If you’ve ever longed for the wide open spaces or thought that living the simple life would be a blessing, then take a look at these 15 blog articles about life on a ranch. These bloggers let you step into their shoes and see what their daily lives and activities look like.  Find out what a horse rancher does on a day-to-day basis, as well as all of the ins and outs of cattle ranching.  Does the work ever end, or do these ranchers live, eat and breathe life on the ranch?  Find out by reading their blog posts.  Horse and cattle ranches aren’t the only ones out there; you can also learn about llama, ostrich and goat ranches, just to name a few!

Horse Ranch

One thing about ranchers is that they try to be self-sufficient, both to keep more money on the ranch and because they are often located quite a distance from civilization. Some ranchers will plant tons of vegetables so that the food can be canned or preserved for the future. You can even find out how to make your own saltine crackers! To read about daily life on the ranch, check out the next five blog entries.

• Frugal Living on the Watkins Ranch The goal of this rancher is to be self-sufficient. She grows her own food as much as she can and she tells you how she makes her own saltines.
• I Do All the Work and Lucy and the Boys Get to Lick the Bowl A humorous look at life on a ranch with animals.
• How I Ended Up Living on a Horse Ranch Read all about how this blogger made a shift in her life to find her dreams.
• Are There Loose Horses in Your Life? This blogger shares some tips and a funny story about her horses.
• Day in the Life—Early Spring A fascinating look at what life is like on a horse ranch.

Cattle Ranch

Thanks to a blogger turned television host, more people are getting an idea of what life on a cattle ranch is like. Ree Drummond’s blog Pioneer Woman is included in this list, so you can read more about her life on a ranch in Oklahoma.  Other cattle ranchers share their versions of life on the ranch and the challenges they face.  Take a look at these five blog posts for more ranch stories.

• Spring Horse/Ranch Keeping Talk of saddle making and calf birthing can be found on this post.
• Snow Days are Work Days for Farm Kids Read all about a new calf being born and what this family did to make things a little warmer for the baby.
• It’s Official… Read this story about how this ranch gal spent the day moving mommas and calves from one field to another.
• 13 Thursday—My Answers One blogger asks a bunch of questions to this blogger and she answers them in this post.
• Sorting Pairs in the Cold The Pioneer Woman started with her blog about ranch life and went on to write fictional books, children’s books, cookbooks and to host her own cooking show.

Other Ranching

While cattle and horse ranchers get more press, there are many more types of ranches out there.  Read the five blog articles below to learn about raising everything from llamas to goats to ostriches. These blog posts will open the door to a whole new world and give you a glimpse of a lifestyle that is not common to many people.  Maybe these stories will inspire you to quit your job and go live on a ranch!

• A Week in the Life of a Ranch Hand This article is all about working on a ranch starting from the bottom up.
• A Typical Day—Just Another Day in Paradise Check out this story from a guy who is just getting started on his ranch.
• The Llama Rodeo Take a look at the pictures and the stories about llamas on this post.
• For Makeup and Meat, Ostrich Farms Thrive in the Bekaa Read this informative article about how raising ostriches saved this farm/ranch.
• Baby Goats Grow Quickly! Such a cute picture of a baby goat and links to more about what happens on The Flying T Ranch.

Being a nanny employer is very different than owning a company and employing company workers. Nanny employers are household employers, so there are a different set of legal and industry standards that they must adhere to. Here’s a look at what those responsibilities are.

Pay the “nanny tax”. Household employers are required to pay taxes on their nanny and other household employees. This includes paying the employer’s portion of Social Security and Medicare and withholding and submitting the employee’s portion of those taxes. Plus, you are also responsible for paying state and federal unemployment. There might also be additional taxes owed depending on where you live. Paying your nanny legally not only protects you from back taxes, penalties and fines, but it offers your nanny a lot of benefits. She’s able to prove her income so she can buy a car or lease an apartment, it gives her unemployment protection and it adds to her Social Security retirement account.

Develop a detailed job description. As the employer, it’s your job to clearly outline exactly what you need from your nanny. That includes her schedule, childcare related tasks such as your child’s laundry, cooking healthy meals and cleaning up the bedroom and playroom, household related tasks such as family laundry, grocery shopping and dinner precreation, the type of daily environment you want her to create, activities you want her to engage your child in and other requirements and expectations. Unlike group care, where the owner or teacher decides what caregivers do, in nanny care that falls to the parent. This allows for a lot of customization, but also means parents must give some real thought to what they want and need from their nanny. A written job description gives the nanny clear guidance about what’s required of her.

