This was very ambitious at 35 weeks pregnant. I didn't know if it would all actually happen, or if I was being unrealistic. Luckily I spaced it out enough that we were able to get it all done! Also, I took the week off from working out (mostly because of some pelvic pain) so that gave me some added energy too!
We completely finished the nursery before spring break, so I had plenty of time to get everything else done. If you haven't finished your nursery, I would definitely suggest doing that before all the extra clenaing! To see the most important part of nesting, check out Sawyer's nursery reveal!
Clean it all! I wanted to clean the house top to bottom so that the upkeep leading to bringing Sawyer home would be easy. Our house was by no means dirty, but definitely not spotless. I probably would have done a lot of this for spring cleaning even if we weren't expecting, but spring fell at the perfect time with this babe! Originally I told Daniel that I wanted to hire someone to get those house clean and organized but we talked it through and decided that that money could be better spent on our baby girl!
We completely finished the nursery before spring break, so I had plenty of time to get everything else done. If you haven't finished your nursery, I would definitely suggest doing that before all the extra clenaing! To see the most important part of nesting, check out Sawyer's nursery reveal!
Nesting Checklist:
Organize everything! I hate not being able to find things, and organization is key to keeping our house from getting cluttered. We spent quite a bit of time organizing the areas of our home that tend to get messy every few months. We also took this opportunity to throw away TONS of stuff that we had neglected to get rid of over the years.
- Baby supplies in kitchen
- Linen closet
- Tupperware cabinet
- Bookshelves
- Baby clothes/closet
- Our closet
- Bathroom cabinets
- Under the kitchen sink/cleaning supplies
- Pantry
- Junk drawer (everyone has that dreaded junk drawer)
Clean it all! I wanted to clean the house top to bottom so that the upkeep leading to bringing Sawyer home would be easy. Our house was by no means dirty, but definitely not spotless. I probably would have done a lot of this for spring cleaning even if we weren't expecting, but spring fell at the perfect time with this babe! Originally I told Daniel that I wanted to hire someone to get those house clean and organized but we talked it through and decided that that money could be better spent on our baby girl!
- Dust everything
- ceiling fans
- baseboards
- light fixtures
- cabinets
- top of refrigerator
- legs of furniture
- window blinds
- window sills
- Windex all windows
- Vacuum couches/chairs
- Vacuum under furniture
- Clean curtains
- Wipe down all door knobs, light switches, and doors
- Wash all sheets & blankets (guest bedrooms too)
- Clean showers
- scrubbing bubbles then windex on glass
- bleach on any hard shower stains
- Clean counters
- Clean bathtub
- Windex mirrors
- Scrub floors & baseboards
- Wipe down trash cans
All this cleaning would be worthless if we didn't maintain it up to delivery! So I created a weekly/daily checklist for myself as well. Hopefully this is a simple enough list that I will be able to keep up with it every week/day until delivery.
Weekly:
- Wipe down bathrooms
- Wipe down kitchen
- Dust
- Swiffer floors
Daily:
- Wash and put away dishes
- Run the Roomba 2x a day
- Put away any items left on counters
- Wipe down kitchen counters
- Wipe down bathroom counters
- Do any laundry for essential clothing
I also took the time to stockpile some essential items that would really stink to run out of at 3 am when we have a million other things to worry about. I'm not a crazy stockpiler, but this is the bare minimum of what new parents should probably have on hand.
Stockpile:
- Paper towels
- Toilet paper
- Napkins
- Paper plates
- Tooth paste
- Laundry detergent
- Dog food
- Cat food
- Kitty litter
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Body Wash
- Dish Soap
- Dishwasher detergent
- Protein Bars
- Oatmeal
- Snacks
Besides just cleaning I had a few other things to prep for the baby. Mostly things that didn't have to be done, but would make delivery day less stressful.
Other Preparations:
- Pick out birth announcements
- Print address labels for birth announcements
- Finish maternity leave plans
- Doggy go bag
- Diaper bag stocked
- Hospital bag packed
- Car seat installed
- Pack n Play set up in our room
- Swing set up in living room
Looking back at that list it seems a little overboard, but we have finished it all! Except the weekly/daily checklist. I am super proud just thinking about all the hard work we put into preparing for Sawyer. I definitely suggest starting your nesting by week 34. If you wait too long you will just be overwhelmed and exhausted! I doubt that I will spend this much time preparing for our next few kids, but as a first time mom I couldn't help it.
xoxo,
Kelsey
