it a good scrub, I restocked it with baby + toddler + mama emergency stuff, and I (with the help of Brett, let’s be real) turned it into a double stroller. I also put my cup holder in the dishwasher and the stroller organizer in the washing machine.
(see my baby + toddler favorites board in my amazon store for links.)
what also got some overdue TLC? my diaper bag. I have a Jon Hart backpack that I used all through college (so it has seriously stood the test of time here, friends), and the same exact backpack has become my favorite mom bag, I kid you not. the coated canvas material is super sturdy (and easy to wipe clean), the three pockets are just what I need to keep everything accessible yet organized, and the size is perfect for everything from Target runs to weekend adventures. (plus, part of me loves seeing that monogram with my old last name as a sweet dose of nostalgia from our dating days.)
my backpack got a good clean-out, a good scrub, and a good restocking: My Pouch of Essentials*, some wipes, a few spare diapers, an emergency snack or two, a sticker book, and a few other toddler/newborn basics that are currently escaping me right now.
*My Pouch of Essentials: an old cosmetic bag/pencil pouch thing with my keys, my sunglasses, my wallet, my chapstick, and a sunscreen stick. my essentials, if you will. so I can easily move My Pouch of Essentials from backpack to gym/swim bag to I’m-Going-Somewhere-Without-Children-and-Can-Wear-a-Small-Purse. or, if we’re just making a quick car trip to, say, Starbucks, I may just throw the pouch in the car.
I planned a weekend with brett
to celebrate his birthday and to have a babymoon of sorts, yes. but also? kk stays with my parents all the time. but she’s never stayed overnight. (which I hadn’t realized until typing that out - between the pandemic and last summer’s pregnancy loss and us cutting back so I could stay home, Brett and I haven’t gone on a solo trip since before KK was born. we had been prioritizing monthly dinner dates instead in the meantime.)
so all that to say, Brett and I were way overdue for a whole weekend together child-free. but we also wanted to do a trial run of sorts for when KK and the dogs stay for however many days with my parents while we’re in the hospital.
but again, we prioritize me staying home, we prioritize our nice gym membership (and a few other niceties), and we prioritize our monthly dinner dates - so while we couldn’t afford to go on some lavish trip (and that’s okay!), we could afford a simple staycation with nice meals (and both a niiiice massage and lovely reflexology session if we slept in our own bed at night). and we were elated. (there’s also a big football game for us that weekend, so we’re also elated to enjoy that, child-free.)
(the other big factor here is Brett works for a huge hospital. so we have phenomenal insurance…only if we use his hospital. and his hospital has many locations…only near our home. so a staycation was a better choice for us for many, many reasons, including peace of mind in case something were to happen to me or baby.)
i signed up for dog training
because we had a few things - nothing major! - we wanted to work on with our youngest poodle and we figured the time to do it was now. in my second trimester Brett and Winnie went to six weeks of classes at our favorite dog training facility - which ended up being the greatest gift since it lit a fire under Brett to focus on training all three of our dogs again. to which I said perfect timing, thank you so much.
speaking of dogs: like I mentioned previously, I put our baby stuff out in our home early. I feel this helps acclimate our dogs. other than that, I really don’t prepare them for a new baby and they did beautifully when we brought home KK. a big thing I do postpartum though is focus on wearing out my dogs however possible - outsourcing dog walks, taking them to my parents house to play with their dogs, prioritizing lots of neighborhood walks when I finally feel up for it, etc. a tired dog is a well-behaved dog. and, like I mentioned previously, I switched my dogs to a dog food that could automatically be delivered to my front door every month so that Future Postpartum Haley doesn’t have to remember dog food, much less navigate Costco. what a gift.
i got as many of our life/adulting appointments out of the way now so that we could just be for three months postpartum
i wish y’all could have seen our calendar august - october. we crammed in so many dang appointments. teeth cleanings, dog shots, oil changes, allergy tests, annual check-ups, eye exams, mole checks, hvac tune-ups, etc etc e t freaking c.
(why august - october, you ask? that’s when I felt so dang good. but also? with a december due date, august - october was early enough that if a follow-up appointment was needed for anything, there was still plenty of time.)
because here’s the thing: life with a newborn and a healing postpartum body is unpredictable enough. so for me, I didn’t want to have to even think about the possibility of, say, a teeth cleaning for KK. at least until I could somewhat pee normally again.
and when we prepared for KK’s birth, we did this exact same thing: we got as many health/dog/car/home/life/adulting appointments out of the way during my pregnancy. and it was the best because then we didn’t have anything scheduled on our calendar for the first three months of KK’s life. (unexpected things popped up, sure. but that’s okay. with a wide-open calendar, there was plenty of flexibility for that.)
closer to my due date, I’ll also make sure I have a fresh haircut, a fresh pedicure, and a fresh brow tint/sugar. because these things make me feel good and because it may be a hot minute before I can get them again.
i loaded up my phone with books
I have the kindle app on my phone, and I read it all the time while nursing KK. while I expect to be a bit busier this time - with less leisurely reading time - thanks to Toddler KK, there will still be moments where KK’s sleeping or KK’s in school that I’ll be nursing or resting or holding a baby. and this way I have the option to read, too. (I also subscribed to some of my favorite magazines via Kindle so that I had easy reads, too.)
but even if that ends up not being the case, that’s okay. i read all the time in moments of waiting - waiting to pick up KK, waiting for the oven to preheat, waiting for Brett to be ready, waiting at an appointment, waiting for groceries, etc. so even if I don’t get to read while nursing, I’ll get to enjoy these books sometime.
and for when I can’t just sit and read (or when I’d rather listen), I also loaded up my phone with audiobooks - through my Audible subscription and through the Libby app. I love listening to audiobooks with my AirPods at home or on walks or while nursing. and I love love love listening to audiobooks in the car while driving all over town. my favorite way to instill joy in my day, even while wrangling little ones.
here’s a list of my all-time favorite books - a list I add to all the time!