Create a nanny contract. While there isn’t a legal requirement to have a nanny contract in place, it’s a very smart idea. As the employer, it’s your job to define exactly what your nanny is required to do, set performance goals, outline on-duty guidelines and detail a host of other things. The easiest and most effective way to do that is through a comprehensive nanny contract. A contract or work agreement will outline the wage and benefits offered and make sure both you and your nanny are on the same page about all the issues within the employment relationship. This will help you develop good communication habits and avoid common problems along the way.

Communicate with your nanny on a regular basis. Just like you’d have regular staff meetings at your company, you need to have regular meetings with your nanny. Daily check-ins are a great way for your nanny to fill you in on what she and your child did during the day. However, those few minutes at the end of the day aren’t enough. Monthly family meetings let you know how your child is doing, if there are any challenges or issues that need to be addressed and how things are going within the employment relationship. Often, your nanny won’t bring up a problem during the daily check-in, but will talk about it during a scheduled family meeting. Effective communication is one of the most important ingredients in a long term, successful nanny/family relationship, so investing in regular meetings over the short run will lead you to success over the long run.

Support your nanny in her role. You hired your nanny to care for your children and you trust her to use her best judgment as she does that. Give her the authority she needs to be an effective caregiver with your children. Let your kids know that you and the nanny are on the same team and support each other’s decisions. Follow through on the rules and consequences she puts in place. Not only is that the best approach for your children, it’s also the way to be a great employer.

Treat your nanny as a professional. Although your caregiver works in your home, she’s still a professional. Respect the boundaries of her job description and don’t allow favors and unrelated tasks to become part of her day. Honor her daily schedule and make sure that you’re home on time or that you give her ample notice if you have to be late. Pay her on time without reminders. Provide her with the supplies she needs to do the things your kids love to do. Treating your nanny like the professional she is will go a long way in making her a happy employee.

It can be hard juggling the responsibilities of having a nanny sometimes. But parents who take their role as nanny employers seriously are more likely to have happy nannies who want to stay in their jobs for the long haul.

Balancing all of the tasks of parenthood in today’s busy world can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to juggle a family and a busy career. What you may not realize, though, is just how much time you spend in waiting rooms and standing in lines, waiting for the next task to start. School pick-up zones are notoriously crowded, and can take forever to get through. You can end up spending a load of time in a state of suspended animation when you have to show up early to get in line and aren’t able to move until well after the last bell. Taking that time back and making it work in your favor by turning your daily pick-up chore into a time that’s packed with productivity can help you knock out a surprising number of items on your to-do list.

1. Return Phone Calls and Text Messages – Talking on the phone or sending and receiving text messages while you’re driving is both dangerous and, in many areas of the country, illegal. Rather than risking an accident or a citation for allowing your phone to be a distraction while you drive, hold off on returning those calls or messages until you arrive at the school. Chances are that you’ll have plenty of time to attend to all of them while waiting for your little ones to be released.
2. Check and Send Emails – Work emails don’t stop just because you’re off the clock for the day, but wrapping up any loose ends or responding to emails with your smartphone allows you to manage as much as possible before your children climb in the car with tales of their day and big accomplishments.
3. Plan Meals for the Week – Cooking a healthy, balanced meal every night can seem like a task that’s simply too large to manage for busy, working moms. What you may not realize is that planning the meals for every night of the week in advance and selecting quick, easy recipes can make preparing dinner each night a snap.
4. Make Your Grocery List – Grocery shopping without a list increases your chances of forgetting vital items, and can even cause you to spend more than you intended as you fill the cart with impulse items. While you’re waiting for that last bell to ring and the kids to come flooding out of the doors, why not put the finishing touches on your grocery list?
5. Do Some Online Shopping – Picking up that last minute gift for a friend or relative, saving money on household items from online retailers and even finding the perfect outfit can all be done quickly and easily while you’re waiting in line to pick up your children from school.
6. Catch Up on the News – It’s not easy to find time each day to dedicate to reading the news, but staying informed of current events is necessary during such turbulent times. Grab the newspaper on your way out of the door or pull up headlines on a smartphone while you’re in the pick-up line.
7. Foster a Hobby – Something as relaxing and rewarding as knitting or crocheting is definitely productive, especially if you turn out a scarf or a darling pair of mittens along the way. Knitting and crochet projects can be easily transported in a small, dedicated bag and whipped out at a moment’s notice. Remember that it’s never too late to learn a new skill, and that any time spent improving yourself by increasing your knowledge is certainly time spent well.
8. Organize Your Calendar – Keeping up with everything you have to do, all of the upcoming events in your family and the schedules of your children can feel like a full-time job all by itself. Getting a calendar organized and ready to go for the days and weeks ahead can be done while you’re waiting in the pick-up line, and can minimize the likelihood of important appointments falling through the cracks.
9. Read – Whether you’re reading a hefty instructional tome or mystery fiction, it’s difficult to argue with reading as a productive activity. Because books and eReaders are also quite portable, you can easily take them with you while you wait in school pick-up traffic.
10. Map Out an Exercise Plan – Getting in shape requires dedication and determination, along with a solid plan of attack. Spending the sedentary moments of your pick-up wait time to organize your exercise routine and plan a new diet is a great way to pass the time in a healthy, worthwhile fashion.

