Nesting before Baby

As soon as we got home from Florida in March, I went into full nesting mode. At the beginning of the year, we were actually contemplating moving to the suburbs. This past year left both of us wanting more space (and especially our own outdoor space!) After spending a few weeks looking for our “dream home” it became pretty clear that we were not ready to leave New York City — especially during such an uncertain time. I’ve always dreamed of having a newborn in the city and grabbing smoothies and walking to Central Park on a beautiful Saturday morning. So, here we are, making our 2 bedroom apartment work with a baby. Thankfully we have plenty of room, but when you live in a smaller space, you have to get very creative about how you organize your stuff so that you can maximize every single drawer, closet, and cupboard.

I decided to start room by room…

KITCHEN

Re-Organize all of our kitchen cupboards to make them more functional. I bought a lot of pieces from The Container Store which helped make everything easier to see, and grab when needed.

We also deep cleaned the kitchen, and cleaned out multiple drawers so they are completely empty and ready for baby!

Products Used: 3 Tier Bamboo Shelf , Pantry Bins, Lazy Susan, Glass Containers, & Labels

Before

After

Before

After

FREEZER MEALS

The last thing we did in the kitchen was prepare freezer meals. I know once our little love arrives we won’t have time to make healthy meals, so we filled our freezer with meals we can quickly heat up and serve.

Recipes included: Creamy Cauliflower Soup, Vegan Tomato Soup, lactation cookies, and a lot of Banza Pizza Crust!

ENTRY HALL

We have a very long entryway (which will soon be filled with a big ol’ stroller and I can’t wait!) Our laundry is within our entryway and we were not utilizing the space very efficiently. I found the perfect sized narrow shelf from Overstock and set it up right next to our washer and dryer. This allowed us to completely empty the armoire we have in our entry way so we can fill it with diapers, and whatever other baby supplies are needed in the coming months.

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After

UNDER BED STORAGE

“City Living” means that I can’t always fit my Summer and Winter clothes in the closet at the same time. So, I’ve always had clear storage bins under our bed to keep everything organized. While functionally this made sense, all of the bins were different and I could see through them which bothered me every time I walked into our bedroom. So, I ordered these matching under bed storage containers from Amazon, and I can’t tell you how happy they make me. Sometimes, it truly is the little things.

I know I won’t be able to switch out my clothes again for a while, so I was super selective during this years swap so I don’t keep anything I won’t want to wear next season.

PACK HOSPITAL BAG

I found packing for the hospital to be way too much fun. It was like packing for a vacation that I knew nothing about. While I had recommendations from friends on what to pack, you never really know what you’re going to need until you are there. If interested, you can check out what I packed in my hospital bag here (and I’ll let you know what I actually end up using!)

NURSERY ROOM

I’ll be posting more pictures from our nursery when it’s completed, but for now, I’ve had a lot of fun organizing her armoire and dresser drawers with all of the necessary clothing and accessory items! These sortjoy sustainable bins have been the best purchases as I’ve used them in the armoire, as well as to store diapers on the changing table!

If you’re interested in testing out any Sortjoy products, they were nice enough to send me a code for all of you! Use KJACOBS for 10% off your order.

SCHEDULE APPOINTMENTS

I also made sure to get in all of those yearly appointments prior to baby — eye exam, 6 mo. dental check-up, annual skin check, and I even had someone come to to the house to check for mold. I know we won’t have time for ourselves once baby arrives, so now is the time to get it all done!