And so our ambassadorship for Mum & You comes to an end. These six months have flown by in a blink of an eye – and we’ve had such fun collaborating with them.
Just look at her – when was she ever this small?
This month the Mum & You team have asked me to write about preparing for your newborn baby’s arrival. It’s a subject that gives me all the feels, especially as Tabby is likely to be our final bundle of joy… although, I have to admit that I don’t quite feel ‘done’ yet (Nick most certainly is), so we shall see whether the broodiness finally subsides.
I’ve always found preparing for baby to be a great way to sate some of the intense nesting instincts, and I’ve curated a little list below to help you get ready for their arrival:
Start washing baby clothes.
Not only is the laundry pile never-ending once you have children, but this is a lovely activity to see what you’ve bought so far. It’s also really important to wash your baby’s clothes before you use them, as clothes can pick up nasty chemicals and general bits and bobs from the factories they’re made in, which can be harmful to delicate skin.
Stock up on nappies and wipes.
And set up your Mum & You subscription! What I really love about Mum & You is that you can subscribe to the nappies and wipes, so they’re handily delivered to your door once a month (with free delivery for orders over £30)! Also, you can create your own subscription bundle of wipes and nappies, (which carry a discount).
The wipes are incredible: plastic-free, 100% biodegradable and now certified vegan – reducing their impact on the planet.
You can read more about Mum & You nappies here and the wipes here.
Go out for lunch/dinner/spend time with your partner.
This is especially true if you’re about to welcome your first baby into the world! Once your baby has arrived, time together (just the two of you) can be difficult to find – at least for the first 6-12 months. The piece of baby-preparation advice that we tell all our friends who are expecting is “Go out for dinner or lunch together!”
Potter.
Pottering is a completely underrated activity, and a rare one once your baby has arrived. Go into their nursery, move things around, sort through tiny baby clothes and visualise your new baby wearing them. Hang things on walls. Sit and enjoy the room. Enjoy the peace.
Pack your hospital bag.
Whether you’re planning a home birth or a hospital birth, you will need to pack a hospital bag. My home birth hospital bag was always more of a ‘grab bag’ rather than the first hospital bag I packed for Busby’s birth, which contained everything but the kitchen sink…
One of my ‘must-have’ hospital bag/postpartum items are huge cotton granny pants – at least a few sizes bigger than you are, to accommodate numerous maternity pads. The ultimate comfort wear, and something you’ll still find yourself wearing for every single period six years later.
Also you’ll need to prepare your baby’s first outfit to pack in the bag, which is always such a lovely thing to plan!
Rest.
If this is your first baby, make the most of the peace and try to rest as much as possible. Lie in bed with a book, spend the day on the sofa binge-watching boxsets, plug into your hypnobirthing tracks and relax.
If this is not your first baby, take advantage of friends/family who may offering to help and see whether they can look after your other child(ren) for a couple of hours while you grab a nap.
To find out more about subscription options and offers, and the entire range, pop on over to the Mum & You website. You can find all of my past Mum & You posts here.
