How prepared are you?

[dlwelly]

I'm currently 34 + 3 and don't feel very prepared for baby.

How far gone are you and what stage are you at in terms of washing clothes, packing a hospital bag, putting crib and pram up etc.

Please make me feel better! We've bought some baby things but it's dawning on me that we're only 2.5 weeks away from baby being full term!

First timer here obviously!!

[Gillian1980]

I'm 36+5 and everything is ready - elcs is booked for next week.

I've had cot up for about 3 weeks (so I could get furniture how I wanted), bought pram etc at about 14 weeks as it was on offer, finished washing everything last week. Bags packed completely last weekend.

I'd feel a little anxious leaving it all too late in case the baby arrived early! But hopefully all will be fine and as long as you have the absolute basics ready then it's ok - all the extras can be sorted later.

[CherryGarcia1]

Hi, realistically you can do everything in one day with a little help! Don't panic. Everyone is different and your baby could be 2 weeks overdue so you could have a full month to prepare. You'll be grand ww

I'm 18 weeks, 3rd DC and bit more relaxed this time.

[Cornberry]

I'm 36 weeks and have everything pretty much ready except cot is being delivered a week before due date. I was concerned about being too exhausted to do much towards the end so I got pram and essentials around 30 weeks and I'm exhausted now so I'm grateful it's done. I'm hoping that the nesting thing will kick in soon so I get the energy to clean the flat! You can get it all done in a couple of days I reckon. Just write a list and work through it. There's a sale on at mothercare at the moment so you could take advantage of that and order some bits online? Buying the pram and car seat were the most stressful. The rest is just a trip to boots really :)

[mummyneedinganswers]

I'm 22 weeks first baby and everything is ready her rooms all up and pram all up. Although haven't dine hospital bag as only 22 weeks lol x

[newtonupontheheath]

37 + 5 here. Last day at work tomorrow

DC3 so we have loads of stuff. Unisex stuff is washed, away in a drawer. Bin bags of boy/girl things hidden in a wardrobe and will be washed/put back in loft once baby here.

Moses basket and crib still need putting up. Bedding needs an iron, but has been washed.

Whole house needs cleaning. I've figured 9 rooms/cupboards and one per day = 9 days. That's the plan

I also have 2 DC to look after, the inlaws round this weekend, seaside for my birthday on Sunday then a funeral to attend next week!

So, to summarise... I'm not very sorted and I'll be buggered if this baby turns up early

[mrschatty]

I'm v organised...This is due to a frugal DH
Massive mothercare sale means I have travel system cotbed drawer - unit swinging crib matresses and the nursery all cleared out. Nothing is put together all still in boxes...no rush I'm only 15+3....
DH didn't want to see the prices rise and pay more just because it's 'too early' gotta love him...

[Topsy34]

I bought a carry cot on ebay and we still have ds crib and buggy chassis.

Erm......yeah thats it. 24 weeks now. We are having a homebirth so no bag packing or urgent car seat buying here

Ah well, its just a trip to sainsburys for a few baby gros.

[dlwelly]

Maybe a bit behind some of you but reassuring to hear you can do it in a day or two!

Finish work in 2 weeks so will hopefully have a couple of weeks to get everything together a bit at a time so I'm not too exhausted!

[Siesta]

I'm 30+4 and haven't sorted much yet. I've got a cot, pram and some clothes which were all given to me. What I really miss is Boots! There isn't one where I live (Spain), so I will have to shop around and try and find all the things that I know I could buy there!

I'm going on holiday for a week next week and plan to get orginised after that. I should have plenty of time.

[dinodiva]

32+5 and still loads to do. We need to get a cot, a Moses basket, I need to look at the clothes I have and work out what I haven't got, I have none of the consumables sort of stuff yet...the list goes on.

We also need to buy a new car before we can get a car seat (car on last legs). In my defence for being so behind, we had building work on our house that only finished a week ago, so there wasn't much point doing stuff until that was done.

I'm going part time at work from next week so plan to start abusing the credit card!

[pinkie87]

36 weeks tomorrow, and hospital bag is....half packed I would say. It doesn't seem real really! Seems like it's far off in the distance, when in reality, I suppose it could be any day.

I'm waiting until I finish work (tomorrow) before getting down to things properly. Got a lot of clothes to wash, batch cooking to do, back to pack and nursery to sort (it's almost done, just finishing touches).

[Lolababy00]

Nearly 34 weeks .. Bought bits to go in hospital bag but not yet packed them, baby clothes still in loft so not yet sorted and washed them, crib in loft too. OH converting one large room into two smaller rooms so we can all fit in and that's no where near finished..... So really not prepared or ready !!!!

[Clairejessica123]

I'm almost 26 week. Got a few outfits as presents and a few packs of wipes etc that I've brought when on offer, pram arrived yesterday but that's pretty much it so far

[frazzledtofun]

I'm 27 weeks and am a bit superstitious about getting things ready too early. I figure if the baby came now she would be in NICU for months before she came home.

So I have not done anything at all and don't intend to until I'm about 30 weeks - then will look at buying a car seat and a few new babygros. That said, I already have a load of stuff from DD1 so it will mostly be a case of gathering her old baby clothes from storage and washing them etc which I will do once I reach full term. Last time we didn't buy a cot until DD was 3 months old as she slept in her Moses basket at first and we didn't get her wardrobe or changing table : chest of drawers until I was 38 weeks and she arrived at 39. To be honest, you can get by with relatively little at first anyway!

