Who doesn’t love new life and all it brings?! The cuddles, the cute outfits, the tinyness of everything….but, we will probably all agree that there is definitely a lot of chaos that comes with new life, too. 

As a homemaker expecting another little one, I anticipate the coming of our baby, but I also dread the unforeseen chaos that will undoubtedly come, too. While we shouldn’t worry and should cast all our cares on Him who can sustain us, it is good for us to minimize the chaos that we can control. It will help us be less stressed and more virtuous when the chaotic season of post partum comes. 

This year, one of my goals is to conquer unnecessary chaos in my homemaking. While there is much chaos that we can do away with, it is realistic to note that some we cannot completely do away with no matter how much we prepare or cultivate good habits. We can however plan accordingly as best we can and minimize the chaos that is within our control. 

If you are looking to minimize some chaos in the newborn/postpartum season, join me as a share all my tips in this homemaking guide and what I’m personally doing to prepare my house and home for our little one.

Wash all the things!

Laundering and washing all the baby stuff is nearly half of the work that goes into preparing for a newborn. Here are the things that are on my checklist to wash and find a home for so that they are quickly accessible….

• NB and 0-3 mo clothes – If you aren’t sure what size clothes your baby will fit into make sure to wash the first two sizes they could need. My babies tend to be smaller so I know I will need newborn clothes, but I also don’t know how fast they will grow out of them so I went ahead and washed the 0-3 month clothes as well.
• Sleepers – Although I love having cute newborn outfits especially for church, the reality is that I’m much too practical to dress them up everyday. It’s easier for me if my babies hang out in their sleepers or other one piece outfits that make it easy to change their diapers. Babies mess their clothes up all day long with spit-up and blow-outs and it doesn’t bother me as much if they ruin or stain a sleeper over a super cute outfit. I have also discovered that actual outfits that fit tighter like onesies and little pants or leggings can cause blowouts or make them worse so it just makes sense to me to just keep them in their sleepers. These are the style of nightgowns and sleepers that I love. I also do like footed PJ’s, too, just not as much. And besides, they will probably be in the baby wrap most of the time anyways.
• Swaddles – These swaddle pods have been a life saver. They aren’t the typical velcro ones. You actual just put your baby in and zip it up leaving them to decide where they want to position themselves. It’s still snug enough but with just enough room for them to wiggle just a little bit. It’s always a nightmare trying to figure out how the baby wants to be wrapped up or if it even wants it. These swaddles take care of that worry for you and they come in all sizes!
• Carseat – I disassembled, washed, air dried, re-assembled the car seat then stuck it right into the back of our car so I wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting about it when it was time to go to the hospital.
• Burb rags – Cloth diapers make the best burp rags because they absorb a lot more.
• Muslin Swaddle blankets
• Extra Baby Blankets – I like to keep extra blankets that are smaller around as extra sheets because you never know how many times a day you are going to have to change the baby’s bedding.
• Baby washcloths
• Pump and bottles
• Snot Sucker – I know, it sounds silly, but that’s actually what it’s called. If you have ever used one those suctions bulbs to help remove your baby’s congestion, you know how difficult it is to make them work. This nasal aspirator is a great alternative and is the only thing that I have found to work.
• Pacifiers
• Baby bathtub

Set up the baby bed.

Setting up the nursery area is probably a given, but I also like to have something set up in the living room, too, so I don’t have to go back and forth so much. Even though my baby stays in a baby wrap for most of the day, I do like to have a pack-n-play set up in the living room so that I have somewhere safe to lay the baby out of the reach of my toddlers if I need to set them down for a bit. The one I have has a little bassinet insert and a changing station insert which is also super helpful, not mention an enclosed zippered section with collapsible shelving for extra supplies like diapers and wipes.

Clean bedroom/nursery.

Whichever room the baby will be sleeping in, take a little bit of time to give it a good clean. A little decluttering and organizing is a good idea, too. 

You and baby will be spending a lot of time in this room so why not set your self up for success by making it a peaceful place to be! The baby will bring enough drama by themselves. Having clutter or unnecessary things stored in that room can easily become noise in the background. 

So take a few moments, take a step back and evaluate. Is this room decent and in order in the very least?

Blow up the yoga ball.

When I was in labor with my last baby, I got to the point that this was the only thing comfortable enough to sit on so this has definitely made it on to my checklist to have done before that time comes.

Set up the changing station.

Extra diapers, extra wipes, extra clothes, extra changing pad sheets, and probably extra of everything else, too!

There is nothing like going to change a diaper and find that you need something that is out of reach. It is terribly inconvenient when it’s out of reach to have to get it yourself in the middle of a diaper change. 

Besides, newborns are notorious for going through diapers and clothing during diaper changes so keep a little bit (or a lot) of everything in reach. 

Prep freezer meals.

Did you know that meal prep parties are a thing?! I had no idea until a friend asked if she could throw me one. 

Of course I said “YES PLEASE!” Making food after having a baby can be really chaotic and just tough to do so having a decent stock of freezer meals even if it’s just meat in a marinade or sauce can be a life saver. 

