Nesting in the Third Trimester
Nesting in the third trimester is pretty common. Pregnant women get this huge surge of energy or motivation to start preparing for the baby’s arrival. This can include cleaning, organizing and rearranging things. I’m currently in the third trimester and nesting mode is definitely the mental state we’re in right now. It’s not just me, either. My husband Mark has been really stepping up helping out with these last minute tasks over the last couple of weeks.
We have been cleaning, moving furniture, clearing out cabinet space in the kitchen for baby supplies. We are also getting rid of things that we no longer need, and donating those items so that we have space for all of the baby things that we will be receiving over the next few weeks. Who knew that nesting was a team sport? Here are all the things we’ve been working on to prepare for baby boy’s arrival.
Finishing Light Projects
We have been touching up the paint around the house and filling in the tiny holes in the walls from hanging hardware with putty. The furniture has also been rearranged so that it’s easy to get around in the living room. Now, there is a nice large space on the floor for play time. Our garage has also been a disorganized mess for the past year, but we finally got it completely organized! It is actually nice to be in the garage now, and there is plenty of clearance around our car for loading. This involved getting a ton of storage containers and putting things in their proper place, as well as giving the garage a good sweeping, and giving away unnecessary things to Goodwill.
Safety
Though we are not completely baby proofing our home until the baby starts walking, we have been conscious of safety hazards. We are moving electric cords out of the way and placing potentially toxic cleaning products out of reach. We have also purchased a CO detector and have a fire extinguisher within easy reach on every floor of our home. The baby also has a safe sleeping surface in the downstairs living room and in our Master bedroom, in addition to the crib he will use later in his nursery.
Preparing the Master Bedroom Baby Space
We deep cleaned the dresser, nightstands and washed the dusty air vents. I made space on the dresser for the baby’s changing pad and set up a portable diaper station right next to it for easy, late-night changes. We are also going to put his night light in our room. We have a Halo swivel bassinet that is next to my side of the bed. My nightstand has a basket full of nursing essentials.
Finishing the Nursery and Organizing Clothes
I washed and folded all of the baby’s clothes, most of which were purchased pre-loved from Mercari. The newborn and 0-3 months size clothes are in the baby’s dresser. The rest of the clothes are sorted by size and placed in the cube organizer within easy reach. All of his diaper supplies and swaddle blankets are organized. The nursery lighting, crib and crib mattress, curtains, rug and lighting are all complete. The only thing missing is the changing pad to go on top of the dresser. I am so thankful that my husband really stepped up and helped me with most of the nursery set up.
Making Freezer Meals
We started cooking some batch freezer meals to give ourselves a hand when our hands are full with the new baby. We made breakfasts, lunches and dinners, including breakfast burritos, pasta, and all of the sides for a Thanksgiving meal. Our baby could arrive on Thanksgiving weekend, and I don’t want to miss out on a yummy dinner. We prepared stuffing, cranberry sauce, collard greens and sweet potato casserole. All we will have to do is throw a turkey in the oven. I am looking forward to eating all of these comforting, nutritious meals when the time comes.
Deep Cleaning the Kitchen
How clean the kitchen is has a huge effect on my mood. I have gotten into the habit of completely cleaning the kitchen every night before bed. This means I don’t leave any dishes in the sink, all the surfaces are wiped clean and the floors are swept. The only thing we have added over the last few weeks is deep cleaning the stove, oven, reorganizing and cleaning the cabinets and the kitchen island. We have cleared out and organized a dedicated cabinet and drawer space for baby feeding items, including bottles and formula.
Getting the Cars Cleaned
Our minivan is pretty clean, but our Prius needs some help. It still has residual steel slag dust from when Mark was working at the steel mill. That mud is dried up and stuck in the floorboards and the dust recirculates in the air vents and is all over the seats. I don’t like him to breathe that stuff in, and I don’t want the baby to either. We haven’t done it yet, but we are getting the car interior completely deep cleaned: shampooed, vacuumed, everything. Otherwise everything is good to go! We already practiced installing the car seat in the cars for practice and to determine if the seat is a good fit for our cars. Everything is working great!
Organizing our Work Space
I now have a dedicated office space on our first floor. My original office is now the baby’s nursery, so I had been working temporarily in the living room for the past few months. All of the rest of my store’s inventory has been catalogued and placed in storage. My packing supplies are now neatly put away in the garage. We will probably get a baby swing to put downstairs in our office area so that we can watch the baby while we work.
Nesting in the Third Trimester
We have been getting a lot of nesting mode work done around the house. I think we’re pretty much ready for the baby to get here whenever he decides to arrive. If you’re having a baby and planning to get all of these things done, try to get started while you’re still in the second trimester. Everything gets harder after 30 weeks.
