There are so many decisions to make before baby arrives. Once you find out you are pregnant, you will want to consider some big things and some small things.
First of all, do you have space for a baby? Will you need to move or can you accommodate where you are? Hint: they don’t need too much space.
Then again, there are so many factors to consider when you’re about to have a baby. Take some time to think about what your life will look like, as best as you can imagine.
Then be prepared to make some big decisions before you have your baby. Here are some good questions to ask yourself before baby, and how we answered them for ourselves.
So far the Mr. and I are pretty chillaxed about the baby thing. Somehow my feeling better now, combined with an exciting semester coming up has left us mostly relaxed about the whole thing.
But since we have just under 6 months to prepare, we’ve been slowly tackling task by task. Probably the most daunting thing is that M will be starting another semester when the baby is due. So we want to be ready and not stressed during the 8th/9th month when M will have finals.
Skip ahead!
Big Decisions Before Baby
When thinking through things, we had to make a bunch of real decisions. We started with the biggest ones: where to live.
BIG DECISION no. 1- we’re not going to move.
We really love our little casita here, and its location in town. While we may re-visit this at a later point, for the time being, we’re going to play around with furniture and make it work in the space we have.
BIG DECISION no. 2- get a second car.
M has to go to clinic that’s basically in the ghetto. And next year he’s going to be in the hospital (that’s also out of town), all day, every day. So we got him a car, perfectly suited for driving around town:
Diapers
I came across the notion of cloth diapering on the blogosphere, oh so accidentally, and I was immediately enthralled. I started reading up like crazy about all the different types and terms.
Mostly I find it really appealing to
- a) not be putting plastic on baby’s butt
- b) not be buying tons of disposable diapers.
I really much rather be doing more laundry than, spending cash on what will become lots and lots of trash. So for me it was pretty much a no-brainer.
Then I had to get M on board. And I think that more than the environmental/natural fibers arguments, the money we will eventually save started getting him on board. And the promise of maybe easier potty training is just a cherry on top.
BIG DECISION no. 3- to cloth diaper.
Now we just have to figure out the details- what type, where to buy, how to make sure we’ve got everything we need down in Mexico.
So far my favorites seem to be one size, all in one, no extra steps like putting in liners or stuffing or clipping or covering. The only issue is to figure out what to do for the first month or two when they will still be a bit too big. That, and how to install a diaper sprayer, and what laundry detergent to use. More chatting on this topic to come. 🙂
Community Center Membership
We are preparing for baby boy in other than material ways as well. One of those has been joining the local JCC.
BIG DECISION no.4 – join community center.
It’s kind of a bummer on our budget, but it does house a small gym, so if we use it a few times a month I guess it’s not too bad. I’m not sure how long we’re going to remain members after Baby Boy is born. It might just be a few more months. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get something out of the membership and decide to stay.
The Nursery
One the biggest things we have to figure out is where baby will sleep. After mulling over the options, we decided that for the first 6 months baby will sleep in our bedroom. Then, after the Boards (that’s the Step 1 USMLE, Medical School Boards), M’s office will be converted into the nursery.
BIG DECISION no. 5- No Nursery for Now.
At that point we’ll have to figure out if M will be delegated to the “service quarters” (currently used as storage) or perhaps take over the guest room. We’ll see.
Meanwhile, I plugged in our room measurements and spent some time juggling around our theoretical furniture to see how we can add a crib and bookshelves we already own into our room and still have everything fit. It didn’t work a lot of ways, but here are the options:
This one is how we have it now, except that it will be a lot more crowded on the left side, and I will probably have to switch to sleeping on the left instead or right side.
This will require more maneuvering, specifically, moving the dresser to M’s side, and again making it more crowded, but it does seem feasible.
I’m leaning towards option number 2, but we might have to actually try things out once we a crib to see if things really fit that way. Ha! Unfortunately 2 walls are almost useless (one with built in closet and balcony to the front, the other with bathroom and closet).
The best thing about this situation is that we’re really not going to be investing in a whole nursery. All we need is a crib, and a changing pad to put on our dresser. Then figuring out the storage situation (but that’s another post for another day). The bummer is that I kind of wanted to make some art for the room or something and we might have to wait a while for that.
P.S. Wondering how it worked out? We loved cloth diapering a newborn, and an older baby, and eventually made a nursery.
The Big Decisions You Need to Make Before Having a Baby
These are the 5 big decisions to make before having a baby, in question form. Try to talk about these before baby is born so you can get your home and life prepared for a baby!
1. Do you need to move? Do you have enough space for baby? Will you need to reacommodate your guest room or office?
2. Does your car work for a baby? How many kids do you intend to have? Will you need to upgrade your car later on? Should you do it now?
3. What diapers will you use? Cloth or disposable? Start researching and building up a stash!
4. Do you have a community to help with baby? Do you need to look into joining a club or mom group? Will you need to find a daycare, nanny or babysitter? Are there waitlists? Neighborhood groups you should join?
5. Where will baby sleep? In your bedroom or a nursery? What gear do you need to get set up?