Although they may not be the first things to come to mind, these nesting projects can really give you a head start as you prepare for baby’s arrival.
Start a college fund.
You may not be able to set up the account until you have your baby’s social security number, but determining what you’ll be setting up (e.g., a 529 college savings plan, a Coverdell education savings account or a custodial bank account) and with which financial institution (such as your local bank or a large brokerage firm) can make it easier for family members. You can encourage them to start padding your baby’s nest-egg right away, instead of sending physical gifts that might otherwise become clutter.
Refine or create a home office.
You might plan to turn your home office into a nursery, but you still need a command center. Convert a closet, snag a corner of the kitchen or create an “office in a box,” which could be an armoire that you can close up when you are done with paperwork. The armoire has the added benefit of being somewhat baby-proof, at least for a while.
Set up a play room.
You will have one, even if you don’t have one. In other words, at least one of your rooms will suddenly become where your child and her toys hang out. Some families give up a dining room they never use. Some people have to make do with their one and only living room. Even if you have an entire basement devoted to play, young children only play there when you are there, so wherever you spend your time is likely to see a build up of toys. Use dressers, storage cubes, baskets and storage ottomans to help contain the fun and still make it look like adults live there.
Make room in the garage.
You’ll need space for strollers right away!
Purge storage closets.
Are your yearbooks and wedding dress hogging needed real estate? You’ll soon need space to store age-inappropriate gifts, clothes baby has outgrown, extra linens and baby keepsakes. Your living spaces will stay more organized if you clear some space in designated storage cabinets and closets.
Digitize photos to save space.
You may find stacks and boxes of old photos and film in those storage spaces. Don’t struggle trying to do this yourself. You’ll get much better results and get it done more quickly if you outsource digitizing your memories. As a bonus, you’ll get a leg up on tools you can use to keep the memories from baby’s first year organized, and eventually put into memory books. Members of the Association for Personal Photo Organizers can help you with each step. Then you’ll have more time to spend on the things that only you can do, like setting up the baby’s room.
Darla DeMorrow is a Certified Professional Organizer® from Wayne, PA, who also blogs at Heartworkorg.com.
