How to Prepare for Your Newborn in the Third Trimester

Congrats on making it to your third trimester! That precious baby will be in your arms before you know it.

At this point, you’re getting really close and probably a little anxious about what’s to come. It’s ok to feel many emotions as you prepare for the arrival of your baby.

In your third trimester of pregnancy, you will need to start preparing for bringing your new baby home. These tips will give you ideas on where to start.

There are plenty of things that you should do to get your home, mind, and body ready for the new baby. After all, your life will be completely changed (for the better) the moment you hold that little one in your arms.

Here are some tips for your third trimester to make sure you are ready for once the new baby is here.

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Read my other post on How to Prepare for Labor in Your Third Trimester

1. Organize and prepare your home

Get your home ready for your new baby by preparing each room one-by-one. You’ll want to set up your home to be the most convenient for you and your partner.

Having access to your necessities quickly and easily, keeping multiples of baby gear in various rooms that you spend the most time in, and diaper stations readily set up through the house, are just a few things to note.

Read my full post of Organizing Your Home for the New Baby here for full details room-by-room and where to begin!

2. Don’t save anything for the last minute

Again, you don’t want to assume that you will be late and save things for the last minute. If you’re still painting the nursery or ordering diapers, try to get that out of the way as soon as possible.

Of course, there’s nothing that can’t be saved until after the baby comes. However, you will want to have the time post-childbirth to enjoy your newborn, get rest when able to, and getting your new routine down as a mom.

You don’t want to be assembling cribs and decorating bookshelves when you have your baby here (although you can since your baby won’t even be using these things at that point!)

3. Prepare yourself for breastfeeding

Breastfeeding can be very natural and easy for some moms, but plenty of women struggle with getting started or even continuing. You may want to prepare your mind and body to breastfeed your newborn.

Order your free breast pump through insurance
Take a breastfeeding class
Gather all of your breastfeeding products (especially My Breast Friend Nursing Pillow)
Watch the real thing
Have a small amount of formula on hand (just in case your milk supply isn’t sufficient)
Purchase bottles that are most similar to a breast to reduce nipple confusion for pumped milk. I love Phillips Avent Natural Baby Bottles.

Read this post on How to Prepare Yourself for Breastfeeding Your Newborn for tips on how to best prepare and also, Tips for Breastfeeding Success from Day One which offers advice when initially beginning to nurse in the hospital.

4. Prepare yourself for bottle-feeding

If you will be giving your baby formula, you will want to be prepared for this, as well.

Have plenty of bottles on hand so you aren’t washing them constantly. Your baby will be taking about 8 bottles a day so having at least 10 will make things a little easier.

Don’t stock up on formula in case your child doesn’t like a certain brand or is allergic/sensitive to it because you aren’t able to return it (even if it is UNOPENED).

In your third trimester of pregnancy, you will need to start preparing your body and mind for childbirth and your newborn. These tips will give you ideas on where to begin.

If you can afford a fancy new gadget, get a Baby Brezza. It will make your life much easier by preparing and warming formula with the click of a button.

5. Book newborn photography, if desired

If you’re interested in getting those angelic newborn photographs taken, you’ll need to book this in advance. You just give them your due date so they know an approximate time period for your photos and finalize a day and time once the baby is born.

There are different styles of newborn photography and photographers specialize in various types of portraits for the little ones.

You can choose to have photos taken in the hospital (fresh 48), newborn portraits, or lifestyle newborn (natural photos of your family in your home).

Look up local photographers in your area on Instagram, Facebook, and Google to find what style suits you best. I find it easiest to search through social media and hashtags to find local photographers.

After you have gotten your beautiful photos of your newborn baby, you’ll need to send out baby announcements! Of course this should be done after baby comes, but you can start searching for the perfect announcement cards now.

Related Post: Tips for DIY Baby Photography

Check out these gorgeous baby announcement cards from Basic Invite that will show off your new baby’s photo’s in style.

6. Choose a pediatrician

During the first year of your baby’s life, you will be spending a lot of time at the Pediatrician’s office. These routine, baby check-ups let your doctor keep track and monitor your baby’s development and growth.