I supported my slower digestive system
that’s my PC way of saying I get the worst constipation during pregnancy and postpartum. so I really focus on doing the following to help things along:
filling up my massive water tumblers in the morning
the goal for me is to drink 80-120oz of water a day
taking magnesium every night
see my list of specific vitamins I take every night here
making a daily smoothie
read more about my smoothies here
incorporating plenty of fiber into our meals
aka plenty of produce, oatmeal, beans, flaxseed, etc
see our weekly menu plan here
adding a fiber supplement to my coffee (or smoothie) as needed
drinking hot lemon water as needed
putting a Squatty Potty in our bathrooms, I kid you not
i froze things
I’m not doing any big freezer-cooking days or anything in the third trimester - I’m just going to make dinner and meal prep as normal, but also freeze leftovers (or intentionally double/triple recipes, and freeze the leftovers). doing this will stock our freezer so nicely and will serve us so well.
but I will say this: the things I froze that were the most helpful for postpartum with KK were muffins, PB&Js, and breakfast-y foods. (hence why I’m not going out of my way to freeze a ton of dinners - while dinners were nice to have, it was those one-handed, filling, any-time-of-day foods that could’ve made me weep with joy.) so that - and diy smoothie cups - is where I’m investing my energy for freezer prep this pregnancy.
here’s the new blogpost on the big list of things I plan to freeze postpartum
here’s our weekly menu plan, if you’d like to see what I’m cooking (and freezing) each week
i streamlined groceries a bit
we always do a weekly curbside pick-up of groceries, and this is especially helpful postpartum. (i’ve been known to even prioritize grocery delivery those first few weeks postpartum, too.)
and i always have my grocery store’s app on my phone so that I can easily add things to my “cart” throughout the week as I notice we’re out of things, (and y’all know one of my friday routines is to menu plan + place a grocery order pick-up for the week.) having that grocery store app on my phone is also really helpful for when I’m stuck under a nursing baby or sitting in the preschool pick-up line.
but something new I did was created a grocery list within my grocery store’s app. basically within most grocery apps you can have a list of commonly-ordered groceries, and all you have to do is click “add all to cart.” and I thought that would be such a gift for Future Haley, especially Postpartum Haley. things we order every dang week - milk, turkey, lettuce, yogurt pretzels, cucumbers, etc - all in a nice, easy-to-add-to-cart list! then all Future Haley has to do is add what we need that specific week for dinner. wooo!
i made a postpartum meal plan
just so I don’t have to think about it the first two months (or however long), I made a looooose menu plan. a rough draft of easy meals, freezer meals, takeout options, and leftovers, with plenty of flexibility to account for any generous food offerings from loved ones.
see the menu plan here.
i started stocking our home with easy-to-eat meals and snacks
maybe I’ll edit this to be more specific as the date gets closer, but for now I’ll keep this pretty open-ended. mainly because I’m struggling to remember my favorites other than Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers, lunchables, clementines, precut fruit, grapes, cheese, yogurt, pre-made salads, smoothies, freezer stuff, and turkey sandwich fixings.
and I hung a rainbow mobile above the changing station
this journey may not be what I originally had in mind, but this journey ended up being so incredibly sweet. grabbing a rainbow mobile from Etsy seemed the perfect way to commemorate.
PS once Baby Boy’s here…
I drop all routines.
Whenever we’re in times of transition and/or times of survival (like a new baby), I drop every single routine of mine, guilt-free, and instead we do whatever we need to do just to get by. And only when I miss - or crave - a routine do I add it back, and only when I feel ready.
Which also means some routines may be dropped for good and completely let go, and that’s okay. What worked well at one point may no longer work and that’s totally fine - routines are meant to serve us and our current needs.
With KK, I think the first and only routines I had for a long, long time were filling my two huge water cups, making a daily smoothie, and making my bed. And slowly, throughout the first year of her life, I’d add a routine I craved here and there. And it was awesome. No guilt, just grace. And I plan to do the same thing this time.
We load up on Sonic ice.
Because sitting on an ice-filled diaper (like this tutorial!) was bliss the first month KK was born, and I imagine I’ll feel the same this time, too. (And I’m sure Brett loves the stash of Sonic ice for his beverages. Two birds.)
I schedule pelvic floor therapy for me.
A non-negotiable. (I get a referral from my doctor at my six-week appointment.)
And we do whatever we can to slow down, take care of ourselves, and enjoy this season.
Whatever works best for you is fantastic. This is just what works really well for me.
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