T-minus 9 weeks to my due date (and 8 weeks to my scheduled delivery!)
Let the countdown begin! If you’ve been following along—or are newly pregnant yourself—welcome to 6 Weeks of Nesting, where I’m sharing my weekly prep list as I get ready for baby #2. My personal goal is to have everything—nursery setup, hospital bags packed, house cleaned and organized, and everything prepped and ready for my parents to watch my son while we are at the hospital —done three weeks before my due date.
Why the urgency? With baby #1, I delivered a little over two weeks early, and this time around I want to feel ready. Not scrambling to check off last minute items while in labor. If you’ve read my blog: What You Actually Need In Your Hospital Bag (From a Mom Who Overpacked), you know I was not fully prepared. This time things are going to be different.
This is Week 1, and the nesting energy is kicking in big time.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links where I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I truly love and use myself. Thank you for supporting this blog!
What is Nesting—and Why Does it Matter?
Nesting is the instinctive urge many pregnant women experience to prepare their home for their baby’s arrival. For some it shows up as a cleaning spree, for others it’s organizing, shopping, planning, or all of the above.
While it can feel overwhelming, nesting is actually a powerful way to prepare both physically and mentally for motherhood. Creating a calm, functional, and welcoming space for your baby helps ease anxiety and builds confidence as you head into the newborn phase.
Tips for Successful Nesting
Whether this is your first baby or your fourth, here are my top tips for staying on track and actually enjoying the process:
✅ Create small, weekly goals
Break your prep into bite-sized chunks each week so it feels doable—not overwhelming.
📝 Build your full to-do list early
List everything you want to get done before baby arrives, then divide it by how many weeks you have left—aiming to be done three weeks before your due date. Why three weeks? As I’ve mentioned before, my first baby came just a little over 2 weeks early, and your baby may be anxious to meet you as well. Bonus: If your baby comes on-time, you can get some much needed rest and binge a bunch of TV in your final weeks.
🧹 Do physically demanding tasks earlier
Clean, lift, organize, and move furniture while you still have the energy. Your third-trimester self will thank you.
🤝 Ask for help
Seriously—lean on your partner, family, and friends. People want to help. Let them lighten the load. Also be sure to not overexert yourself and follow all your doctor’s advice in terms of restrictions.
🧺 Keep a “master list”
Use a notebook or app to track all your nesting tasks—from what to order to what to wash. Crossing things off is a huge mental win. Need help with your master list. I’ll be sharing my complete nesting check-list at the end of this nesting series.
🧦 Don’t forget the little stuff
Tiny tasks—like washing baby clothes, prepping postpartum items, or setting up a feeding station—make a big impact during those hazy newborn days.
🧼 Stock up on household basics
Paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, snacks—buy them now so you don’t have to think about them later.
🏷️ Label everything you store
Bins, bags, boxes—label them all. It will make it easier for others to help you. Future you will be grateful.
🧘♀️ Don’t overdo it
Your body is already working overtime. Nesting is important, but so is resting. Listen to your body and don’t push through pain or exhaustion.
💬 Communicate with your partner
Share your plan, divide the work, and check in weekly. Nesting together strengthens your bond and gets things done faster.
Week 1 Focus:
✅ Order nursery furniture and other baby items
✅ Start major decluttering and organizing
✅ Pick a baby name
✅ Begin prepping for maternity leave at work
1. Time to ORDER EVERYTHING for the Nursery
For me, this week is all about placing orders—especially for any furniture or baby gear that might take time to arrive. T-9 weeks from your due date is probably the latest I’d recommend ordering big items. Some things take longer than expected to ship, and I don’t want to be tracking packages at 38 weeks pregnant! You may also need time to assemble furniture. If you can, I highly encourage you to splurge on paying for white glove delivery, that includes setup. Even if you or someone in your family is handy this can save time and major headaches.
Why I waited longer than I should have…
We spent the last few months thinking we might move before the baby arrives. We’ve been eyeing a nearby neighborhood with better schools and (hopefully) an extra bedroom and office. But as of last week, we made the final call: we’re staying put for now. Between house-hunting, packing, and prepping for a newborn—it just felt too close for comfort.
