When will you have everything ready for the baby?

[Happilymarried155]

Hi,
Currently 23 weeks with my first after a long journey to get here, I also have a low lying placenta which whilst it could move it may not and have been warned about bleeding etc. I'm trying to be super organised as I don't want to be stressed out at any point and with Christmas in the middle I just want to enjoy it all.
I've got most things now or if they haven't been bought I know which I'm getting (ie pushchair etc..) still need to decorate nursery, do hospital bag, wash clothes and there's still lots of bits and pieces I need to get, car seat, bath stuff etc..I'm hoping to be ready by 28-30 weeks. Is that too early? I wanted to enjoy Christmas and as I'm planning on working as close to my due date as possible it seemed wise to be prepared. I'm also in the middle of a degree so have that to do as well!

A couple of family members have made comments that I'm being too organised, buying too soon and I will want stuff to do at the end etc... So was just curios to how prepared others were, especially with there first when you have more time!! X

No it's not to early I was early ready with my first, id say by 30 weeks I had everything and set it all up around 36 weeks.

I'm so unorganised this time it's unreal crib and pram (got delivered Wednesday at 38 weeks) are up but having an ELCS on Wednesday and bag still half packed, clothes to wash I'm going to do it today x

I'm 35 weeks with my third and am mostly ready, I got most stuff this week just need to buy nappies and maternity pads now.
I've washed the clothes but not setting anything up, I'm having a home birth so dp is going to set up the pram, baby's bed and bouncer chair whilst I'm in labour to keep him busy and out of my way
With my first I was probably completely ready by 30ish weeks, but I'm busier this time. Dc1s birthday is 10 days before my due date which is worrying me a bit but am nearly ready for that too now.

Oh and at the end you won't want to do anything! I can barely move now and am not sleeping, obviously I've still got to carry on as normal for the older dc but it's killing me off.
Much better to be organised and ready so you can relax when you're huge.

Thanks everyone! That's what I thought! I want to spend the last weeks of my pregnancy, lazing around watching films and meeting my friends for coffee and cake! X

Could I just add that whatever you buy being ready isn't always about things you have sometimes it's a state of mind about being able to manage.

The shops are open the day you have the baby usually

Im 38 weeks and had everything ready by 32 weeks. Im glad as am now 38 weeks and hurt everywhere. All the time.

I'm 28+3 and we have the snuzpod ready to go in our room, the nursery is pretty much ready and all the furniture (apart from the wardrobe which arrives in 2 weeks) is ready for action. If baby arrived early we have all the stuff we need. Haven't started my hospital bag yet though!

I am 23+5 :-)

Last night we built her cotbed and were totally emotional about it.

I have miscarried loads and before our little girl I never bought a thing. This time I was in such shock as had given up hope I went out and bought all the newborn clothes I could get my hands on before I was 6 weeks. At 10 weeks I went mad and started buying girls clothes even though I didn't know yet.

Since 20 weeks I have bought everything from the cotbed, bouncer, bottles, nappy bin- to everything inbetween. She's fully dressed up to one year!!!! My bugaboo is the only thing left to arrive- so in comparison to me you have been very restrained.

When my Mum told me off for buying too soon, I said if we lost this baby too, a couple of grand spent on baby stuff would be the least of our worries. I think being positive and preparing for her arrival has really helped me emotionally as I'm nearly too scared to bond with her in case I never get to be her mum. Everything that somes reminds me that this can happen and I'm willing to invest in that belieft in anyway I can. This is the last baby we can try for as medically I have been told no more :-(

So basically it's totally up to you, it's your dreams and your hopes here and people should let you do as you need too.

With my first I wasn't able to start preparing until 37weeks! We had 5 different addresses during my pregnancy - circumstances (needed to relocate for DHs work) and finding a buyer for our house who was willing to pay high asking price, despite credit crunch, so we moved out early preg but hadn't bought/moved into our new house until 37weeks. We couldn't really be prepared, we had nowhere to keep anything. On my due date I was still building flat pack furniture! Luckily I was overdue.