Look through your insurance provider’s list of covered providers before choosing a pediatrician. You want to make sure that you’re choosing a doctor that is in-network to minimize any unexpected costs.

You can set up consultation appointments with a couple of doctors if you’d like to interview them. Asking questions can help determine who you would be most comfortable with and who shares the same views as you.

7. Stock up on baby consumables

Hopefully you will be well-stocked on diapers and wipes after your baby shower. If not, make sure you grab them if you see any good deals.

Your newborn will go through about 10-12 diapers a day for the first couple months! That’s a ton of diapers!

Of course you can always run out to the store when you need, but who wants to worry about that? If you see anydiaper sales going on, try to stock up on things that get used up quickly like:

diapers
wipes
diaper rash cream
coconut oil

Target has amazing baby sales often where you can spend $100 and get a $20 gift card. Check them out to stock up on your baby essentials!

8. Be sure you have your newborn essentials

Newborns don’t need much in those first few months to be content, but there are a few newborn essentials that you’ll want to have around. Some of these items will keep them comfortable, happy, warm, and fed.

Some of those include:

Boppy Newborn Lounger: a cushion that’s like a little nest that cradles your baby at a gentle angle, allowing your baby to fit in a perfectly comfortable position when lounging.
Halo Swivel Bassinet: a bassinet and allows gliding and swiveling so you can get super close to your baby while they’re in it. The side closest to you is able to be pushed down with just your forearms to easily take baby in and out.
SwaddleMe Velcro Swaddles: Keeps your baby in snug so they can’t push their arms out of it when they squirm. These swaddles really help to keep babies calm.
Skip Hop Activity Mat: a great place to put your baby down to work on their tummy time, as well as stretch out on their back with toys overhead.
Zipper up, footed sleeper pajamas: The only clothing item they need that are soft, comfortable, and easy to take on and off for quick diaper changes.

Read my whole list of top Newborn Must-Haves that I couldn’t have lived without the first few months.

9. Stock up the pantry and fridge

Those first days and weeks at home will be such a whirlwind. You definitely won’t want to do much cooking or grocery shopping. Any down time you get, you’ll either want to be napping or soaking in those newborn cuddles.

Make sure your pantry and refrigerator are well-stocked (with items that won’t go bad). However, take-out menus will be a useful thing to keep handy, as well!

10. Get your car seat professionally installed

One thing that hospitals are adamant about you having before taking a baby home is a properly installed car seat. It’s important for the safety of your infant to not only have a safe car seat, but it should be installed correctly, as well.

This is very important for the safety of your infant.

Every state offers some kind of inspection and/or installation for your car seat free of charge. They are usually done at police stations, fire departments, or hospitals by certified professionals.

You can find out what locations are around you by searching for car seat installation locations here. It’s a simple trip to ensure car seat safety that could save your baby’s life.

11. Take a baby care or infant cpr class

If you’ve never been around a newborn before or feel less than confident with your abilities or skills as a new mom, you may take a course on basic baby care. This will show you all you need to know in regards to bathing, diapering, feeding, and safety.

They should offer them at your hospital or a local clinic or you can find plenty of video tutorials online.

Even though the nurses in the hospital should go over most of these topics, it may help you worry less about bringing home the new baby. It should also help you to feel less overwhelmed with information right after giving birth.

Infant CPR is also a good idea to know as a parent. They should offer them at some hospitals or doctors’ offices, you just have to reach out and ask.

Check out the American Red Cross for locations near you offering Infant CPR classes. Again, the internet is also a great resource to find videos that fully educate on these skills as well.

12. Confirm financials for the new baby

Make sure that you’re financially prepared for when baby comes. You’ll want to double check your maternity leave allowance, know your health insurance benefits, and save up a nest egg for the time you will take off.

Read further details from my full blog post on Financial Must-Dos Before Baby.

. . . . .

In your third trimester, you want to get all the last minute things done to get ready for the new baby. Follow the list of tips and ideas above, and you should be all set for your precious little one to arrive soon. Also, check out these clever Newborn Tips and Hacks from Liliya to help you survive those first few months.