Being in my third trimester as a first-time mom has been such a surreal and exciting experience. Nesting has become a way for me to prepare not just my home but my heart for the arrival of my baby girl. Today, I want to share everything I nested on this wonderful Thursday, pairing it with my favorite cleaning routine and a little meal prep to keep things organized and stress-free.
Grab a cozy drink, domestic darlings, and let’s take a peek into my day!
Starting with My 1950s Podcast Cleaning Routine
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I swear by my 1950s-Radio True Crime cleaning routine. It’s a guided, timed-cleaning podcast where we listen to old Dragnet episodes while tackling household tasks. You can try some episodes here! Today, like every Thursday, I started off strong with the routine, tackling my daily checklist.
Step 1: Airing the Beds
Airing the beds is my go-to alternative to making them. Think about it—just pull back the covers and allow dust and allergens to escape. It’s quick, effective, and feels so refreshing! Plus, it reminds me of that magical Mary Poppins moment when everything snaps neatly into place.
Step 2: Laundry – Thursday is Darks Day
Each day has its own designated laundry task in my system, and Thursdays are reserved for darks. To streamline the process, I use labeled baskets with wash setting guides, making it so easy that even my husband can step in and help.
Pro-tip for busy moms-to-be—create a system that allows you to delegate laundry without worrying about it being done “wrong!”
Step 3: Unloading the Dishwasher
One of my golden cleaning rules is to always start the morning by unloading the dishwasher. To make things even easier, I fill the sink with warm, soapy water before cooking meals, so dirty dishes can go straight into the water, no scrubbing required. It’s a game-changer!
Organizing Baby Essentials in a Tiny Space
One of the biggest challenges of nesting in our 500-square-foot home is the lack of space. Without a nursery, our baby girl is sharing our room, so I’ve had to get creative. That’s where our antique armoire comes in!
Dusting and Setting Up the Armoire
Since Thursdays are also for dusting, it was the perfect time to give the armoire a good wipe down. I may have already dusted it after assembling it, but hey, a little extra cleaning doesn’t hurt. Remember, the motto here is “a half-done job is better than no job at all.”
Hanging Her Tiny Clothes
Next came the fun (and slightly extra) part—hanging up her adorable little outfits. I used a tension rod and cute size-divider tags to organize everything by age. Seeing those tiny clothes hung up made everything feel so real. While I know I’ll probably switch to a bin system later for practicality, I couldn’t resist displaying all her outfits for now.
Creating Functional Bins for Essentials
To keep things easy to access, I organized her essentials into labeled baskets within the armoire:
- Sleep Basket: Swaddles, sleep sacks, PJs, and receiving blankets. By keeping everything bedtime-related in one basket, I know it’s easy to find when we need it.
- Accessory Basket: Tiny socks, bows, and baby accessories.
- Washcloth Basket: I use these daily to clean her neck rolls (mama’s with chunky babies, you know!) and during bath time.
- Feeding Basket: Nursing supplies, bottles, and bottle accessories. (I’m planning to sterilize these on another nesting day!)
This system not only saved space but made things super functional.
Folding Clothes (Or Not!)
While I did bother to perfectly fold her clothes during nesting, I want to emphasize this—IT’S OKAY NOT TO. Once she’s here, I might toss onesies into a bin and call it a day. Perfection isn’t the goal; having a functional system that works for your family is.
Ending the Day with Meal Prep
After nesting and cleaning, I turned my attention to dinner and meal prep for the week. On Wednesday, I had prepped some freezer meals, so today I enjoyed the fruits of that labor. (You can find my post on everything I meal prepped and the recipes here) Dump meals—simple recipes you dump into a casserole dish and bake—have been my go-to. I love adding recipe details with dry-erase markers on the bins, so even my husband can take over cooking with ease.
Pro-tip: If you’re a new or expectant mom, try doubling recipes—half for dinner tonight, half to freeze for later. It’s a small habit that can save you big time postpartum.
Today’s dinner wasn’t a huge win—it’s okay, tamale casserole just isn’t our thing—but it freezes beautifully, so it’s a great option if that’s a dish your family enjoys.
Once the meal was done, it was time to tidy up the kitchen for the night. I always make sure to load and run the dishwasher before bed so I wake up to a clean slate in the morning.
Final Thoughts
Nesting has been such a meaningful part of my pregnancy. Every small task, whether it’s folding tiny clothes or organizing a basket, has felt like a tangible way to prepare for this new chapter of life.
For all the mamas out there preparing for little ones, just take it one step at a time. You don’t have to do it all perfectly—you just have to do what works for you.
Thanks for joining me on this nesting day, domestic darlings! I’d love to hear how you’re prepping for your baby or what space-saving tips you’ve used in your own home. Drop a comment below, and I’ll see you in the next post. 💕
Until next time!
Looking for an easy way to keep your home tidy in just 30 minutes a day, try my guided audio cleaning routines featuring 1950s radio shows! You can get your free episodes here.