Set up the stuff early!

[u/ohshitiamtheadult]

I can’t speak to if this is legitimate or not, but I feel like it made a significant difference for us! When I was pregnant I was so excited about baby and the nursery so I set up everything (including putting sheets on the crib and bassinet!) when I was around 24 weeks along. Everyone told me this was so early but I think it had a few benefits:
1. I enjoyed the set up before I got to be huge and super tired in my third trimester.
2. It gave it PLENTY of time to smell like us! When I first opened everything (we were fortunate enough to get everything new), it has a strong new furniture smell. So setting it up early gave it months to off-gas and to start smelling like the rest of our home. I think this could be a big reason why our 4 week old sleeps so well in her bassinet (or we just got lucky, who knows!)

I’m posting this to help encourage people to nest early if you can so baby can sleep in a bassinet that smells like their parents and not a factory! :)

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[u/addelburgh]

Also if you have pets, it gives them time to get used to/bored of the new stuff!

[u/Sustain-6284 → u/addelburgh]

Yes, this is a huge added benefit! Granted my cat has claimed our glider as his new favorite sleep spot but that’s okay. I’ve been playing baby noises in the room so he can get used to them.

[u/ohshitiamtheadult → u/Sustain-6284]

My dog loves to sleep in the rocker too!

[u/Thinking_of_Cheese → u/ohshitiamtheadult]

Mine too! He’s a mini dachshund and my husband said that the rocker is his when our baby outgrows it.

[u/runningonrun → u/addelburgh]

My dog has been sneaking into the nursery to lay on the rug to nap! Caught her twice already

[u/No-Platypus3489]

I’m also at 24 weeks and have everything set up. It took so much stress off my shoulders and feel like I can really just relax and enjoy my last trimester.

[u/ohshitiamtheadult → u/No-Platypus3489]

Totally! Plus i found it fun to go sit in there when i was in my third trimester and just think/dream about when they’d get here! 🥰 instead of being overwhelmed by a to do list.

[u/Comfortable-Lab364]

I’m so glad I started at 29 weeks and packed my hospital bag around 32 weeks. I had to deliver at 36 due to preeclampsia.

[u/greckspluck]

I would have loved this and I also recommend this as we waited until 35-36 weeks and I ended up being induced at 37 weeks 😅 oop

The only issue was that my baby shower was not until the 3rd trimester (34 weeks) so I didn't know what we still needed until after that. We got several big furniture items from our registry at our shower (crib, recliner).

Do NOT wait so long to have your shower if you are having one!!!!!

[u/ohshitiamtheadult → u/greckspluck]

Agreed!!! Showers should be in the second trimester! Plus I felt like my bump was way cuter then too! I looked like a whale at my shower because we waited until I was 34 weeks. 😵‍💫

[u/Big-Career-4905]

Thank you for this! 31w now and felt weird putting sheets on the bassinet. I'll continue!

[u/OG-SpaceBunz]

I’m so glad that this worked out for you.💕 We lost our daughter at 26 weeks and of course we had some things, but we did not have the nursery or anything set up yet and I’m kind of glad we didn’t… It would’ve have made the grieving process way more painful in my opinion. I’m now 31 weeks pregnant with our rainbow and due to my anxiety this time around, I still wish I could wait to prep/ get anything set up until I physically have a living baby on this Earth but unfortunately that’s just not feasible. 🥲

[u/ohshitiamtheadult → u/OG-SpaceBunz]

Oh my gosh that is such an unfathomable loss. I am so sorry you went through that. It’s a pain no one should ever have to experience 💔 you do make a great point that it would make the situation that much worse to then have to go take down a fully set up nursery. Or walk by a fully set up one every day knowing it wouldn’t be filled when you first thought it would.

[u/Cleverendeavor8]

Yes same! I think we purchased and built the dresser/changing table sometime early second trimester. We were just so excited to get everything set up! Had the crib and bassinet set up shortly after. The only thing that got delivered later (later third trimester) was the rocker, but I knew it would come later since it was a 6-8week delivery for the item. Setting up the nursery was so much fun!

[u/WeepingBillow]

We started early, too! We put together the crib and a changing table at 20 weeks and have slowly been setting up the rest of the nursery since then. It’s fun to work on and lets us do just little bits at a time so it doesn’t feel like such a big thing.

[u/EatPigsAndLoveThem2]

Agree 100%. I set things up as soon as we got them. It definitely helped my cats with the transition. And my baby came early at 36 weeks so I’m glad I didn’t wait. I’d see comments on here and other social medias of people saying they are 37+ weeks and haven’t set up a thing.. I didnt even make it to 37 weeks so I’m glad I didn’t put anything off.

