Organizational help and cleaning

Hi all - we’re expecting our first child at the end of the month and have been trying to get our house in order. Does anyone have a recommendation for a person who could help organize the nursery, linens, and wouldn’t mind washing and folding baby things?

thanks!

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Sorry I don't have a recommendation, and hope you find what you need.  When you are thinking through how to organize the nursery, keep in mind that the recommendation (which will make life way easier for you at night, too) is to have baby in your room, close to your bed, at night for at least the first six months.

A lot of house cleaners or mother's helpers will wash, fold, and put away baby items. Do you have a doula? Maybe she has resources? 

I wanted to share my personal experience. The biggest mistake I made and the one that I regretted the most was getting the nursery ready before the baby came. We had a guest bedroom / my office which had a queen size bed. We thought we had to get a nursery set up before the baby arrived. We got rid of the queen size bed and moved my desk out to put in a changing table, a crib, and bookshelf for the baby. We hired a professional organizer who strongly recommended that we get rid of the bed, although I actually wanted to keep the bed and make the room still baby friendly. 

A HUGE mistake. The baby did not sleep in the crib for many months. The baby didn't even sleep in beds, only wanting sleep being held, tucked in next to a parent, or in a moving swing.  I cried so hard, desperate for sleep and not having that extra bed to sleep with the baby.  Baby would wake up to nurse every 1 - 2 hours! The only way I could get any sleep was to co-sleep. I didn't want to sleep with the baby and my spouse who needed to sleep and work while I was on leave, so I ended up sleeping on the floor. It was miserable. If only we had that queen size bed, we would have slept all so well. If you will set up a nursery, please also think of how you might sleep in the same room as the baby and how you and your partner (assuming you have one) will strategize so that you can both get some sleep at different times. 

The changing table that was meant to live in the baby's room actually ended up living in the kitchen because it was the most convenient place to bathe, change, and do all the baby stuff. Kitchen sink is the most convenient place to bathe a little baby. 

I'm not sure if you have a cleaning person who would be willing to do laundry for you. If you will hire an organizer, I strongly recommend that the organizer is an experienced mother / parent.

I really enjoyed working with Jane - https://www.janeorganizes.com/ for help organizing my space. I now have a nearly one-year-old, but at the time I worked with her it was just to help me clear space and energy in my life, I wasn't even planning a baby then. It really helped me get unstuck in many ways, and I ended up completing the KonMari process on my own (I did a long and imperfect version of it) by handling some sentimental items in my attic, when I was 8 months pregnant. I feel like I need to do it all over again but I'm really glad that I did all that work on my space and managing my belongings before launching into parenthood. I don't know if she'll help you fold laundry, but she can help you with the hard parts of making decisions and reorganizing. (I don't know if she's a parent though, and I agree it might be a helpful qualification in this case). Definitely talk to other parents about what to do and not do in preparation! Some things you'll be glad you did in advance, but some things you won't really know until you get there what is going to work best for your family Good luck!