Preparing the Way For Baby – A Checklist For New Parents

We’re expecting our second child any day now and our lives have been consumed by preparing our house for our new arrival.  Between finishing our basement, getting our daughter’s new room set up, and all the other holiday-related obligations, we’re finishing up the final preparations for baby.

I realized, among our hectic lives, that we’ve missed a few details along the way.  While it was easy to prepare for our first child, it seems we’ve been so preoccupied with our lives to properly prepare everything this time.  To combat our new-found forgetfulness, my wife and I built a checklist to make sure everything was completed on time.

• Prepare the Crib or Bassinet – When baby comes home, he’ll have to have a place to sleep.  For the first month or so, the baby will sleep in our room with us until we’re comfortable moving the child to the crib in the nursery.  If you have multiple floors in your house, consider having a bassinet on each floor so you can let the baby sleep near wherever you are.
• Prepare the Siblings – If this isn’t your first child, there is a lot of work ahead preparing the previous children for the new arrival.  Our daughter doesn’t quite yet grasp the concept of what’s to come, so we don’t expect it to be a smooth transition.  But we’ve been working with her and trying to get her adjusted to some of the new changes.
• Coordinate Care for Siblings – My mother will be watching our daughter while we stay in the hospital, but not everyone is as fortunate to have your parents live so close.  Find a family member or someone you trust completely to watch your children for you if this isn’t your first child.  Yes, you could have the father watch the children, but hospital time is important for both parents to bond with the new baby.
• Gather the Supplies – I am ashamed to admit it, but we nearly forgot about diapers this time around.  Go out and get the newborn or cloth diapers, formula (if you aren’t breastfeeding), bottles and nipples, breast pump, and everything else you’re going to need for baby.  Get them to where they need to be in the house so you’re not scrambling when you finally come home.
• Prep Your Hospital Bag – With our first child, we ended up finishing the hospital bag the day before we went to the hospital.  In reality, you should be done prepping this bag at least a week before your due date and have it in the car ready to go.  Include a few changes of clothes (for both parents), relaxing CDs to help during labor, a massage tool or two, some “happy-smelling” lotion, some travel toiletries, and baby’s first clothes.
• Install the Car Seat – Before the hospital will let you leave, you have to show them you have a proper car seat to safely transport your new child.  The last thing you want to be doing in the hospital parking lot is trying to secure that child seat while your wife and child wait inside.  Put all your weight into it and get that sucker locked down tight for your child’s safety and your peace of mind.
• Make a Call List – With the birth of a new child, there are many people who want to be contacted “as soon as it comes.”  Before you leave for the hospital, have a list ready with names and phone numbers in a ranking of priority on who to reach and at what stages of the labor.  Eager soon-to-be-grandparents should be at the top of the list and called at any hour before you even leave for the hospital, close friends and relatives should be called as soon as reasonable (no wake-up calls for these folks), and the list moves down from there.  Really, you should only worry about calling those immediately who you want at the hospital with you and let other people call the rest of the list.
• Delegate Less-Important Tasks – Like the call list, there are many things that just aren’t a priority when it comes to giving birth to a child.  There are other people who will want to help and you should give them that opportunity.  Give someone you trust a key to your house and let them help finishing preparing for your baby’s arrival, for instance.  Let another person play “bouncer” and help keep your visitors organized.  You should be focusing on your new baby; let someone else deal with everything else.
• Relax – Childbirth is exhausting for everyone involved.  Before, during, and after, you’ll need all the energy you can muster.  Once everything is done, sit down and relax and enjoy what little time you have left.  Once that baby comes, you’ll have very little time to relax, so get in every moment you can now.

Congratulations on your new child and remember that a holding and loving new baby is just about the best thing ever.  Prepare for your life to change in just about every possible way, but know that it’ll be the most wonderful addition to your life.

Photo by: bootload