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If you and your partner are about to have a baby, you are probably experiencing a large number of emotions on a daily basis. Many parents-to-be feel overwhelmed because they think there is so much to do before the baby arrives. If you are thinking about what to do before baby gets here, here are five smart things that you can try.
In This Post:
1. Check On Your Insurance
One of the first thing that you should do is to talk to your insurance company. You’ll need to figure out how to add your new child to your insurance and make sure that everything is covered. Your insurance company will probably want to know that you are pregnant and that you’ll be going to the hospital soon. Once the baby is here, you’ll have to notify them and officially have it added to your policy. Before the baby arrives, you can find out how much extra it’s going to cost you and give the insurance company a heads up.
2. Plan What Happens After the Baby Arrives
When you have your baby, how are you planning on taking care of it on a daily basis? Are you going to send your child to daycare or stay home with him or her? If you are going to continue working and send your child to daycare, it’s important to start looking at day care centers now. Ask for referrals from friends and family members. Read reviews online if possible. Call some day care centers and find out if they have openings and how much they cost per week. If you are going to be taking off work to stay home, let your employer know in advance.
3. Start a Savings Account
What better time to start planning for your child’s financial future than while they are still in the womb? The nice thing about getting started saving early is that you have the power of compound interest on your side. With compound interest, even setting aside a very small sum of money on a regular basis can add up quickly. You could start a college savings account or a regular investment or savings account.
4. Prepare the Nursery
One of the big items on the “to do” list for prospective parents is to get the nursery ready. If your child is on the way, you need to make sure that you have everything in the nursery that you will need once the kid arrives. For instance, you’ll need a crib, a changing table, and possibly a rocking chair for starters. There are all kinds of things that you could add, depending on your preference. If you’re going to paint the nursery blue or pink, make sure that you know the sex of the baby first.
Can’t afford a baby crib? Buy a crib now, pay later.
5. Get Packed
Many new parents wait until the last possible second to pack their stuff to go to the hospital. As you are getting close to the due date of your child, have a bag packed and ready to go with the things you’ll need at the hospital. Add some clothes, toiletries, something to do, and anything else you can think of to the bag.
With a little bit of careful planning, you can be ready for your little bundle of joy when he arrives into this world.