This time I'd like things sorted by Xmas (due 16th Feb) but its going to be hard, I've got PGP and can barely move as it is, plus weve got to totally rearrange the house (3 storey house and I want to rearrange what room is what, including that my DS will have to move down a floor, so baby will have nursery on top floor with us and I don't want DS to associate this with baby, so want it done sooner rather than later).

Sort it when you feel ready and ignore others. Its whatever is right for you.

I'm 21 weeks. I got the pram/travel set and some clothes at a second hand fair last weekend -hadn't planned to but the pram was so great (and cheap)! My dad keeps asking to buy us something so I'm going to ask him for a snuzpod/bednest/next to me or similar (just need to decide).

I've shifted all my books out of the nursery and put up shelves in the living room. Slowly working my way through the rest of the stuff stored in there and putting it in different places or getting rid of it. Will be leaving the spare bed in there though until baby is ready to move in as it'll be good when our parents are visiting.

Not planning to decorate the room much as it is in a good plain state. Will make new curtains and get a lampshade and some wall stickers and rug to brighten it up.

When I've got the room sorted I'll feel more comfortable getting more stuff as I need somewhere to store it all. Now seems a good time to start buying as I feel comfortable about the baby's health and I've still got lots of time to get things so not rushing and buying things that I'll then change my mind on and can get at the best prices.

Also I wish I'd got all the stuff cleared out of the room earlier as some of the boxes are too heavy for me. I can still just about fit under the bed but poor baby gets a bit squashed and I was worried yesterday I'd be stuck under there so won't be doing that again.

I'm 21+4 and have got most things now, I hadn't planned to but have picked things up when I have seen them heavily reduced, can't afford to spend loads! This is DC3 but we needed the big things like car seat and pram as had given them away. I have the pram, car seat and crib and some neutral clothes and blankets. All I need now is a changing bag, sling and my hospital bag stuff, I think I will leave those until January and concentrate on Christmas now.

Im 26 weeks with first baby. So far have only got a Moses basket and brought a few clothes once we found out it's a girl and got excited. I felt a bit silly buying then with barely a bump but after reading this I think it's ok for me to go and set up nursery! I'm can't wait to buy stuff, just think I'm a little bit superstitious about having baby stuff and no baby. But you are so right Meirasa, if the worst did happen it won't make a difference anyway.

I'm 38 weeks and everything takes me a bit longer, I can't lift really heavy stuff and I can't get really low down to the floor. (I'm certainly not in constant pain though, so don't worry too much about that happening!!) So my advice would be to get the bigger, heavier, lower down stuff sorted first! However, I don't think you can be too prepared over-all. I've have a very very long list of things to do and buy and have been gradually ticking stuff off the list since 20 weeks. This, if nothing else, helped us to budget and spread the cost. However, I struggled to really get the headspace to finalise things till I started maternity leave 2 weeks ago. I'm 38 weeks now and whilst there are still lots of things on the list everything I really wanted to get done and bought has been sorted (lots done today actually!). Last week I was feeling quite stressed because I was technically full term but some things weren't ready yet.

So yeah, make a list now. Prioritise it. And then gradually work your way through.

Remember, some things aren't totally necessary even for the first 6 months of the babys life so that gives you some room to breathe. But if you're like me, you'll want to be ready for that anyway.

Having just completely finished the nursery today I can say it does feel like a great achievement. Everything else on the list is a bonus now. (But then I only have 2 weeks left!!)

Ah. I'm a little different from you ladies - I'm 32 weeks and have a few soft toys, two swaddle muslins, a few baby grows and some tiny socks. I've been able to avoid maternity clothes but wearing my fat clothes.