Remember that productivity doesn’t just consist of cranking out projects and crossing items off of lists. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is simply relax, so don’t be afraid to spend part of your time in line meditating, praying or breathing deeply in a bid to collect your thoughts and get motivated for the rest of the evening.

When most of your meals consist of scavenged chicken nuggets and cookies that are gobbled while you stand at the sink during a rare window of narrow opportunity, managing your weight is a challenge. Adding the demands of a career and running a household while struggling to drop remaining baby weight even years after giving birth makes the process even more difficult, and can be so frustrating that it’s very tempting to simply give up. After all, who has time to go to the gym and prepare perfectly balanced meals? Actually, you may be surprised at how easy it is to work simple, effective lifestyle changes into your everyday routine that will help you reach your goals.

1. Make Your Smartphone Work for You – Most modern, productive moms have a smartphone that they rely on for everything from scheduling to family photo storage. What you may not realize is that your phone can also be a fairly powerful weight loss aide. There is a plethora of diet and fitness apps available for a variety of operating systems, making it easy to keep track of your diet or calorie intake as you go about your day.
2. Set Up a Support Network – When you have a support network of other moms with similar goals, you may find it much easier to get yourself in shape. A partner or a small group are very helpful when it comes to accountability, and will also give you a built-in shoulder to cry on when the going gets a bit tough.
3. Take Advantage of Every Opportunity to Be Active – You may be surprised by how much of your day is spent on inactivity. Rather than whipping out your phone to play games or an eReader to keep you company while the kids are at soccer practice, take the opportunity to go for a walk. Park farther from the door when you shop, and opt for the stairs rather than waiting for the elevator. Remember, every bit of exercise will add up!
4. Think Before You Eat – Scarfing a handful of cookies and washing them down with a swig of soda may seem like a quick-fix solution when hunger pangs strike while you’re on the go, but you can make it easier for yourself to make healthier choices. Before you eat something, stop to think about how healthy it is. That one brief pause may bring you to your senses, and several of them can help you lose weight.
5. Remove Temptation at Home – Even if you have a houseful of sugar-addicted children, there’s no real reason why you have to keep tempting, unhealthy food items in the house. Toss out the empty calories and fill their space with less fattening fare. Getting your kids in on the act may cause a few protests at first, but it will also help them form the foundation for better eating habits as they reach adulthood.
6. Play With Your Kids – Chasing after a healthy, active child is no mean feat. Just managing to keep up with a child can be physically demanding, which is why going the extra mile to engage in active play that’s appropriate to your kids’ age groups can have real results. You’ll also be killing two birds with one stone, as you’re providing the little ones with the one-on-one time they need.
7. Plan Meals a Week in Advance – Pulling together a healthy meal every night just isn’t something that the average, harried mom has time for. When you set aside a bit of time on Sunday evening to plan simple, healthy meals for the entire week and even do a bit of advance prep work, you’ll be able to whip up healthier and significantly cheaper meals than those you share in a restaurant.
8. Stick to Water for Hydration – Sodas, energy drinks and coffee all have their appeal, but they may also be filled with artificial sweeteners, chemical additives and loads of empty calories. The next time you start feeling a bit dry, reach for a glass of water instead.
9. Don’t Let the Scale Discourage You – If you’re pairing your dietary changes with physical activity, the scale probably isn’t your friend. Replacing fat with lean muscle can even raise the number on your scale’s display, but your “skinny jeans” are a far more accurate measurement tool.
10. Keep a Journal – It’s easy to say that you don’t have time for a journal, but it can be as simple as a quick email sent to yourself each day detailing what you ate and how much physically active time you had each day. Writing down everything you eat forces you to be honest about your habits, and can be a very powerful motivator.

Whatever you do, remember not to be too hard on yourself. Getting discouraged when you don’t feel like you’re losing enough weight is easy, but it’s important to keep the old adage about Rome being built in a day in mind. Your progress won’t happen overnight. In fact, it may be quite gradual. Still any results are better than no results, and you won’t obtain them if you don’t persevere.

