Please note: I now have three beautiful rainbow babies. Since writing this post in 2016 I have learnt (and written) a lot more. Therefore some edits have been made in 2020 to link to other useful resources!

Preparing for the arrival of your baby? Whether you are having your first child, or expecting their sibling there are many things you need to consider when preparing for their arrival. Read on for my top tips and advice to hopefully point you in the right direction when preparing for your little bundle of joy coming earth side.

Get your house in order

Decide on sleeping arrangements

Where will your baby be sleeping to start with?

Pickle will start off in our SnüzPod² next to our bed in our room. Designed for thr first few months, with easy access for middle of the night feeds, this is the perfect spot for her to start her life at home with us. There are many options for those early days from bedside cribs (we bought the SnüzPod but you could get a Chicco Next2Me crib or even a Moses basket like we had for Squidgy!)

Prepare the nursery for their arrival

If you are lucky enough (like we are) to already have a space that will be your baby's room, it's a good idea to get it ready as soon as possible.

We have Squidgy's old cot bed and furniture all set up which means Pickle's clothes, nappies and more can be stored ready for when she arrives. While she won't use the cot bed for a few months, having a changing unit and storage for her clears up space in our room!

Get baby's clothes ready

Buy (or unpack) the essentials

If you already have a child (or children) and had the foresight to keep their clothes as they outgrew them you may be in luck here! Knowing our baby's gender means we are able to reuse the girl clothes we had for Squidgy!

Wash all the baby clothes before baby arrives

For me it is so strange seeing tiny clothes on the washing line again! I am so used to hanging out John, Squidgy and my laundry… it’s bizarre to see such tiny articles out on the line. Washing baby clothes before birth whether they are new or hand-me-downs; will ensure you baby has soft, clean clothes on their delicate skin once they arrive.

Baby-proof your house

Whilst your baby won't be on the move for a few months, it is good to know what you'll need and start getting bits together from baby gates to safety locks for cupboard doors.

Make sure you have the essentials

From car seats to strollers and towels to muslins, there is so many things you need to make sure you have at the ready when you bring your baby home. Check out my list of newborn essentials here to ensure you have all you need from feeding to bath to bedtime essentials.

Your house is ready… prepare yourselves!

You are important too!

It's easy to get caught up in all the prep for baby and forget that you need your rest and self-care time too. I have posts on my blog about surviving the first trimester, second trimester, third trimester and even fourth trimester (the time after baby is born!) Be sure to check them out and take some time for yourself too.

Prepare baby's older sibling(s)

Remember my post about Squidgy bonding with her baby sister bump? It's here if you fancy a read, and want to see some ways we have encouraged her to be a part of my pregnancy and prepare her for her little sister's arrival.

Thankfully, we’ve not had to try too hard to prepare her. Squidgy is super excited; and already adores her baby sister. She loves to spend her day playing tea parties, cuddling, kissing and chatting away to "her" baby in mummy's tummy.

Some key ways you may wish to prepare any older siblings, however, include:

Involve them in pregnancy appointments, from hearing the heartbeat with the midwife to seeing their sibling on prenatal scans.
Encourage them to speak to their sibling. There is nothing quite like seeing them interact with each other through the bump, Pickle loves to kick Squidgy while she chats away!
Let them help you paint, plan and organise the nursery. N.B. Take care if you're building furniture they're not in the way or able to get hurt.
Make a big sister (or brother) bag for the day baby arrives. Include things like colouring pencils or crayons, activity books and more.

Make those all important birth choices

Decide where you want to give birth

Hospital

For me, this is where I chose to give birth to our children. Did you know you actually have the right to choose which hospital? Then (unless there is an unexpected emergency resulting in you attending a different one!) you can go there to give birth. Many hospital will allow you have a quick tour of their facilities too, so have a chat with your midwife. Midwives will always try to make you feel comfortable… even if it means giving you the effect of a disco when you have a bath!

Homebirth

Did you know I was born at home? As were my two younger brothers. It's not as unusual as you may think, but does require a bit more planning. See what is available for you locally from birth pool hire to doulas to help you if you choose this route.

Make a birth plan

You have the right to make decisions about how you would like your birth to go. Making this in advance and writing or printing a copy will make it easier on the day so you have one less thing to think about. Decide things like:

Who do you want as a birth partner?
Which pain relief are you happy to have administered?
Do you want delayed cord clamping, and who do you wish to cut the cord?

Pack the hospital bags

Pack a bag for the baby

This is something that is obviously super important when it comes to preparing for baby's arrival. If you have decided not to have a home birth you will need a selection of items to take with you to the hospital when you have your little one.

Pack a bag for you

Obviously your baby will need things, but don’t forget you do too! I have a post on my blog about hospital bag essentials which covers everything you'll need. Unlike a lot of lists, I only included the essentials, because it is possible to over do it!

Start thinking about baby names

Decide on a few names you like to start with

John and I decided on our choice of girl and boy name very early on in my first pregnancy, well before we knew that Squidgy was a girl.

When it came to picking out a name for Pickle, the decision was pretty much made by our two year old! Squidgy picked one of the names we shortlisted after finding out the gender at our 20 week anomaly scan.

Obviously you don't have to choose before the baby is born, sometimes you just know when you see them what their name will be. It's always good to have some ideas though. There are plenty of places that you can use for inspiration, including Baby Centre who have a great A - Z list you can look through.

Look into booking the registry office appointment

Did you know you can do this online for most places now? I had the page bookmark on my phone so that I could book the appointment as soon as Pickle arrived so we could get her birth certificate sorted.

So, there you go. There are so many different things you need to think about when it comes to preparing for your baby's arrival. I hope here you have found some helpful tips and tricks to get you started. Good luck with your new bundle of joy, babies are truly a blessing.

For more blog posts about pregnancy, check out the category here. Do you have any other tips for preparing for baby's arrival? Let me know in the comments below.