I'm finishing my degree before popping date, moving house and hoping to change cars. Apart from the hospital bag, a cot and a car seat I can't see that we'll need anything else before the baby comes

I'm 37 weeks with DC2, and don't have everything ready. In the past week I have packed a bag and washed some baby clothes. We have the Moses basket, but no mattress yet. It has been ordered but our Moses basket is not standard size so have to wait for online delivery. Our bedroom still isn't clean and tidy enough to fit baby things in. We don't have enough drawer space for baby clothes. I really wanted DD's new room to be done before baby is born so she doesn't feel like it is 'stealing' her room, but DH hasn't even started decorating it. We don't have enough time left!

I'm 23w and have got totally zero things ready. I'm doing loads of research and working out what we've got to rearrange in the house, but we're not planning on buying anything til Dec earliest, possibly even Jan!

Am I doing it all wrong?!?

I feel slightly better now. 36+2 and we've just finished decorating the nursery today. Furniture is in boxes around the house and we'll start assembling it tomorrow once DH is home from work. Only thing not in the house is the pram which DM has bought so she's getting it delivered to hers.

That's great, thanks everyone! Most people seem to have got things ready by around 30 weeks with there first so it seems I'm not as strange as they are making out! Just don't want to be caught out with an early baby and although I've had a really good pregnant so far this may not continue so want to have the opportunity to relax at the end. I shall carry on with my prep then!!! Thanks everyone and good luck x

With a lot going on I think you do right to get prepared now whilst you feel up to it, and can do a bit at a time to fit it in. And sod anyone else if they think your being rather early about it!

With our first I insisted DH take me to hospital at 4am one morning because the baby wasn't moving, I was 32 weeks ish I think. Of course everything turned out fine but it made us think about the fact we hadn't got hospital bag packed, or stuff washed etc. so if anything had been wrong we weren't entirely prepared, although key 'stuff' (pram, car seat, moses basket, and sacks full of hand me down clothes) we're in the house, just not set up. Think it was the hospital bag that got me. So then we got ready! Mind you, house fire at 38 weeks rather un did all that and we had a fair bit of replacing to do in the last couple of weeks. Number 2 I think we packed hospital bag and got stuff out and ready around 34 weeks on the basis of 'isnt this about the time I made you dash to hospital last time and we decided then to get everything ready?'. I'm 21 weeks with number 3 now and occasionally remember I'm pregnant, reality of another baby I think is still to hit! Goodness knows when we'll find time to prepare, still, we have a while yet.

With my fists things were ready by about 35 weeks. With this one I am 26 weeks and about halfway there trying to buy things as I go along so there is no big expenses plus I want DS to get used to having baby things in the house so it doesn't all arrive at once.
I did have a friend though who had the buggy, cot etc set up at 8 weeks which I though was a tad early more due to walking into it for the next 38 weeks than anything else !

My parents have bought our travel system (pram/buggy, car seat, changing bag) so that will be delivered on 2nd February.

In-laws have ordered our cot-bed, will also be delivered 2nd February.

My mother in law has gone daft buying, she has bought all our bottles, steriliser etc and a load of nappies and clothes.

My mum has bought a load of clothes and nappies.

We move into our new 2 bed flat on 28th October, so have wardrobes etc to buy for nursery and decorate it.

We have bought two new 5 door family friendly cars.

Hoping to have everything completely sorted and ready to go by the time the pram and cot bed is delivered.

I'm 19w, 2d, due to have a section on 2nd March.

I'm 33 weeks pregnant with dc2. I need to get all of DS's baby stuff out of our outside storage cupboard and re-wash everything.

I also need to buy some basic baby things e.g. nappies, cotton wool, wipes, formula, bottle teats, bibs, muslin clothes and a new mattress for the Moses basket. I also need to buy myself some maternity pads and breast pads. I think one trip to Mothercare and one trip to the supermarket and we will be sorted!

I just need to carry on with organising our flat. I've been through DS's drawers and got two bags of clothes to be stored away, just need to go through his toys and pull out stuff that's suitable for the baby to play with.

I've been through our bedroom cupboard and tidied that up. Next job is to tidy up our wardrobe.

I also want to tidy up under the kitchen sink and make a list of anything to stock up on e.g. washing up liquid.

I'm just trying to do a little bit each day as I get tired very easily!