Nesting – Getting Your House Ready For a Baby

As I start my third trimester that nesting feeling is starting to kick in. Everything I’ve read has said to make life easier and have your house in tip top condition before baby gets here so that you’re not stressing about house work when you should be putting all your time into you new little person (and trying to cope with the inevitable sleep deprivation!) I’ve teamed up with AO to show you some of the ways we’re getting ready for Squish’s arrival.

We’ve had a lot of washing machine issues over the past few months and it’s been causing me a lot of anxiety. Having a washing machine in full working order was top priority for me, to prewash the tonne of baby clothes I keep buying and with the inevitable baby accidents, I’ll be washing baby grows, vests and muslins non stop when Squish arrives so AO kindly treat us to the Miele W1 Twindos washing machine. This super smart WIFI ENABLED?! washing machine decides how much detergent you need dependant on the load so there’s no more guessing how much to put in and using twice as much as you actually needed! This will hopefully save us money in the long run leaving more money to treat Squish to adorable outfits. The wifi function is also something I didn’t realise I was missing in a washing machine! You can load your washing machine up and then set it and choose the time for your programme to start from your phone. I think this is going to be the most handy function when Squish gets here, I won’t have to worry about waking the baby or disturbing a feed to turn a load of washing on, I can just use my phone and voila! It also sends a notification to your phone when your wash is finished which is super handy as I’m sure with the baby brain and sleep deprivation I’ll forget I even put a load of washing in!

Another big thing on my mind with Squish on the way is cleanliness. Obviously we clean our house all the time but with a baby on the way who’ll need to be set on the floor for tummy time etc I want my floors to be immaculate. The Bissell Crosswave vacuum and floor cleaner has become my new favourite toy! It’s super easy to use and leaves your floors squeaky clean. You add hot tap water and detergent to the little container at the front, turn the machine on and you’re ready to go. As this machine has a built in vacuum you don’t need to brush before starting which is very handy when you’re in a rush. It has settings for both wooden/tiled floors and for rugs and carpeted areas too. To switch between vacuum and washing mode you just hold in a little trigger. When you’re finished cleaning you can go back over the floor with the vacuum function which sucks all the water up leaving your floors clean, dry and ready for use again! Honestly this is any mummy’s dream house product!

We also got a new Dyson Animal 2 Big Ball Vacuum cleaner. We originally had an upright Dyson but I’ve been really struggling to lug it around the house, particularly up the stairs as it’s so bulky. This ball vacuum cleaner makes life so much easier! I’ll be able to vacuum all through my pregnancy no bother at all and when Squish arrives I can pop him or her in a sling and get on with my house work. A lot of friends have said their babies loved being in a sling when they were vacuuming as the rocking and constant noise put their little ones straight to sleep! Tim’s super impressed with the vacuum, he happily went out and vacuumed both cars out when this arrived and found it super easy to do with the long hose and different attachments and anything that encourages him to clean out the cars is a big win for me!

As well as getting the house clean and tidy, here’s a few other things I’ll be doing to prepare for Squish’s arrival –

Precooking and freezing meals

Especially in the early days I imagine cooking anything substantial will be a real chore. It’ll be so important for me to eat right though to keep my energy up and to help my milk supply. I plan to precook lots of healthy, balanced meals that I can freeze and then easily pop in the oven to reheat.

Tesco online food shop

We normally get a Tesco food shop delivered once a week but a few weeks before Squish arrives I plan to do a massive shop to stock up on all my cupboard essentials and dried and tinned foods that will keep. Alongside food items I’ll also be stocking up on household essentials like bathroom cleaner and toilet roll as well as nappies and baby wipes.

Decluttering the house

I also plan to have a big clear out once my maternity leave starts. I have a lot of unnecessary stuff that I could do with clearing out and with the amount of baby stuff we’ve been acquiring we’ll need all the space we can get!

How did you prepare for your little one’s arrival? Do you have any top tips and things that helped you adjust to motherhood in those first few weeks? I’d love to hear them! Don’t forget to check out AO for all your home products!