[AbbeyRoadCrossing]

I'm 27 weeks and hospital bag nearly done - I have a few bits to buy but have enough in there in case I have to go in on bed rest etc. Still got to get Moses basket and double buggy but more or less sorted.
The reason for this organisation is from being in with DS at 35 weeks - I was going to buy everything / pack bag etc on maternity leave. Lesson learnt! Although people bring you stuff and the shops are still open so we did manage.

[ARV1981]

33+4 here... bags packed and by the door. Just need to add my toothbrush when it all happens (I really hope this doesn't get forgotten).

The pram and car seat are arriving tomorrow(!) I'm stupidly excited about that!

The cot arrived Tuesday, but is still in it's box.

The baby's room is still a mess (though I'm being quite relaxed about this as I figure we have a while to sort it as the baby will sleep in with us for the first 6 months or so).

Nappies, clothes and bedding all washed and put away (except the two cot sheets that arrived this morning - they're in the washing machine right now!).

I just need the nesting instinct to kick in so I can muster the inclination to clean the house. God knows it needs it!!!

Got a professional diploma to complete (panicking a bit tbh). And friends invited themselves round for a bbq on Saturday... the original arrangement was we were going to theirs, but it's somehow changed to them coming to us!!! No worries, just hope the weather improves .

Not long to go now!!!

[GoooRooo]

31 + 3. I'm pretty much prepared now. Hospital bag packed last week and all the baby clothes sorted through. Nursery decorated. all the baby bits bought except a buggy board for DS. Just need to get the travel system out of the loft and give it a wash.

Also plan to do some batch cooking later this month but haven't got around to buying the foil trays yet.

The house is a pit and needs cleaning top to bottom so that's my plan for this weekend.

[cherryade8]

I'm due in three days time and,haven't set up the cot or pram yet have been busy with dc, so will finish this weekend. Worst case scenario it can be set up whilst I'm in hospital. I have washed most of the baby clothes though.

[ACatCalledFang]

37 + 3, and we're mostly sorted now. Had the pushchair, car seat and crib delivered at the weekend, to add to the cot bed and changing table. As of last night, I have a hospital bag rather than a hospital pile-on-the-floor.

Apart from starting to buy clothes on eBay after my 20 week scan, we did very little actual buying (though we tried out pushchair and I did a fair bit of browsing online) until 32 weeks, when I went into Just Do It mode and ordered all the essentials, as well as washing like a woman possessed.

Have been quite relaxed as its my first baby and have convinced myself he'll be late or on time rather than early. Now on maternity leave so just plan to do some sorting and batch cooking. Getting a bit real now!

[batfish]

I'm 30+4 and feel like I'm half organised - baby's room decorated and we are getting the cot on Saturday as there is a sale starting. Drawers built, no feeding chair yet. We don't have loads of clothes but my friends are throwing me a baby shower in 2 weeks (cringe) so will see what gifts I get and then buy the rest after. Hospital bag not even thought about yet and no clothes washed. A friend has promised us her bedside crib as she is planning to move her baby into her own room in the next few weeks but I don't want to push her about that so I guess if that wasn't available we would need to get one.

[GailTheFish]

34 weeks here and woefully unprepared - have ordered a buggy and car seat, and have bought a few sleep suits but that's about it. We're moving house when I'll be 37 weeks so am relying on this baby being late!

[batfish]

Oh forgot to say we have pram etc but still in boxes, will probably put that together in a couple of weeks just to make sure it isn't missing any screws or anything! Car seat about to get on a boat from the UK which will take a month to get to us - we live in the UAE and have shipped a load of stuff that we left behind in the UK 6 years ago so we bought one there to put in with it.

[stupidgirl45]

Am 15wks and have done nothing - plan to use all stuff from DS - which is mostly in storage so I'll start sorting that about 28wks or so.

DItto clothes - until I find out gender in 5 weeks, may not need to buy much/anything,.

I would do your hospital bag as er, we didn't and it ended up getting packed about 7 hours before DS arrived (early) when I was in labour at home. So this time I figure I'll have it packed by 37 weeks just in case.

I need to buy new mattresses for the moses basket and bednest but will do those later on.

My nesting instinct didn't kick in fully til I went on mat leave and then i went a bit bonkers!

Good luck and don't stress too much about it - like most people say, it can be done pretty fast and babies don't need much beyond nappies, wipes and some clothes in the early days - with next day delivery on most things, it's pretty easy

Don't forget to rest up too

[Hophop987]

39+4 and still haven't packed my bag... I have a list of what needs to go in it though! promised myself to pack it this weekend

[LilacWine7]

33 weeks and not very prepared yet!

Keep meaning to pack hospital bag etc.

We've ordered a travel system (including car-seat and pram) and have lots of baby clothes (mostly gifts from relatives) and I've bought a few toys and few packs of muslins. Haven't started washing anything yet. Oh and I bought a blanket! And a Gro-Egg.

We still need to get a cot, bedding, baby-bath, nappies, wipes, breast-pump, steriliser, dummies, baby-monitor, breathing-sensor, bouncer etc... I get panicky just thinking of all the things we haven't got yet!