Ask a close friend or your mom if they would be willing to host a meal prep party for you or if that isn’t possible, take some time and prep some yourself. 

I found it overwhelming to meal prep whole meals for us but I knew that something would be better than nothing so for several weeks before the baby was due, I picked up extra meat and random bottles of sauce every time I went grocery shopping. 

Things like…

• BBQ sauce
• Salsa
• Teriyaki sauce

Then I just dumped them into a ziplock with whatever meat I bought and threw them in the freezer. Super easy, right?

I knew as long as I had meat prepared to throw in the crockpot or instant pot in case I forgot, I could easily throw together a tasty little meal with some rice, potatoes, or tortillas on hand. 

Oh, and don’t do what I did! You might want to label them so you know what your actually pulling out when it comes to make them. 

Pack the hospital bag.

There are definitely a few things that will have to wait to be put into the hospital bag like your daily toiletries, for example, but it’s a good idea to at least plan ahead what you are going to take before the time comes. 

Here are some ideas of what to pack….

• Daily toiletries – toothbrush, hairbrush, deodorant, hair ties, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc. whatever you need on a daily basis. 
• Newborn and 0-3 mo outfit – It can be hard to tell what exact size the baby will fit into when they come so I pack one of each of these just in case. You could always have someone bring you something else if it doesn’t fit so don’t stress it. I also only take one outfit of each for the ride home (they just hang out in a diaper and swaddle blanket during the hospital stay) because you know, blowouts. There is no point making extra laundry away from home. 
• Pacifiers – Take two different sizes or types in case your baby has preferences. 
• Nursing clothes – If you have been around here on the blog for awhile you know I love my dresses. There are comfy and you don’t have to worry about it fitting especially after having a baby. My mom got me a new nursing dress that I’m saving for this purpose and having a new dress makes the occasion of coming home even more special and anticipated! If you can, maybe treat yourself to a new outfit for when you finally get to bring that baby home.
• Snacks – There is nothing like nursing to make you starving! Pack some convenient comfort foods so you aren’t hangrily wasting meal times. Even if you are more health conscious, this is definitely an appropriate time to splurge. You don’t need the extra stress of hangriness after you have the baby so pack some goodies! Your future self will thank you. 
• Extra clothes and toiletries for hubby – Maybe a book, too, or something you know he would appreciate to pass the time during the hospital stay after the baby comes. And definitely, pack extra snacks for him, too! 

I don’t pack diapers, wipes and other diaper changing necessities or post partum necessities for myself. The hospital always provides plenty of these. In fact, they will probably send you home with some, too. 

Stock up on…

The last thing on my list that I have been working on to prepare for my newborn is stocking up on household necessities. The less things you have to think about after the baby comes the better. 

Unfortunately, homemaking duties will still be present even as you are recovering, but there are things you can do now to make it easier on you and the rest of the household then. 

Basically, the idea here is to minimize dishes and to stock up on anything that you might go through in a month. This will also keep your grocery lists shorter which will help minimize the shopping postpartum. 

The things on my list to stock up on are…

• Paper plates
• Plastic utensils
• Paper napkins
• Diapers – Running out of diapers because I had no idea how many babies went through as a first time mom was a very stressful thing for us with our first. Obviously, we couldn’t have known that ahead of time, but if this isn’t your first newborn season, you may have a decent idea of what size your babies will be in. My babies typically are in newborn diapers for the first 6 weeks at least so I stocked up on two packs of newborn diapers per week for those first 6 weeks. I also got a couple of size 1 because you never know when they will size up. If this is your first and you have no idea what they will be in, grab a couple of newborn and size 1 packs and find good ones to order online .in case you need some in a jiffy. I really like Mama Bear diapers from Amazon. 
• Wipes – You will definitely go through any wipes you stock up on eventually so grab a good bit. Buying them in bulk wouldn’t be a bad idea. I know for my babies, I easily go through a pack of wipes a week so I will definitely be grabbing a lot to at least make it through the first month or so. 
• Toiletries – This is definitely not a necessity to stock up on, but it may help to minimize the chaos if you don’t run out of anything that you use on a regular basis and have to remember to order or pick it up. The less stress the better!
• Household Products – Think toilet paper, pads, hand soap, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, laundry soap, etc. Anything that you might run out of in the first month after having the baby. 
• Pantry Items – Are there any foods that you family enjoy that are also super easy to prepare that you could stock up on? This way you know that you will have options to fall back on. Things like dried and shelf stable goods (pasta, pasta sauce, and rice) or sides and things that accompany meals like sauces or frozen veggies. 

Final Thoughts!

I truly hope this homemaking guide was a help and not overwhelming to you! After going through a few newborn seasons, I really wanted to enjoy this upcoming one as best as I could without being stressed about things that I could have done something about ahead of time.

The newborn season can be chaotic as homemakers when we have our typical responsibilities still asking for our attention alongside the new responsibilities of an adorable life and not to mention recovering ourselves. While we can’t completely minimize all the chaos, there are definitely things we can do in the month or so leading up to the newborn season. 

If you were encouraged or inspired by this post in any way, please PIN IT! so that other homemakers will find it and can be encouraged and inspired, too!