When did you have stuff ready? FTM

[SunnySideUp2020]

So i googled it obviously and can see should be ready between 32 and 35 weeks.
But now i find myself awake at night thinking i am so not ready. Like will come 35 weeks and i will be rushing. But also have the feeling if i am all set at 32 weeks, it could be 2 months before she s here.
We have bought everything mostly but it's piled up boxes and unwashed baby clothes/linens. Nothing at all unpacked.
At the same time i feel stupid doing anything now (28w4) because she s not coming anytime soon.

So just wanted to know when you actually got ready? Your own experience

When did you wash clothes?
Built cot (ours is next2me so will be attached to our bed) ?
Built pram?
Put car seat in place?
Had hospital bag packed?

What would YOU recommend based on experience?

Thank you :)

Following this!! 32 weeks and feeling similarly unprepared although I am quite organised.....hospital bag next job!

Following aswell as intrested to know the answers

Think it's a very personal decision, everyone will be different. With 1st ds I had most things purchased apart from car seat. Nursery was being set up at just before 28 weeks. Baby arrived at 28+1 so didn't have hospital bag sorted. He was in nicu for a long time so only set next 2 me up when we knew he was about to come home. This time I'm 26+4 and have had my bag packed for about a week, I've sorted baby clothes newborn and 0-3 months into draws. Mostly so we know what we need to get. New car seat and breast pump I got fairly early on when on sale. Will set the next2 me up and car seat in car at 36 weeks.
But I wouldn't worry to much things don't take long to set up.
As long as you have the bigger things in storage ready to go that's the main thing at the min as I think covid is delaying delivery of some larger items

Midwife recommended bag packed at 28 weeks as it’s better to be ready. I put the pram together when it came so about 20 weeks 😂 our crib is together just need to set it up properly. I’m 38 weeks now so will be fitting car seat in next few days as it’s one that stays in the car.

We left it quite late 1st time, didn't really buy anything before 30 weeks, mainly because DH is very superstitious. Dd was born at 38 weeks, we were ready but wish I'd got organised a bit earlier. I would make lists and buy everything you need now but I would wait until 34 ish weeks to wash and get everything set up, it doesn't take long really and you don't want things sitting out getting dusty for ages before baby arrives.

First time, nursery painted, all clothes washed everything sorted by 30 weeks at the latest, as I recalls packed bags about 35/36 weeks? Dd arrived 40+5.

This time, in 29 weeks today. We've bought car seat and next to me. But nothing is sorted. We're waiting to move house (offered at 11 weeks! Takes forever!!!) with no end in sight, so don't wait to buy and get everything ready only needing to move it!!

I'm a planner, so have all the amazon lists of what we need (for baby and for hospital bag), but getting nervous about not having even moved let alone set up new house yet!!!!

One way or another, things will be fine!

If you've got the time and space, start doing it now. As you get bigger and crankier (trust me) you'll feel less like doing the heavier stuff and it can quickly feel overwhelming. Do a little bit each week. Then you can rest up for the last couple of weeks and just do gentle stuff like window dress the nursery, knowing you're all ready to roll.

Washed clothes at 35 ish weeks as it was August and I could dry them on the line.
Bag packed apart from the on the day stuff at 34 weeks.
The on the day stuff never got finished packing as when my waters broke I was contracting every 1.5 minutes and didn't give two shits about what was in the bag.
Pram built after baby was born but had it at home from about 28 weeks.
Next to me built whilst I was in hospital by dh once I'd given birth.
Car seat in from 37 weeks.

It’s a personal decision op. We started very slowly at around 16 weeks ordering the big items (nursery furniture etc) and buying bits and bobs such as clothes and toiletries as we went along. The nursery basics were set up at around 22 weeks and the travel set arrived at 35 weeks. I’ve washed all of the baby’s bedding, blankets and clothes this week and will finish adding to the hospital bags too. I’m 36 weeks now and glad I’m pretty much organised as I’m definitely feeling that things are more of an effort now and get tired/out of breath more easily. So I’ll be putting my feet up and relaxing more now until baby arrives. 😊

Whatever you decide is best for you is my advice, but try to be sorted by 35/36 weeks from my experience of the 😴 kicking in! x

I’m 28 weeks and have bought nothing and don’t know what I will be buying either. On top of that we basically need to furnish the whole home first as just surrounded by boxes etc right now. Unfortunately covid has thrown a massive spanner in the works there. I don’t know what we are going to do, just hoping cases in our area will fall in next few weeks and I will make it to a time when I can get people in to do some of work. We are hopeless at DIY and can’t even get people to deliver heavy items upstairs right now.

Arghh!

OMG this is scaring me... I'm 28+3 and a FTM and I have a rough list but haven't even ordered most things yet! Don't have a car seat, crib, buggy, baby clothes... It sounds really stupid writing it down but it hadn't occurred to me I needed to pack stuff for hospital until I read it on here.

Honestly I've been putting off thinking about it because it always felt like I had ages and after 2 losses (early ones thankfully but still playing on my mind) I still don't really believe this baby will arrive healthy. It was awful getting rid of the paperwork and scan photos before. The idea of having to get rid of actual things you've chosen and paid for was a bit much. I need to try to get my head around there being an actual baby!

I'm going to try to do a bit each week as suggested... I'm usually mega organised so this feels out of control!

I’m 30 weeks tomorrow and ftm. We bought travel system in the Black Friday sales and set it all up when it got delivered to check nothing was broken etc. Cot we got given so set that up when we got it home to measure up for furniture. Set wardrobe up as soon as it came. Next2me has been set up to check it all over as well but is just sitting in the nursery out the way for now!

