My Home & Baby Checklists as We Prepare for our Third Baby

This will be the THIRD baby we’re bringing into our home (it feels so surreal!). And some would say I’m a ‘pro’ by now lol..  Let’s just say I’ve learned a lot over the last 4 years about what our family needs for babies / toddlers. That of course came with mistakes made along the way; products or processes that were a fail or did not work well for us. For this baby, I’m feeling pretty confident about all the prep I’m doing!

Now that I’m on maternity leave and waiting for the baby to arrive, I’m in full-on nesting mode to prepare our home and life for our soon-to-be family of 5 :-).

 

I wanted to share in this post some of my checklists as a reference for other mothers-to-be!  I live by lists to stay organized and on top of all life things.  I know how overwhelming baby preparation can feel and I hope this helps you get organized and feel ready for your new bundle like it has for me!

I’ve organized this post into three different check lists:

1. Baby Prep: things that need to be done before baby arrives to care for the baby (and for yourself)
2. Home Nesting: things that are *ideally* done before baby arrives to have a clean & organized home. I’m type A and know I will feel great with my home feeling like a fresh slate before baby’s arrival (because there won’t be much time after baby comes..). BUT, I’ll preface that these are not necessary, and you might not have time to get to them. These are simply nice-to-haves.
3. Hospital Bag Packing: one of the baby prep items is packing your hospital bag!  this checklist is for the things I plan to pack for the hospital going into this for the third time..

 

1. Baby Prep

• Install car seat – we recently went to a county event where a certified car seat professional helped us install our 3 car seats, it was way more complicated than 1!  We have 2x Graco SlimFit LX and 1x UppaBaby Mesa infant seat in our second row.
• Setup bassinet and other baby gear (such as swings). We just bought & setup this bedside bassinet and it is leagues better than our old one!
• Prep postnatal care kit – peri bottles, pads, Tucks, etc.. See my pregnancy/postpartum Amazon list for what I used.
• Setup pediatrician visit – select a pediatrician and check their availability. Mine comes right to the hospital for the first check up.
• Wash: baby clothes, car seat, bedding, swaddles, swings, boppy pillow, burp cloths/bibs. My favorite baby laundry detergent to use is Molly Suds unscented.
• Sterilize: bottles, pacifiers, breast pump
• Check baby meds: clean out anything expired, make sure I have rectal thermometer, infants Genexa/Tylenol and other baby first aid needs. I got this toiletry bag to organize all our baby meds/ first aid items and easily see them in emergency.
• Setup nursery: organize clothes/blankets, crib, changing table, etc…  see this blog post on Rome’s nursery that I just refreshed for baby 3!
• Prep newborn bath supplies – towels, wash cloths, lotions, baby wash, and a baby bath support (we use this one). Make sure they’re all handy in your bathroom.
• Setup newborn cart with diapering/nursing supplies (above picture!) – this is my first time having a ‘newborn cart’ but I see them all over social media and they look SO handy to be able to travel around your home with the newborn / nursing supplies without having to carry everything from room to room.  I got this cart from Amazon and stocked up with diapers, wipes, creams, pump supplies, burp cloths, extra onesies and swaddle blankets for overnight changes, water bottle/ snacks, and my own care items…
• Replace air purifier filter, dust fan – making sure the air is clean in the baby’s place of sleep is so important!  dust off your fan/ surfaces and invest in an air purifier.  I just reordered a fresh filter for my Air Doctor, they are top of the line and having a Summer on Summer sale going on now!
• Finalize birth plan – so good to have a plan to share with your OB / birthing practice so you know you’re on the same page going into what will be a crazy day.  I used The Gentle Nursery’s template as a starting point.
• Pack hospital bag – see my checklist below!
• Prep freezer meals – so handy to have a ‘meal plan’ for the crazy first couple weeks home. We like to order catered trays of baked ziti, chicken parm, etc. and freeze them. Much less $ to do than order UberEats for every meal..
• Book a newborn photographer – not a necessity, but we did get a photographer after Rome was born and I’ll cherish those photos forever! I plan to do an in-home newborn/ family session for baby #3.

 

   

2. Home Nesting

Again, these to do’s are not a necessity but feels good to have done before baby arrives for a blank slate. Third trimester always gets me in nesting mode 🙂

• Clean out & organize closets: linens, clothes (mine & kids)
• Donate unneeded kids clothes & toys
• Organize family & kids paperwork / memories
• Finish nursery – keep in mind, most times the baby sleeps in your bedroom / bedside for the first few months anyway..
• Clear out & organize basement / pantry / garage
• Sell unneeded furniture & decor
• Clear out & organize kitchen / dining cabinets
• Clear out & organize main bathroom
• Deep clean under couches, beds and other big furniture

 

3. Packing the Hospital Bag

I wrote this blog post back in 2021 on what I packed in my hospital bag for Saylor and updated it after the hospital stay for what I actually used!:  What I packed in my Hospital Bag.

I referenced it to create the updated list below, plus some of your feedback in Instagram stories!  Here is what I plan to pack:

For mom:

• Button-down pajama set in black for healing & nursing reasons
• Maternity Robe
• Going home outfit – I chose a black / loose ribbed dress
• Slippers – the hospital gave me non-slip socks, but it was nice to have my own. The ones I used linked here double as both slippers & a shower sandal!
• Shower Sandal
• Nursing Bras – This is BY FAR the best nursing bra I’ve ever had. I bought three and wear during pregnancy / postpartum. They’re so comfortable and supportive!
• Breast Pump + accessories (I use Baby Buddha for it’s power, small size and portability)
• Makeup bag, chapstick – to touch up for first family photos
• Hairbrush and hair ties
• Body wash, shampoo, conditioner – feels so good to have your first shower, nice to have your own supplies!
• Shower towel – hospital towel I remember being paper thin. Again, feels good to have your own / be comfortable.
• Toothpaste & toothbrush
• Disposable contacts and eyeglasses
• Drivers license and insurance card 
• Extra-long phone charger cord – outlets tend to be far from your bed
• Blanket & Pillow – hospital provides but thin, good to be as comfortable as possible
• Boppy Pillow – helps with first breast feeds
• Snacks – KIND bars, pretzels and my favorite candy
• Extra empty bags – to take home hospital supplies
• Mini fan to cool off during labor
• All postpartum care items (pads, peribottle, etc.) are provided by the hospital (I’ve had a good experience with my hospital here, but can’t speak for all!) The rest of my “postpartum care kit” I kept home – you can see the items in there in my Amazon shop. 

For Baby:

• Two going home outfits (in size newborn and 0-3 months just in case)
• Swaddle blankets
• Sterilized pacifier
• Name tag or other first photo accessories
• Headbands / bows (for girls)

 

 

And that’s it!

I hope these checklists are helpful for you.  I like to keep them in my “Notes” app on my iPhone and literally check them off.  Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!