The birth of a first child is a huge and exciting milestone. It is also the busiest and most challenging time you’ll have to date. In order to ensure a healthy start for your new family, it is important to plan ahead and get organized prior to the baby’s arrival. In the end you’ll be so glad you did!
5 Items to Check Off Your List Before Baby Comes
Freezer Meals
It may be hard to imagine, but the simple act of cooking (and eating) will suddenly seem like an insurmountable task some days. When you are running on three hours of sleep over several days, the last thing you’ll want to do is chop and prep veggies for dinner. Grab a few friends and do a freezer meal swap! It’s the easiest way to stock your freezer with a variety of meals you can just toss in the slow cooker or the oven and voila! A no-fuss dinner. Be sure to make enough to get you through at least the first two weeks.
Paperwork
In Canada you can apply for employment insurance before you have your baby as soon as you stop working. Trust me, get this detail out of the way before you give birth if you can. The last thing you are going to want to do after your little one arrives is navigate government websites and fill out more forms.
Other things to consider: file any leftover paperwork from work, hand in overdue receipts, sign up for automated bill payments, etc. Do as much as you can do to lighten your load ahead of time. It’ll be one less thing to worry about afterward.
Maximize Your Benefits
Before you leave work you are going to want to book in any final dentist appointments, eye exams, and doctor’s appointments. It may cost you extra to keep your benefits on mat leave so it’s a good idea to use ‘em before you lose ‘em. Additionally, it may be much more difficult to attend any such appointments for a while. Better to go while you’re still only responsible for yourself.
Stock Up
…On everything. Pack your freezer. Fill your fridge. Buy new clothes. Ensure you have baby essentials that will last you at least the first few weeks. You may not feel up to leaving the sanctity of your house for a while.
Do Something just for You
Visit friends you haven’t seen in awhile. Grab a cup of tea and draw a bath. Get a pedicure or head to your favourite restaurant for a dinner out. These small little freedoms will soon feel like an indulgent luxury that you no longer have the time or money to afford. Seize the day and take time to enjoy yourself a little before your life changes in the most significant way.
XO The Good Enuf Mommy
Tiffany Austin is a mom, a wife, writer, and educator living in Canada. Tired of never feeling “good enough” as a new mom, she began a blog to encourage other moms to feel confident and empowered in their own decisions. Her blog, The Good Enuf Mommy, includes everything from helpful parenting advice to product recommendations aimed at making the lives of moms just a little bit easier.
