Last Minute Things to do Before Baby Arrives Checklist
Checklist of things to do before you deliver baby (that you might be forgetting)!
Pregnancy brain have you feeling frazzled and forgetful? There are always those looming last minute things to do before baby arrives and essential tasks to take care of.
No more need to worry or stress, mama. This helpful post has your complete last minute baby preparation checklist provided!
So without further delay, let’s get started!
This post may contain affiliate links, find the very long and boring disclosures here.
Last Minute Things to do to Prepare for Baby Checklist
It is recommended to begin preparing these things for baby’s arrival about 4-6 weeks before your due date.
With these detailed third trimester checklists, you will be able to have everything ready to bring baby home from the hospital.
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1. Prepare A Postpartum Recovery Kit
Taking care of yourself after you have baby is JUST AS important as taking care of yourself during every trimester of pregnancy. Planning your postpartum recovery and care is at the top of this checklist for a reason!
Here are the must-have items for your postpartum recovery kit you should have ready to go ahead of time so that once you arrive home with baby, you can just relax.
You can place these items in a basket in your bathroom so they are always at arm’s reach when you need them:
- Thick Pads
- Witch Hazel
- Pain Relieving Spray (this is the one I like)
- Stool Softener
- Epsom Salt
- Postpartum Padsicles: Make these life-saving perineum pads ahead of time for quick comfort and relief for your lady parts. You can buy this postpartum sitz bath solution from Earth Mama Organics.
See also the diagram below on how to use their herbal sitz bath to make your own DIY postpartum padsicles ahead of time.
2. Make Freezer Meals Ahead of Time
There will be many everyday tasks that need to take a back seat during your fourth trimester. The job of planning and preparing meals for the family may be one of them.
But of course you don’t want your family to go hungry!
A great last minute thing to do before baby arrives is to whip up some hearty meals you can freeze and easily heat up for a few weeks following the birth of your baby.
This baby prepping task can be made even easier by simply doubling your meals starting about a month before baby arrives. Use large freezer bags to store your food flat and quickly thaw to reheat when you need it!
Some meals to make ahead before baby arrives:
- Baked Ziti
- Broccoli Chicken and Rice
- Slow Cooker Turkey and Black Bean Chili
- Bean and Cheese Burritos
If you don’t have the energy to think up post-baby meals, grab this freezer meals for breastfeeding and postpartum cookbook with plenty of easy and nourishing breastfeeding meal ideas and recipes curated to help you maintain a healthy milk supply and stay full!
Trust me, you will be so glad you took the time to accomplish this prep-work before baby arrives!
3. Take an Online Prenatal Class
If you have been procrastinating to invest a little bit of time into your labor and delivery preparedness – don’t put it off any longer!
There are many wonderful online courses that provide moms with education to provide the readiness they need in order to mentally and physically prepare for the sometimes grueling experience of brining life into the world.
Remember: FEAR = PAIN
Start with the most-taken online birthing class by the beloved Mommy Labor Nurse, Birth it Up! This particular course is not only the best value for your dollar, but it focuses on how to have a natural birth.
If you desire to have the tools and techniques to remove the need for pain relief and less medical intervention all together, the Birth it Up! course is your best choice.
Maybe you’re not 100% sold on the natural birth process and it just doesn’t feel right for you…
Birth it Up: The Epidural Series, may be a better fit for you!
This second option is tailored for moms who know they may want to receive pain relief, but also want to have a better understanding of exactly what to expect during their hospital birth.
Preparing mentally, emotionally and physically for the birth of your baby has never been as convenient as it is now!
We are so lucky to have affordable online education offered by real professionals who make it easy and fun for you to learn the way that’s easiest for you!
Follow this link to take the next step in preparing for your desired birthing outcome!
4. Prepare A Breastfeeding and Pumping Station
A breastfeeding and pumping station is an essential space to prepare in your home before baby arrives. You will love having a relaxing and quiet space to escape to with baby that has everything you need at arm’s reach. If you’re wondering what you need to have for the best breastfeeding/pumping station, check out the list below:
- Rocking Chair: Here’s an affordable one linked for you at Amazon.
- Night Light: I love this egg-shaped night light, a must have!
- Towels
- Breast Pads
- Breastfeeding Support Pillow: Boppy Pillows have become the staple breastfeeding pillow. They are multi-functional and the prints are irresistible! You can also find free nursing pillows and other free baby stuff here!