For many households, after-school childcare is not feasible for a variety of reasons. In fact, the 2010 U.S. census reveals that, at one time or another during the week, up to one third of all school age children go back to an empty home after classes end. If your child is one of the five to seven million latchkey kids in America, there are some things you can do to make the experience less stressful for both you and your child. Preparing for time spent home alone is of vital importance, while setting and enforcing a set of predetermined rules is critical for your child’s safety and your peace of mind.

1. Apprise Yourself of the Laws in Your Area – Laws governing the age when a child can legally be left home alone vary from state to state. Before deciding to leave your child alone after school, it’s imperative that you check to see if your child is of legal age to do so. There are also laws determining the age a child needs to be before he is allowed to care for other children, as well as how long he’s legally allowed to be without adult supervision. It’s crucial for you to be aware of these laws if you are planning on your children being home alone.
2. Make Sure Your Child is Emotionally Mature Enough to Look After Himself – How your child accepts being a latchkey kid depends largely upon his temperament and age. Younger children just don’t have the ability to handle difficult decisions that may arise during your absence, and even older ones who aren’t quite as mature as their peers can struggle to deal with life as a latchkey kid. Know your child’s capabilities before you ask him to assume such a heavy load of responsibility.
3. Prepare Your Child – Kids will handle the situation differently on an individual level, depending on their particular temperament and skill level. You can prepare your child for this new step towards independence by fostering a sense of maturity and helping him learn the skills he’ll need.  Praise your child for a task done well and offer feedback regarding things he could have done differently when he makes mistakes. This instills a sense of confidence in the child and helps him learn through firsthand experience.
4. Get Your Child Involved in the Rule-Making Process – Many parents will create a long list of rules for kids to obey, and then wonder why they have so much trouble getting the kids to follow them. If you sit down with your kids and enlist their help in making the rules, you may find that those rules carry more weight due to the child’s sense of ownership. Often, kids will come up with rules that you would never even think of, so be sure that you’re not neglecting his opinion when you draw up a game plan.
5. Discuss Home Safety Issues – Talk with your child about safety around the house and quiz him on the ways he would handle a series of hypothetical emergencies to ascertain just how much he knows about dealing with scary situations. There are certain things they should know without a moment’s pause, like how to dial 911, where the first aid kit is kept and where to find the list of emergency phone numbers if it is not already programmed into the phone.
6. Never Assume Your Child “Knows Better” – Revisit rules on a regular basis, and check in with your child to determine how things are going with the latchkey arrangement regularly while he’s alone. Caring for himself is a large responsibility for a kid, so don’t assume that they know better than to make mistakes that seem obvious to you. This is especially true for younger children who have little experience looking after themselves. If your child does something wrong, find out why the disobedience occurred and  be sure to address the issue in a manner that will get your point across without being overly harsh. Sometimes, kids really do have a good reason for making what seems to be a bad decision. It’s important that, despite a serious transgression, she still feels she can come to you with anything.
7. Get to Know Your Neighbors – If you don’t already know your neighbors, now is the time to get to know them. Ideally, you will develop a relationship with the neighbors long before you need them to watch out for your child. Find neighbors with whom you can build trust and feel comfortable with as backup check points for your child. You are not asking them to babysit, but you are enlisting their help should a serious emergency arise.
8. Lock the Door – Impress upon your children the importance of locking the door behind them and not answering it under any circumstance unless they hear otherwise from you. Kids alone at home can be easy targets for predators, and you never know who may be watching.
9. Check In – Open lines of communication are essential to the success of a latchkey arrangement. Have the kids check in with you upon arriving home. Everyone knows what to expect when the schedule is set. This also means that you will need to check in with the kids if your schedule should change even slightly. Stopping at the grocery store could cause a panic if your kids can’t reach you by phone, especially if you’re later than they expect. Just as you want them to keep you aware of any changes in the schedule, you need to do the same with them.
10. Set Up Parental Controls – Parents need to be aware of online predators, especially if their children will be spending large chunks of unsupervised time at home in the afternoon. Set up rules governing computer use in your absence and make sure that all possible parental control settings are activated. You may want to limit online activity to homework until you get home, but it’s still wise to make sure that there are at least some filtering options in place if kids can access a computer while they’re not being supervised.
11. Research Community Programs – If your area has community programs, such as Boys and Girls Clubs or community recreational programs, consider making use of these programs. Many times the programs are free or low cost. This will give your child something constructive to do and she won’t need to spend so much time alone in the afternoons until you return in the evening.
12. Look In to Extracurricular Activities – Some schools will offer programs for latchkey kids for a few hours before or after school that can take up a bit of time, keeping them safe and supervised for a bit longer during the day. Enrolling your child in such a program is particularly helpful for younger kids who may be ready for short stints at home each afternoon, but aren’t quite prepared to spend several hours alone.

