Nesting While Pregnant: Non-Conventional Ways to Get Organized Before Your Twins Arrive

Nesting: a word that takes on a whole new meaning once you’re nearing your due date.

Before you know it, your inner Marie Kondo takes over and suddenly you feel the need to purge everything you once deemed important and you can’t stop rearranging the same drawer! Sound familiar?

Many pregnant women and expectant parents feel the need to start nesting before their babies arrive. Having an organized home somehow makes parents feel in control when the impending arrival of twins creates so much unknown.

Adequately preparing, reading to educate yourself and getting your home organized your before your twins arrive will help you feel ready to tackle your new job as a parent.

Let’s be honest here, once those babies arrive, no amount of organization can fully prepare you for what’s ahead. But, with a little prep, you will find ways to put your mind at ease while navigating parenthood.

10 Non-Conventional Things to Remember While Nesting and Organizing:

Baskets:

Stock up and put them everywhere. Baskets will neatly hold everything and anything from healthy snacks to magazines & remote controls to extra necessities in any room in your home. The point here is that baskets help you hide the extra clutter babies can create so you won’t feel like a disaster struck your living room. In our book, You Can Two: The Essential Twins Preparation Guide, we suggest that new parents fill baskets with nursery essentials so that you aren’t running back and forth to the nursery for diapers or to the kitchen for nursing snacks 400 times a day.

Get a Dry Erase Board:

An odd thing to recommend we know, but trust us, investing in a dry erase board can be a lifesaver…for everyone involved! Read here for more organizing ideas. Keeping track of diaper changes, feedings and sleep for two babies, especially when you are sleep deprived, quickly becomes confusing. You can track schedules, list household chores that need to be done, or even set daily goals that take care of your mental health (self-care is still very important). A dry erase board serves as a command center for your life with infants and helps to keep everyone (relatives and caretakers included) on the same page.

Make All Of Your Appointments:

Schedule as many appointments as you can before your babies arrive. If you like to get your eyebrows waxed monthly or your hair done every 12 weeks….make those appointments for several months in advance and add them to your calendar. If your older children will need yearly check-ups and sports physical two months after you deliver…welp, now’s the time to schedule those too so that they aren’t forgotten or causing you additional stress.

You are more likely to make things happen when they are written down, so don’t put your needs on the back burner because you are becoming a parent. You can always reschedule if something comes up, but more often than not, you will thank you tired, overwhelmed self later!

Clear bins and labels:

Costco is a great place to stock up on these. Buy them in several sizes. When you can see through a tub, it’s more likely that you’ll actually use what’s in there and also be able to find those sometimes forgotten goodies from your baby showers. Don’t forget to smack a label on the side so you can easily identify what is inside.

Store these organized bins in a closet or in your basement. The main thing to remember here is to get all of those gifts and hand-me-downs organized and get them out of your sight! There is no sense in cluttering the nursery closet with stuff your twins aren’t big enough to use yet. Fill it with newborn to 3 months and then swap things out as they grow every few months.

Stock Up On All Your Essentials: 

Try to make a comprehensive list of the things that you use daily.  Specifically, try to list out the things that you don’t always think about until you run out (I.E. deodorant or tampons). Nobody wants to have to run out with two new babies in tow for one thing. Thank goodness for wonderful delivery services like Amazon Prime now that can get you out of a pinch when you need, but it is nice to be stocked up for the first few weeks after your twins are born!

Oil change:

Ugh and woof! This is not a fun one, but if possible check these annoying tasks off of your nesting list before the babies come. If you do find yourself with 30 extra minutes of baby-free time once your twins arrive, you won’t want to spend it at the mechanic, but rather grabbing coffee with a friend or getting a pedicure.

Fill the Freezer:

Folding onsies and decorating a nursery are the fun things that expectant parents like to accomplish while they are nesting, but the truth is, having as much prepared for those first few weeks post-delivery helps everyone adjust better. Plan a weekend where you can shop and prepare a handful of freezer-friendly meals together before you give birth. The more meals you have on hand, the happier you will be. Yes, friends and family will likely offer to bring hot meals by, but down the road when the dust settles, you won’t have to spend your time cooking because you have a freezer full!

Try It On For Size:

One thing that new parents don’t always think to do is to try out the gear they have acquired before the babies arrive. Just because your friends loved one type of carrier and gifted it to you doesn’t mean you will love it the same. Don’t be afraid to try things out to get a feel of how you like your baby gear. Try your gear on, adjust it to size and have it ready to go when you get home and are ready to take a walk as a new family.

Take a Trip to the Fire Station:

The most nerve-racking moments of your life will be leaving the hospital with newborn twins AND having to drive them home from the hospital. The hospital can check your car seats before you head home, but your local fire department offers this service as well (check your local websites for more information). Take the car seats to the professionals to have them safely installed. It’ll be one less thing to worry about when you are sent home and now responsible for two tiny humans!

Create a Chain of Command:

Having babies is an exciting time for families. There are grandparents, friends and other loved ones anxiously awaiting the news of your impending arrival, but sharing that news can add stress to new parents when there is so much going on around you after birth. Before the big day, create a call list, assigning a trusted loved one or two with the task of alerting your list of VIP’s! This task can make your special day that much more peaceful because all you have to do is share photos and birth details with one person, knowing that they will spread the word in your honor!

Preparing to welcome twins into the world is exciting and a bit overwhelming. Getting your home and your life organized will make your transition into parenthood as seamless as possible.

Nesting often refers to the obvious tasks of cleaning and organizing, which is why we tried to bring your attention to some less conventional ones that might not be considered. Did we miss anything pertinent that helped you feel more settled before your twins arrived?

Share your nesting to-do-list in the comments below!