- Nipple Cream: Earth Mama Organics makes my favorite nipple cream.
- Nipple Guard
- Milk Catcher: A popular milk catching option is the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump. Many moms use these to start building a freezer before heading back to work without any extra time or work required!
- Breast Pump
- Hands-Free Pumping Bra: Here’s a popular one among pumping moms you can pick up at Amazon.
- Coconut Oil
- Medela Quick Wipes
Helpful Tips: Be sure to have all parts that will come into contact with baby or breast milk sanitized ahead of time. Also make sure your night light and pumps are fully charged.
Breastfeeding is an awesome experience, but it can be more than a little challenging at first. In fact, over 90% of new moms experience breastfeeding problems within the first few weeks postpartum. You can avoid many (if not all) of the most common breastfeeding and pumping problems by investing a small amount of time in an online breastfeeding class taught by a real lactation consultant.
I would like to recommend to you my favorite online breastfeeding course, The Ultimate Breastfeeding Class by Milkology.
P.S. Use your exclusive code LOVE15 for 15% off The Ultimate Breastfeeding Class!
5. Household Essentials
While in the nesting mind set, you may find yourself wanting to have EXTRAS of everything essential you use daily in the house.
Keeping a stocked inventory of household goods is just one less thing your mind has to think about after baby arrives.
Household items to stock up on before baby arrives:
- Dishwasher Pods
- Laundry Detergent
- Paper Towel
- Toilet Paper
- Razors
- Freezer and Sandwich Bags
- Deodorant
- Coffee
- Paper Plates (less dishes to worry about)
6. Install the Carseat
Installing the carseat is probably the most important step for how to prepare for baby to come home. This is also a baby prep task perfect to put on your husband’s honey-do-list. Just remember to get this last minute chore done at least a week or two before your due date.
If this is your first time installing a carseat, do a Youtube tutorial search for your brand of carseat, I guarantee you will find one!
Incase you are still shopping around for one, here is a quick search of Amazon’s top rated infant carseats.
7. Download A Baby App
A baby app can help you easily keep track of notable activities during the day regarding your baby’s habits. One of my favorite features of a baby app is seeing how big my baby is week by week.
Most good baby apps allow you to track wet and dirty diapers, breastfeeding routines, milestones and more! You might also love this printable baby care bundle loaded with all the best baby care essentials!
Having a log of these day to day changes can be extremely crucial to understanding how your baby is adjusting and his or hers overall well-being.
Here is a list of my favorite baby tracker apps:
8. Clean and Organize
The nesting bug has probably already been biting you hard for a while now and you’ll be glad it did! Bringing home baby to a clean and organized home is a gift in and of itself.
Some not so obvious places to focus on keeping clean and organized in your home during this time are the bathrooms, linen closets, laundry room, kitchen and fridge.
If you’re wondering what to do days before labor, consider organizing space in your main living areas to house extra diapers, wipes, changing pad, swaddles and a change of clothes.
Even if you have designated an exclusive space to do all of your baby’s changing, you may appreciate having quick access to a diaper caddy, (like this cute one I found at Amazon) and some extra sleepers a couple of feet away from the couch.
This is especially true if you have a two or more story home, since stairs may not be your best friend for some time after giving birth.
Download a FREE printable third trimester checklist to help you stay on task!
9. Wash the Baby’s Clothes
Here’s an IMPORTANT last minute thing to do in preparation to bring home that delicate new baby of yours.
Did you know, that most clothes come with a toxic fire repellant coating?
It’s understandable why manufacturers would apply this precaution to their product. However, you do not want your baby’s susceptible skin coming in contact with these harsh chemicals!
With that being said, take the extra time to thoroughly wash ALL of baby’s clothing with a baby-safe detergent like Dreft, which can be purchased at Amazon.
10. Pack A Hospital Bag
It goes without saying, one of the MOST important things to prepare BEFORE delivery is your hospital bag. If this is your first hospital delivery, having the knowledge of what to bring and what not to bother with may potentially be the problem you are facing when it comes to packing a hospital bag.
You are going to love this NO-FUSS hospital bag packing list with all of the items you really need and nothing you don’t!
What to Pack for Mom:
Delivery Gown – While the generic hospital gowns are lovely (sarcasm), you may opt to bring your own hospital gown, like this one at Amazon. I like how this gown has buttons that snap up the back and at the breast for easy breastfeeding.