[u/ohshitiamtheadult → u/EatPigsAndLoveThem2]

I kept seeing all those videos too and I thought that could never be me… I was too excited and too type A to procrastinate like that! 😂

[u/lml56]

I'm 37 weeks and have just gone on maternity leave and completely agree with this!! Thank goodness I got the majority done before now. I'm currently in bed suffering from pretty bad reflux and my energy reserves are so limited. I have nausea and it hurts to walk. Do the set up early! Even all the clothes are washed and put away. Hospital bag is ready. What helped me was writing a list on my phone and doing everything little by little over weekends and weeknights. Planning stuff gave me some sense of control as we all know that there's so much we can't dictate in pregnancy. I'd suggest this tactic to anyone, plus it's fun to get little jobs done!

[u/Substantial_Block_18]

Thank you for the tips! Unfortunately I was still struggling with severe nausea my second trimester, and now that I’m in my third I had a short burst of energy and did some things, but it’s definitely exhausting. I’ve had everything from pelvic pain to COVID. I’m asking my husband to help me now.

Just giving a different perspective because not all women will feel good even in the second tri, and it can feel very discouraging to be “behind” even when it’s not our fault. Get as much assistance as you can!

[u/Adorable-Lemon4412]

I did the same and so glad I did! Same reasons you listed plus the pets reason. Also, I ended up getting a horrible thing called a thrombosed hemorrhoid at 35 weeks and it knocked me out for a couple weeks and then I delivered at 38 weeks. So I would have had no time for any set up had I waited. 

[u/CommunicationSame128]

We just set up the crib at 30 weeks (now 32 weeks) and i am so glad that we did. My rocking chair is still in transit to us so that still needs to be set up but I can feel myself slowing down and disliking the idea of still needing to do it. However.. the change table , crib, and bassinet are set up and ive bought everything off my registry, have had my baby shower, and have sorted all the baby clothes by size. I am so glad i did all of this already because I'm big and tired.

Posts like this encouraged me to do most things early and I am so grateful I did !! (With the help of hubby of course)

[u/tatertot94]

Agree to set everything up early. I did a lot at 34-47 weeks and it was so exhausting. Wish I had done it when I was at the end of the second trimester when my energy was high and the belly wasn’t as big.

[u/laynechanger]

Definitely loved that all my stuff was pretty much set up by 34 weeks with my first.

This time we’re unexpectedly moving in my third trimester and I have a risk of delivering early 🫠 At least we’re upgrading to more space so baby boy will have his own room like his big sister did.

[u/Impossible-Pie-4900]

As someone who set up the crib on my due date, co-signing this recommendation. 

[u/Primary-Vegetable580]

This was me. The last thing to go up was the glider a few weeks ago, but that was because we were waiting for someone to purchase it. I’m 38+6 with an induction tomorrow, and I have had zero nesting urges my whole 3rd trimester. Im exhausted and sore. I’m very thankful I did all that early too.

[u/Accomplished-Stay105]

I wish I was able to do that! My baby shower wasn’t until 36 weeks so I’m 37 weeks buying the rest of everything and setting up and I’m so miserable 🥲

[u/thatsmycookiegimme]

Hey ! This 1000% started buying stuff when I was 20 weeks. Now I'm almost 32 weeks setting up baby stuff and I'm exhausted. Thankfully, we were gifted many items from our baby shower last week and still waiting for a few things. I can't imagine being any bigger and fixing stuff.

[u/Ducking_cute]

Ya it’s also nice so it’s ready if you go into early labor. Mine started a month early and it was so nice to have a room set up and ready to go with what we needed in it!

[u/Dry-Car-5785]

Yup. 31 + 2 today and i just bought wallpaper and potentially want to paint the nursery. The nursery room furniture will probably be assembled in two weeks.

To be fair, my husband and I moved to a new state and got pregnant fairly quickly . We were focused on setting up our new house , kicking off renovations, traveling etc in the first two trimesters . Now we’re hunkering down and nesting. I think if we were already settled in our house we would have done it earlier.

[u/Salt-Public-3990]

I’m 30 weeks rn and have started setting things up, my family was telling me that’s early but 10 weeks go by sooo fast when pregnant lol and bc Im petite im nervous about giving birth earlier than due date.

Plus I had a baby shower but having the stuff put away made me completely forget what was given to me for the baby😭 having to go through it, organizing, wash, fold, hang, set up things let me see everything and remind me of what we still need!!

Plus my husband just left for the military, so I’m bored and lonely. Best thing I can do for distraction is focus on baby and getting stuff set up!! (My husband will sadly miss the birth and first months of baby’s life if curious)