There are so many articles and well meaning advice about what to do before your first baby arrives. After all, you’re saying goodbye to that time when it’s just your partner and yourself and saying hello to a time when you have a small human totally depending on you for everything. I get it. It’s a big deal.
But going from having just one child to having two is scaring the bejeebus out of me. Child #1 is 4 years old, so he has started to gain his independence and can even wipe his own butt… most of the time.
Which meant I started to really think about all the things I needed to do before baby #2 arrives, not just for my own sanity, but for my family too.
1 – Go Through All The Old Baby Clothes
Seems pretty obvious hey, but I was quite surprised at how many little ‘stashes’ of baby gear I had around the place. My son is 4 years old, so it’s been awhile since he has worn the baby clothes.
And while I did declutter a large number of items when I put these clothes away, I also kept a few things just ‘in case’ we had another boy. We’re having a girl. Which means as I go through all the clothes again I can do another declutter of the things we won’t be using this time around.
2 – Go On A Holiday
We had two specifications for this – we wanted to go on a holiday with just the three of us before baby number two arrived, and we wanted to go on a quick getaway just hubby and I, because gosh knows when that will happen again.
You don’t have to be super lavish if you don’t want to – a camping trip or just a weekend getaway can be amazing. Alternatively, you can live large and go all out if you’re keen for your getaway with the hubs too.
I wanted to make sure we had these little escapes and made sure they were as memorable as possible, probably more for me than anyone else. Mum guilt hits hard and I know when baby #2 arrives I’m going to feel guilty for not spending enough time with child #1 and the hubby, this is my way to offset some of that guilt.
3 – Have A Movie Day
Before baby #2 makes her grand entrance, I want to spend as much snuggly down time with child #1 as possible. Life is pretty hectic. Hubs works, I was working then took maternity leave and ramped up the amount of time I was working on my business, we both like keeping busy and child #1 is amazing at coming up with creative ways to keep himself entertained. But I wanted to show him he is a priority too.
We made a big deal out of this special movie day together. We actually went to the movies for it and spent the day out and about and it was amazing. We went out for breakfast together, then to the movies. After that we went to the park for as long as he wanted, we went to the cafe for a babyccino and lunch and then back to the park again before finishing off the day with a piece of cake at a different cafe. It was full on but so much fun.
You could even do a movie day at home, plus it will be pretty relaxing when you’re super pregnant too. Make some popcorn, get the blankets out and watch Disney movies all day. With lots of cuddles of course.
4 – Go on Dates With Your Oldest Child
Okay, this is something I plan on doing well after baby #2 is born but I’m making the most of the ease of it now before she arrives. We go on little mini dates at least once a week as it is, whether it’s out to breakfast or lunch or just a little date to the cafe for a babyccino together, I make sure to spend good, quality time with him outside of the house where he is my only priority.
I know this isn’t going to be easy when baby #2 is here, but hubs knows how important this one on one time is too and I know it’s going to be encouraged. But, in the meantime, I’ll make the most of them while I can now.
5 – Start a ‘Jobs Plan’ With Child #1
Child #1 is pretty independent and he loves being given responsibilities. He is a champion little cleaner and has little tasks he does to help out around the house. But, I know when baby #2 arrives he is going to want more of my attention and he might start to feel a little left out.
To combat this, we are creating a ‘jobs plan’ for him so he has his big boy jobs he needs to do each day and that are just jobs for him. These include vacuuming his room and putting his clothes away, but we are also going to create little jobs that he can do to help with his baby sister. This will ensure he is part of the process instead of being separate to it.
These jobs will be listed on a chart and he has chosen out his own stickers to use for it so he can put stickers next to the task when he has done it.
We will also be asking him to help with little tasks for me, such as filling my water bottle when I sit down to feed the baby so he can be there and be part of our day rather than trying to battle with two separate children having two very different needs.
6 – Do Something Pampering
I know this might be a bit tough with a child already but make yourself a priority and book yourself in for some pampering. Call in favours if your husband can’t have your child because of work or something, as a friend or family member to watch child #1 so you can get some much-needed luxury.
Pregnancy massage is always a good option, but I also love getting a facial from the local beauty salon to help combat the pregnancy hormones.
It may be a while before you get a chance to do this again so get in now and pamper!
7 – Spend Some Time Alone
Oh, sweet alone time. Again, this might be difficult with a child already but you’re going to appreciate this time a whole lot I assure you. My favourite thing to do is grab the latest copy of my fave magazine and go to a cafe all by myself. I order a nice strong coffee and the biggest piece of cake and I get to drink my coffee while it’s still hot and eat my cake without having to share it with anyone. It’s absolute bliss!
But you can do whatever you want to do. Get away for half an hour or a whole day, whatever works for you and whatever you can manage.
What else is on your list of things to do before baby #2 arrives.