So now I’m catching up on all the things I held off on.
Here’s what I’m ordering this week:
- A second crib – Our son will only be 15 months old when baby girl arrives, so he’s not ready to give his up.
- Dresser/changing table – One for each kid’s room.
- Shelving + toy storage bins – Two under two = double the stuff.
- Upgraded monitor(s) – Our son will be moving further from our bedroom, and my anxiety needs the extra eyes.
- Security system – Still deciding, but heavily leaning toward it for peace of mind.
- Blackout curtains, a second sound machine, and extra sheets – These were non-negotiables the first time, so I’m reordering the essentials.
- Decor – I’ve picked a theme for my daughter’s nursery. In addition to the essentials above, I’m going to place any custom Etsy orders this week, as these usually take a bit of lead time, to add personalized detail to the room.
The Room Shuffle Begins
Here’s what our nursery plan looks like:
- Our daughter will move into what is currently our son’s room—technically an office that shares a sliding door with our master bedroom. This setup was amazing when our son was a newborn because it kept him nearby but gave us a bit of separation.
- Our son will be moving into what is currently a guest room. I’m having mild panic attacks about moving him further away from our room, but I’m hopeful that the new monitors and a little mama intuition will help ease the transition.
Once his new room is cleared out, we’ll officially start moving him in—and then all the girl stuff can start moving into what will be her room. I went full-on dinosaurs and neutrals last time. This time?
We’re going pink, people. Lots of pink. I’m embracing everything girly and honestly, I can’t wait.
2. Time to CLEAR OUT
In addition to ordering all the new things, I’m making room for them. Storage became a huge challenge after our first was born—and it’s one of the main reasons we considered moving. Every corner of our house started feeling like it was stuffed with baby swings, bouncers, and boxes of clothes.
So this week, the second half of my nesting mission is decluttering.
Here’s the plan:
- Toss/donate anything we don’t use or plan to reuse.
- I ordered a large green disposal bag through our local waste management service for small furniture, broken, and unnecessary items. We’ll fill it up and the schedule a day for our waste management service to pick it up.
- We picked up some boxes to pack up anything we’ll donate or pass along to friends.
- I’ll be tagging items for my husband to toss and carrying out the smaller things myself.
The final step: organize everything we’re keeping. Since my daughter will arrive when my son is still so young, we’ll be reusing a lot of gear. I grabbed a label maker (game changer!) and some storage bins so I can neatly organize what’s staying in our closets.
🧺 Want to get organized too? I swear by this label maker and these storage bins. They’re lifesavers when you don’t have enough space.
3. Time to PICK A NAME
This week, we’re also working on something that’s felt surprisingly hard: picking a baby name.
We don’t want anything too trendy, but we do want something sweet, meaningful, and maybe a little unexpected. My husband and I are each making a short list, and the goal is to narrow it down to a top three this week and pick one in the next couple weeks.
💬 Got a favorite baby girl name? Drop it in the comments or DM me—I love hearing what’s on other parents’ lists!
4. Prepping for MATERNITY LEAVE at Work
I’m incredibly grateful that my employer offers pre-partum maternity leave—I’ll be starting leave just over 4 weeks before my scheduled c-section and still getting full pay. On top of that, I have unused PTO I’ll be taking beforehand, so I only have about 2.5 more weeks of work!
This week’s focus: my leave coverage plan.
I manage a team, so I’ve been working closely with my boss and a peer to delegate responsibilities. Now I’m documenting everything my coworker will need:
- Project statuses
- Key contacts and deadlines
- Day-to-day expectations and team support
The more thorough I am now, the more peace I’ll have later—and that’s the goal.
Stay with me, mama…
That’s it for Week 1! Coming up next week: deep cleaning and more organization. If you’re nesting too, now is the perfect time to start your prep—especially if you’re within that 10-week window.
✨ Make sure to sign up for my newsletter below so you don’t miss Weeks 2–6 of this nesting series! At the end, I’ll be sharing my Complete Nesting Guide + printable 6-Week Checklist to help you stay on track and feel totally ready for baby.
Let’s do this together. 💗
Leave a Reply