The girls closet before…
The closet after!
I have been in nesting mode pretty much since I got a positive pregnancy test, but these last few weeks have been particularly bad! I am constantly cleaning and as soon as I finish one task I’m immediately looking for another project to start. Almost daily I text Jared telling him I need his help because I started a project and can’t finish it because I’ve moved too many heavy boxes or I’ve dumped everything out of our closets and can’t reach to put it all back. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’ve lost my mind, and asks me why we have to reorganize everything we own a million times and I have no real answer haha. So, since I’ve been doing this pretty much nonstop for the last 6 months, here is my ultimate nesting checklist for the expecting mama!
- Get the carpets cleaned: Whether you decide to use a professional company or just rent a machine from Rug Doctor, this was an absolute must for me! As part of our lease renewal, we got free carpet cleaning so we were able to get this done pretty hassle free, and I felt so much better having super clean carpets to bring our newborn home to.
- Wash hard to reach places, like the baseboards: I’m still working on this one, but I’m trying to clean all the really tricky places while I’m still mobile and comfortable getting down and dirty! So far I’ve done the back of the pantry and behind our couches and big furniture, and I’m glad those are out of the way.
- Clean the oven: You’ll want to recruit someone else to do this, since the smells of oven cleaner can be over powering and dangerous. I bought some heavy duty oven cleaner and Jared is going to take care of that for me soon while I take a little day break with Reagan so we’re out of the house!
- Deep clean the bathrooms: Another one for the hubby! I reorganized the cabinets and storage under the sink, and was able to get rid of a lot of junk we no longer use or need. This was also a good time for me to baby proof and make sure there wasn’t anything dangerous within reach. Jared is in charge of cleaning our bathrooms, so he scrubbed the showers and toilets. I’ll have him do that shower again right before baby comes so we have a clean place to give her a bath!
- Organize extra closets: This was a big task! We have a lot of walk in closets and got into the habit early of storing all of our heavy boxes and unnecessary items in said closets. Knowing we would need more space to keep baby girl’s clothes, I started emptying everything out and consolidating items so we would have more space. I was able to get rid of a lot more stuff which always makes me feel good too!
- Hang artwork and shelves: This is a good thing to get out of the way before you have a sleeping baby you’re trying to not wake up! It helped me get a lot of things off of Reagan’s dresser and floor too, again to make more space for the new baby.
- Wash baby clothes: When I was cleaning out the closets, I came across all of Reagan’s baby clothes that we are going to re-use for this baby. It was a good time to set aside the clothes I wanted to keep (and wash), the ones that were too stained to keep, and the ones I’m going to try to remove stains from! This is also a fun activity because it’s crazy seeing those tiny onesies and picturing your baby wearing them! Make sure to use a mild detergent on any baby clothes, we love the one from Melaleuca.
- Set up baby crib and other large items: Trust me, just get this out of the way while you have time! Recruit the hubby on a weekend and put together the crib, the swing, the car seat, the changing station and anything else! This can be a true test of a marriage, since a lot of these items are a total pain to put together, so you want to tackle this early on and while you have the time to take a break.
- Stock up on diapers: Amazon has amazing sales on diapers every now and then, and whenever they’re having a sale I stock up on that size! We have piles of diaper boxes all over the place, but it’s worth it to save all that money and know that I won’t be making last second runs to Wal-Mart in the middle of the night because I ran out of diapers!
- Wash windows: I’m terrible at washing the windows regularly, so whenever I think about it I just do them really quickly! And clean windows make such a difference in the overall appearance of cleanliness!
- Dust ceiling fans: Something I always forget to do, but that gets really gross after a long time. We have our ceiling fans on all the time to try to cut down on our electricity bill in the summer, so they collect a lot of dust over the weeks. When I think about all of that dust flying around a newborn baby it makes me cringe, so I’m trying to stay on top of this one!
- Clean the fridge, and reorganize the pantry: Get rid of old leftovers and expired condiments, and create a system for fridge and pantry organization. I went to Ross and picked up some cheap food storage containers and moved everything into those to make our pantry less cluttered. HUGE difference! And it’s good to make sure everything has a place so when you’re functioning on 2 hours of sleep and trying to make dinner for the family you can keep your sanity..
- Chalkboard label everything! Part of the storage and organization, chalkboard label all the things! I bought a roll of chalkboard tape from Amazon and have been using that to make my own labels. I love using the chalkboard because it isn’t permanent so I can change out the labels as I need to. Right now, everything in our pantry and the girl’s closet is labeled and ready to go!
- Declutter: Check out my post on decluttering here. It can take a few days or even weeks, but it is so worth it.
- Clean up the yard/outside of your home: The last thing you’re going to want to do with a newborn is yard work, so tackle those annoying projects now! Since we’re in an apartment, we only have a balcony but it gets really cluttered and dirty after a few weeks. I’m trying to stay on top of emptying the diaper genie (which lives out there) and sweeping all the debris off the patio regularly. It’s an area I often forget about, but it makes a difference when it’s clean!
Whew! This seems like a lot to do but spread out over the course of 9 months it really isn’t bad! I suggest getting started early and doing one project at a time, since a lot of these can take several hours or days to complete. That way you won’t be stressing out about it when your due date comes around! Happy nesting!