I’m coming towards the end of my pregnancy and there are some things I’m slowly but surely learning. One of those things has been understanding preparation and how important it is. I am looking forward at the things that will be changing and I’m wanting to make sure I’m ready and that takes preparation.
Here are a few things I plan on having prepared before they are needed…..
1. Obviously the baby room has to be ready before the little man gets here and obviously, it’s not ready yet…..
but it’s a work in progress at least. This is something we’re getting slowly working on getting taken care of . Shane has been a huge help in moving things where they need to be (or out of the house completely) and so I’m just rushing around trying to get the place cleaned. So far, great improvement has been made.
2. Once the baby comes and the few weeks afterward start I want to have things ready to make it easier to focus on the baby and not on how many dishes are in the sink or where the next meal is coming from. So, for the next few Saturdays (depending on how many I have left) I’ll be making bulk batches of easily freezable meals for dinners to come. I am okay with letting the house go for as long as I need to until getting into a regular schedule with the baby but one thing I can’t handle is a gross kitchen so I’ll be buying a stock of easily recyclable disposable dishes so that we won’t have to worry about washing. It’ll take a great burden off my (and Shane’s) shoulders to not think about that.
3. The other thing, which is farther in the future, is baby food. I plan on making all my baby food of course and instead of waiting until he’s ready to eat food I want to be prepared and have plenty of back up on hand so that though I’ll be making most of it fresh for him I will have a lot of it stored for those tight moments that inevitably come when times get busy or things come up.
4. Schedules schedules schedules. This is the key to not becoming the frazzled mother. I’m convinced of it. Even if you don’t stick to a schedule all the time having one is a very nice fall back and I find that even just making one is therapeutic. I love scheduling things and writing goals for the day/week/month or whatever.
5. Discipline. The ultimate preparation is preparing your child for life. I believe discipline not only helps you maintain a calmer home environment but it also prepares teaches your child that no matter where you are in life there are consequences for their actions whether good or bad. This is the mothers goal is it not? To give their child the tools they need to understand the world enough to be successful in life.
Anyway, I’m off to prepare some more!
Question: Do you like to prepare or are you more of a spur of the moment person?
oohh I need to be prepared! When I was expecting each baby, I had my freezer full of meals, house clean and to-do list caught up as much as possible. If there were birthdays or weddings coming up, I tried to get those gifts or cards ready before baby. I was not a super mom by any means, but my spirits remained calm if I was more prepared. Now, our kids are all raised with families of their own, and we are becoming more the spur of the moment person. Seasons of Life!!
I enjoy your blog!
Well I don’t have kids yet, but in general I am always anticipating and preparing for different events in my life. All your preparations will come together. You are going to make an amazing mom!
I wanted to give you some insight from being there before. GREAT idea on preparing meals for the freezer in advance and having easy to use plates. That will take a huge load off. Also, you will likely get a few meals delivered by other people. Yay!
I would save your energy from making the baby food. Even with freezing, it doesn’t keep well for a really long time and your baby won’t be eating the solids until at least 4 months along. By that age, you will have a routine, the baby will be a bit more independent, and making baby food won’t be a huge burden then. I made all of my daughter’s and it wasn’t bad at all. And even just one banana makes almost a full ice cube tray of baby food. Basically, I would spend more time prepping food for you and your husband, resting, and enjoying these last weeks than making baby food.
As for a schedule…have you heard of the Babywise book? I highly highly recommend it. I din’t focus on keeping my daughter on a strict TIME schedule, but followed the basic principles and she quickly fell into her own predictable schedule. The basic concept of Babywise is to feed the baby, keep the baby awake for a time (which will be brief and only like 10 minutes in the first few weeks), and THEN put the baby to sleep drowsy and not fully asleep. I think this helped us have a routine, helped my daughter feel more secure, and helped her sleep better.
I am such a planner! I live by schedules and can get flustered when I have to reschedule. I think having a baby is going to force me to be more flexible. But I agree that schedules are important for babies.
I want to make my own baby food too. My mom just got me a fancy new food processor! But I don’t think I’ll start that project until after he is here. Right now we are focused on the nursery. One more coat of pain this weekend!
Thank you so much for this advice! I was told getting a rough schedule for sleeping, eating and waking was a good idea and I plan on doing my best!
I’m definitely not planning on making baby food now by any means! I was going to wait until I noticed he might start wanting food but you’re right, after I wrote this I thought about my sister in law and how she just basically would blend some things in the blender and it took two seconds and was a few meals for her daughter!
I made baby food before baby because that is when the garden dictated that I make it!!
I definitely prepare (not for having a baby, but for life in general). It sounds like you’ve got a great plan lined out
girl, you got it together! i don’t even have a baby, and i am not that organized! i think it is WONDEFUL you are making your own baby food. i can’t wait to see what you come up with – only because my older sister loves baby food. yes, she is 27 and still will occasionally buy baby food (the fruit ones) to eat
I think this is a terrific list of goals and intentions. You’re definitely smart to prepare frozen baby food and meals ahead of time. Things can become incredibly spontaneous once there’s a little one involved, so you’re wise to have stuff that takes planning and prep (i.e; cooking fresh, wholesome meals) done ahead of time. I’ve worked with so many families over the years, I know how easy it is to fall into the TV Dinner/take-out trap due to lack of spare time. My sister made baby food for her son from fresh, whole ingredients and I was impressed by the amount of nutrients and vegetables my nephew was getting that way. I’m excited for you!
Great job getting prepared. I agree with Tina’s comment above. Hold off on any baby food until you really need it. It takes quite a few months before they can eat it anyway. At that point you will have some great recipes at the ready. It really does not take that long to make.
As far as planning goes, I am the ultimate planner. Having a 3 & 6 year old I have learned that my plans need to be flexi. You never know when someone is gonna keep you up all night, get sick or stop loving their favorite food!
You will do great no matter what!! xo
ooo what great thoughts! i didn’t even think about disposable/easy to use plates etc. That is such a great idea! I am going to mention it to my friend- she is due august 29th but thinks she is going to be more like august 16…!