Slippers – Comfort and simplicity should be the main characters in your hospital bag wardrobe choices. A pair of cozy slippers that will be easy to slide on and off those swollen feet are ideal. These memory foam slippers I found at Amazon should be perfect!
Robe – After baby arrives, you should be ready for the CONSTANT checks the nurses will perform on you and baby day and night. In order to make these checks as quick and easy as possible, consider lounging in a soft robe while you have lots of skin to skin with baby.
Going Home Outfit – Let’s save the fashion statement for baby’s going home outfit and keep you comfortable mom. A maxi dress is a great option for wearing home from the hospital. I love that this one at Amazon comes in tons of colors and patterns to choose from.
Nipple Cream – DO NOT forget this! Keeping your nipples healthy during those first few days of breastfeeding is so, so important. My personal favorite nipple cream is this one from Earth Mama Organics.
Toothpaste and Toothbrush – Goes without explanation!
Chapstick – Is there anything worse than dry lips?! For some reason, the air at the hospital tends to be even more drying.
And here is a bulleted list of some EXTRAS you could also throw in for yourself:
- Phone Charger
- Sound Machine
- Water Bottle with Straw
- Pillow
- Snacks
- Hair Accessories
- Hair Brush
- Lotion
- Dry Shampoo
What to Pack for Baby:
Swaddle – To effortlessly swaddle your baby like a pro, just buy one of these foolproof swaddles!
Newborn Hat – Keeping baby’s head warm at all times is very important to help them regulate their body temperate. These newborn hats are not only practical, but they are also darling.
Two-Way Zippered Sleepers – This kind of sleeper is every sleep deprived mom’s dream come true! Instead of having to remove baby’s arms at every change, you can zip from the bottom up to easily change a diaper.
Here’s a few more things you could also pack in your hospital bag for baby:
- Going Home Outfit
- Carseat and Base
- Baby Blanket
Here is a FREE hospital bag checklist you can download and mark off as you prepare!
11. Do A Hospital Practice Run
Doing a practice drive to the hospital is a wise thing to have on your third trimester checklist while preparing for baby. You may not have time for a wrong turn when baby decides to come!
12. Sleep (while you still can)
One of the MOST important things to do before arrives is to sleep AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!
Seriously though, do not feel like you need to be productive patty everyday leading up to the baby’s arrival. Take as many naps as you can stand!
Last Minute Baby Items Checklist
Even with the most comprehensive third trimester checklist, there may still be some last minute must haves for baby worth mentioning and you usually don’t realize you need them until you have baby home for a few days.
Here are the items to consider when you say to yourself, “what am I forgetting for baby?”
Waterproof Cloth Mats
These are very practical baby items that you don’t realize how much of a life-saver they are until you go without them! Here’s a link to grab a bundle of three at Amazon.
Co-Sleeper
Even though you probably already have the crib or bassinet ready to go, you may find that baby WILL NOT sleep in one. Just incase, get a safe for sleep co-sleeper like a DockATOT. You can read my DockATot review here and learn more about safe co-sleeping guidelines.
Noise Machine
I personally know the magic-effect a good noise machine can have when it comes to helping baby sleep better. In my opinion, this is a must have last minute baby item to grab. I’ll like here the sound machine we use that I got at Amazon.
Burp Cloths
You really cannot have enough burp cloths lying around with a baby in the house. These super-soft white muslin cloths are a great price at Amazon!
Must Have Newborn Items to Stock up on Before Baby Arrives
Incase anything was missed on this ultimate baby prep checklist, here a few more baby items to stock up on before you deliver.
- Diapers (Pampers Swaddlers): 1 pack of newborn, 1 pack of size 1 and 2 packs of size 2.
- Breast Pads
- Pacifiers
- Wipes (Pampers Sensitive Wipes)
Conclusion for Third Trimester Checklist
Whew, what a third trimester checklist of last minute things to do before baby arrives! I think we covered ABSOLUTELY everything. Remember, there may be a few things you weren’t able to get before baby’s arrival, and that’s ok!
Sometimes it’s better to start with less and build as you go once you learn baby’s preferences and what works best for you and your family.
Don’t forget to grab to the free-to-download third trimester checklist or the hospital bag checklist before you go!
Related Reading:
- Amazon Baby Registry Checklist of Must Haves
- Baby Sizes in the Womb Compared to Fruits and Veggies
- Pregnancy Essentials for Each Trimester