While pregnancy is a time in your life when you should be basking in the glory of soon becoming a mother, it’s also an important time to get your life together!
Once the baby comes along, your time will be consumed by taking care of your precious infant.
So why not take the time now to organize and get ready for your little bundle of joy?
By purging and organizing now, you can avoid domestic chaos as you care for your newborn – and the process does have to be a hectic or stressful ordeal!
Here are 18 super easy ways you can get your life together during your pregnancy:
Baby Stuff
1. Sort the Baby Clothes
You’re likely to receive or purchase lots of baby clothes during your pregnancy! Start by organizing the smaller sizes (newborn to 3 months) in dressers and closets.
For larger sizes you may receive, don’t get hung up on organizing them based on size. You’ll find that sizes are not equal across manufacturers.
Instead, organize them by season in large bins. That way, as the weather changes, you can haul out a bin and see what fits!
2. Organize Toys and Books
Your baby is probably not going to show much interest in toys or books for a little bit but it’s a good idea to have these items organized ahead of time.
Place books on bookshelves and make sure to mount those bookshelves to the wall to prevent tipping (safety first!). Toys can go in bins or baskets that can be stored or stacked.
Larger toys can go into bigger baskets or be set in the corner of the room.
3. Maximize Closet Space
Onesies and sweaters can easily be hung in the closet – and you can even coordinate outfits on the same hangers to save you some time!
You can also use a hanging shoe rack to organize onesies and small articles of clothing.
Clutter
4. Use the “3 Box” Method
Grab three boxes and label them “Sell”, “Toss”, and “Donate”. Go through everything in your house and toss unwanted items into the boxes.
The less stuff you have means the less stuff you will have to tidy up and put away! Plus, with fewer things, you’ll be able to more easily access the stuff you do have.
5. One Thing In, One Thing Out
In order to keep the clutter down, implement the “One thing in, one thing out” rule: if something comes into the house, something has to leave.
This will ensure that unwanted items don’t start building up in your home.
6. Don’t Keep Everything You’ve Received
If you’ve been fortunate to have hand-me-down baby clothes give to you, don’t feel that you have to keep every single piece of clothing – especially if you don’t have room.
Go through the items and keep what you like. Bag the rest up and pass them on to someone else who may need them.
Meal Planning
7. Create a Meal Plan
Meal plans don’t have to be complicated and they take the guesswork out of making meals! They also help you save money and help you maintain a healthy diet.
Make a meal plan for each day of the week, planning for leftovers that can be carried forward for other meals. You can then base your grocery list on this plan and buy everything you need in one trip.
8. Schedule a Prep Day
Once you have a meal plan established, take one day and prep everything you will need. Chop, slice, and dice your ingredients and store them in the fridge.
Then when suppertime hits, you can just throw your meal together! And, if you choose recipes that use similar recipes, you’ll save yourself a lot of time in the kitchen.
9. Make Freezer Meals
Instead of prepping for multiple meals and using those ingredients every day, you can prep entire meals and throw everything in one bag before tossing it in the freezer.
Making dinner is simply a matter of pulling out a freezer meal and cooking it. Some don’t even have to be thawed!
Housework
10. Delegate Chores
If there are other capable individuals living in your household, they can do chores!
Children can get involved in age-appropriate chores. You can use a chore chart to encourage them to get on board.
Even the smallest chores completed by other family members make a huge difference when it comes to lightening your load.
11. Do a Deep Clean
Early in your pregnancy, before you get hit by constant fatigue, take the time to do a really good deep clean of your home by getting into every nook and cranny.
Wipe out your cupboards, scrub your tub, and clean your light switches. Do all of the cleaning tasks you know you won’t have time for once the baby comes along.
12. Do 20-30 Minutes of Housework Per Day
When you’re taking care of a newborn, doing housework every day may seem impossible. But, in reality, 20-30 minutes isn’t a lot of time and you can get a lot done!
This is all about creating habits and if you can get 20-30 minutes of housework done each day, you’ll find your house will stay clean.
Paperwork
13. Store Your Bills in One Place
As soon as a bill comes in the mail, place it in a bin or box where you won’t forget it. You can also pin them to a corkboard – just don’t shove them in a drawer where they are out of sight and out of mind.
Once they are paid, mark them as such (so you don’t pay them twice) and shove them into a file folder or accordion file.
14. Use a Calendar to Keep Track of Dates
Between your due dates, doctor’s appointments, bill payment due dates, there’s so much to keep track of!
Having a calendar on your wall where you write in important information is a great visual reminder of what needs to be done.
15. Make a Baby Binder
Before you head to the hospital to have your little one, you should put together a baby binder to take with you to store any necessary paperwork, insurance information, and your birth plan.
Throw the binder in the hospital bag once it’s done – you can also place in it any paperwork you receive at the hospital.
Self Care
16. Create Healthy Self-Care Habits
You know your baby is going to take up a lot of your time but it’s also important to keep taking care of yourself!
Try to do something relaxing and good for your mental health at least once a day. You may have to get up a bit early or stay up a bit late, but even 15 minutes a day is highly beneficial.
17. Make Self-Care a Part of Your Family Schedule
Taking care of yourself does not have to be done in isolation. You can include your family in your self-care routine – which is important because every member of the family should support each other in finding time to relax and de-stress.
This can be as easy as having a relaxing movie night on Fridays or having the other parent take the kids out so you can get some well-needed rest.
18. Don’t Make Self-Care Complicated
You don’t have to do lavish or extravagant things to take care of yourself. The more you try to plan your self-care activities, the less likely it will happen (and the more it will stress you out!).
Instead, just find moments throughout the day when you can do something you enjoy. That could be watching your favorite show, sipping on a cup of tea, or reading a chapter in a book.