We bought a load of clothes in various sizes from my partners work mate so I washed everything we were keeping and sorted into sizes straight away and got it all away in the wardrobe.

Baby’s hospital bag is packed purely because it’s all just sitting in the nursery not being used but I won’t pack mine until closer to the time! I did make a spreadsheet of everything I would probably need though and an Amazon wish list to keep track of it all.

Ready both times very early (before 30 weeks) just get excited and enjoy doing it. And I was very glad to have the car seat fitted before I got too big for that!

As long as you're a reasonably competent human (and I'm sure you are) you will get things sorted - no need to stress!

I built the Next To Me the day DD was born, and it was fine. That's probably cutting it a bit fine, but really, don't stress.

First time around at 35 weeks and she was born at 37. With my ds I was prepared by 28 weeks as I had dd to look after too and wanted to be prepared. We didn't join the crib up till 37 weeks though with ds.

Thanks everyone for your replies!
So i decided to start washing all the clothes linens towel ans blankets.
Did 2 loads (got a mini washing machine) and 3 to go. Will do the rest next week i think!

Will slowly be getting ready as suggested as it does sound like i won't have that much patience/energy later on 😁

@Mimba1
Don't be scared. You still have plenty of time. I think i am just bored and overthinking this one.
Only thing is do order the big stuff that might take longer to be delivered like pram or furniture.

We got most of our stuff during the black friday sales. I won't lie, i felt like a fraud, i had a miscarriage before this pregnancy and been a bit skeptical that this one would succeed. Even as i removed the tags from clothes today i thought briefly to myself, well if anything happens these will have to stay around. It's mad how miscarriage can traumatise you like this. Most of the time i am super confident especially since last week. But the small thoughts are still here. And will keep coming until the day she is safe and home i guess.

So yeah, take your time. But it does feel weird to prepare when you experienced loss before.
But also helps in a way, forcefully.

@Squellyolwelly
So you have two separate bags for hospital?
Didn't think about that.

Omg dont feel silling just get it ready lol! My first time I was sitting ready by about 30 weeks! Had it packed, unpacked and repacked about 10 times 😂 i loved look at it all swapping bits out for new wee things i got! Enjoy it lol dont even tell people your ready to go if your embarrased!

I know what you mean OP, I have had a late loss before and I feel like I am fooling myself sometimes even thinking about what to buy.

@SunnySideUp2020 I’ve put it all in his changing bag for now but depending on how much room is left in mine when I pack that, I may end up just chucking it all into one! My sister used my holdall when she went in 18 months ago and managed to fit everything she needed in that.
I also had a mmc 10+6 back in April so we didn’t buy anything really until after 20 week scan. All seems to be going well though so far and 30 weeks today.

The one thing I would suggest for baby’s hospital stuff, is to have a few tiny baby bits as well. I’ve packed 3 vests and sleep suits, and the going home outfit in both tiny baby and newborn along with a pack of size 0 and 1 nappies. A lot of people I know with babies or young kids said they took all newborn in and then their partner had to run out and get tiny baby last minute because newborn drowned them! My sister said my niece was in size 0 nappies for at least a couple weeks as well and she was average weight, I think 6ib something

@Squellyolwelly

Ah thanks for letting me know.
I do have two tiny baby sets.
If i order more baby clothes my husband is gonna kill me 😆
But size 0 nappies what weight is it?
I have 4 packs of 3 to 5 kg (huggies elite 1).
Is there something smaller?

@SunnySideUp2020 tbh I only bought 1 pack of vests and sleepsuits tiny baby then if we need more he’ll go and get them, but wanted to be a bit prepared!

www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/301393373 These are the size 0. I just got a pack of 24 of each for hospital. I didn’t want to stock up on one brand in case he has any reaction to any.

@Squellyolwelly
Thanks for the link.
Not in UK, but will try to find equivalent size over here and get a pack of this tiny size.
:)

Ftm here also. I packed hospital bags and started sorting stuff around 33-34wks. Maybe a bit earlier than I would have but wanted to be sorted before Xmas (although in end family didn't come to stay anyway so could have left it). I also had a feeling of not wanting to jinx things by being ready too early. 39 weeks now and still haven't sorted rest of stuff very much. Might try and do some today! I washed the clothes to go in hospital bag but since then I've run out of steam, probably won't bother washing the rest. It all smells fresh / clean and will likely be getting covered in bodily fluids quite quickly once baby is here.

I wouldn't get anything until as late as possible. I'm superstitious and wouldnt even have baby stuff in the house. We got it as late as we could, the month before my due date. All we had at home was what we needed for the hospital, the other few big things we got were at my mums until after the baby was born. Also we only got the bare minimum of what we needed as we didn't want to find out the sex until the birth. All we had before was crib and bedding, car seat, pram and clothes and essentials for hospital. Everything else (bouncy chair, playmat, swing, bath, changing mat and box, toys, clothes and so on) we got after when we knew if we were buying for a boy or a girl.
I'd never set anything up either.
Our baby was not well when he was born and was in NICU for 12 days. Walking out the hospital with an empty car seat was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Then at home going into the bedroom seeing the empty space where the crib should have been was hard enough, if everything (crib, pram, toys, changing stuff, clothes were there set up it would have been even harder.
Plus I hate nurseries anyway, they're not necessary at all imo, so no need to set anything up.

With my first I didn't start getting things sorted until maternity leave. I went on leave at 37 weeks and baby didn't arrive until she was forcibly evicted at 42+2.

I wouldn't start worrying yet you are likely to have plenty of time to get things sorted before she arrives.