The newborn bubble is beautiful but the postpartum period can also be exhausting, emotional, and overwhelming. A little preparation before baby arrives can go a long way toward making those early weeks feel more manageable. Here are five practical things you can do (or set up) ahead of time to make life just a little easier once your baby is here.

1. Set Up a Mom Recovery Station

In your bathroom or bedroom, set up a little basket, cart, or cupboard space that’s just for you. Fill it with things that will help with healing post birth. When you need them, you’ll know exactly where to look, no rummaging around at 3am.

Here’s what to stock it with:

•        Absorbent post-partum underwear or pads

•        Lighter liners (as a follow-on from the above)

•        Pain relief

•        Peri bottle

•        Instant ice packs/cooling pads

•        Nipple balm (if applicable)

•        Breast pads (if applicable)

•        Herbal bath salts specifically for post-labor

•        Stool softener

•        A nice face cream or oil — a little luxury

•        Hair ties, clips, slides, headbands

•        Lip balm

•        Water bottle and snacks

2. Pre-Wash and Organize Baby’s Clothes

About a week or so before your due date, pop all the clothes, muslin cloths, and crib linen you’ve got for baby in the wash. That way, everything is clean, fresh, and put away for when you get home.

Choose a fragrance-free, enzyme-free detergent to ensure items are soft and gentle on baby’s skin.

Organize baby’s drawers into short-sleeved and long-sleeved onesies, grouping similar pieces together. Future sleep-deprived you will be very grateful.

3. Set Up Diaper Caddies Around the House

Mini diaper stations dotted around the house can be a super helpful addition to your postpartum set-up. Little baskets holding a changing pad, diapers, diaper bags, wipes, diaper cream, and a spare change of baby clothes in multiple rooms means you won’t have to constantly go up and down stairs or across the house every time baby needs changing.

Don’t forget to add a small bin nearby - trust us on that one.

4. Stock Up on Pacifiers

If you plan to use pacifiers, get a couple of different shapes and sizes. Not all babies like the same teat shape, so it’s worth having options on hand from the start.

Once you’ve found one they like, buy a couple more. There’s nothing worse than running around the house just before bedtime searching for the one-and-only sacred pacifier.

5. Batch Cook (and Don’t Forget the Treats)

This one comes up on every postpartum prep list for good reason: batch cooking a number of meals and popping them in the freezer is genuinely one of the best things you can do for yourself. A helpful addition is portioning the meals out before you freeze them, so you only need to defrost one or two portions at a time rather than the entire dish.

And don’t forget the sweet treats. Having batches of cookies or brownies cooked and in the freezer, ready to be microwaved, feels like a big hug warmed up on a tough day.

You’ve Got This

None of this needs to be perfect. Even ticking off one or two of these before baby arrives can take the edge off those early newborn days. Be kind to yourself — recovery takes time, and every little bit of preparation you do now is a gift to the version of you that’s about to do something incredible.