5 things to do before your new baby arrives

As a new parent absolutely nothing can prepare you for the whirlwind that's about to hit, you can read all the books and take all the advice you can but there's just no way of knowing what it will actually be like. Second time around you'll have more of an idea but you still forget certain things. (It's why we have more children).

Below are the things (that in my opinion) you need to do before your new baby arrives to make your life slightly easier.

1. Batch cook! I cannot stress how important this is! with a new baby in tow you wont have time, energy or motivation to cook decent meals. You need a good meal to keep your energy up and getting a pre cooked, nutritional meal out of the freezer and popping it in the microwave doesn't require much effort. Before Reuben was born I had 10 days worth of evening meals prepared in the freezer for my husband and I and it was a saviour. It helped us to adjust to parenthood and still eat quite well opposed to reaching for crap.

2. Stock up your cupboards! It may sound obvious but make sure your cupboards are stocked up with toiletries, tinned food, cereal bars, snacks etc. You wont want to be going out doing a big shop straight away so if you have it in that removes a little stress. In the early days I would be trapped feeding Reuben for hours so i'd eat a cereal bar or something easy like that.

3. Install the car seat! Make sure you've had a practice at installing and using your car seat correctly. Whilst I was in hospital another couple spent a good 10 minutes trying to work out how to strap their new baby in. If you've done this prior you will fee more comfortable and save some time/worry.

4. Be prepared! Make sure you're stocked up on pain killers and i'd also recommend having some pure tea tree oil in. If you end up having stitches chances are you'll have a bit of pain. One thing that really helped me (recommended by the midwife) was to have a bath with a few drops of pure tea tree oil daily. Tea tree oil is naturally antiseptic so it helps to prevent any infections.

5. Rest! This may sound silly but once your baby is here you wont have much chance to rest so make the most of this time. Chill out, read a book, watch a box set, have a nap or a lie in. Make the most of your last few days of freedom because you most likely wont get the chance again for quite some time.

Having a new baby is both wonderful and exhausting. The days all roll in to one and you some how muddle your way through until you fall in to some sort of routine. Being prepared before your baby arrives can only help not hinder therefore it's 100% worth while.

What would your must do thing be?