A new baby is cause for celebration. All the planning and preparations for the new little one can be a lot of fun as showers are given and gifts received. Your world certainly gets somewhat topsy-turvy and especially so if you already have a child or two. If this is your second child, you may be surprised to find that Number One is beginning to show signs of jealousy. Consider these 10 reasons why your child may be jealous of a new baby.

1. It’s a natural feeling – Even if you know you have done everything possible to prepare your firstborn for the arrival of the second baby, at some point jealousy will rear its ugly head. This is a natural response and if handled correctly can be managed proactively.
2. The level of attention is decreasing – Firstborn siblings are used to being the center of attention and the center of their parents’ lives. Now that attention is beginning to shift away and depending on the age of the child it can feel rather traumatic.
3.  Number One may feel left out – As activities gear up for the new baby’s arrival, it is easy for Number One to feel excluded. Parents often prepare a nursery; there are baby showers to attend; shopping is focused on baby things and the spotlight on the firstborn begins to fade.
4. The old routine has been interrupted – You probably had a certain flow of things before the new baby came along, and now that flow has been interrupted. This can cause anxiety for the older sibling who has become used to a certain routine.
5. It’s not the fun it was touted to be – Many parents prepare older siblings for the new baby by telling them they will finally have someone to play with. Unfortunately, the older sibling is thinking of a ready-made playmate, so when the baby comes home and can’t play catch, or tag or any other game AND takes up all the time and attention of Mom and Dad, Number One may start to feel jealousy taking over.
6. Cleaning up after baby – At first it may seem a privilege to help clean up baby’s little messes. But after a while, the older sibling may begin to feel that something is wrong with the picture where baby gets to make the mess without any consequences. After all, when Number One makes a mess the expectation is that it will be cleaned up by Number One. Jealousy over Baby’s honored position of no responsibility can crop up.
7. All the pretty toys – New babies are often inundated with new toys. From crib mobiles to stuffed animals to books and other things they may not use for a while, the new baby receives all kinds of new things. Many times older siblings don’t get much of anything. For youngsters this is grounds for the green eyed monster to really get going.
8. Babies don’t have to be quiet – It may seem unfair that this baby gets to cry all night long, but Number One has to be quiet all the time. After being disturbed enough times, Number One may get a little jealous about the disparity of quiet time.
9. Babies are so cute! – Everyone always talks about how cute the baby is and few seldom notice Number One’s cuteness anymore. Not only that, but when Number One does those goofy little things to remind folks, all that usually happens is that Number One either gets ignored or a reprimand for acting silly. No wonder Number One is jealous of Baby Cutie Pie!
10. The “replacement kid” – Of course you are not replacing Number One with Number Two, but Number One may not know that. Feelings of resentment and jealousy can easily set in if for any reason than that the older sibling has the misperception that this new addition is a replacement kid. You may have to work harder in the love and affection department to reassure an older sibling that this is not the case.

Many older siblings will have some leanings toward jealousy at one point or another as time progresses with the new baby. Rest assured that these feelings are natural and with patience, love and compassion you can help your child overcome such feelings.

Many times children feel like they need to have a pet, but in reality they want one, not need one.  Kids have trouble distinguishing between wants and needs, in fact many adults have trouble with that too.  Before you get a pet for your child, consider 10 reasons why getting one may not be a great idea.

1. Not ready to care for one:  Many parents feel like having a pet will help teach their kids to be more responsible and to think of someone besides themselves.  It’s all about me when you are a child and kids have great intentions when they ask for a pet, but most often those intentions don’t pan out.
2. Could cause allergic reactions: A large number of folks are allergic to pet dander.  Is there a way around it?  Yep.  It just depends on what extreme measures you want to take.  You can put in a fancy and expensive air filtration system in your home.  You can get one of those hideous hairless cats.  You could also buy and take medications for your allergy symptoms.
3. Animals could create an unhealthy environment: Granted this doesn’t happen to every household, but there have been many cases where people took in strays and then for whatever reason weren’t able to take care of the pets properly.  The feces of the animals ended up getting everywhere and causing an unsafe environment for children.
4. Kids are too busy to spend time with them: Kids think they want or need a pet so that they can play with them, but then the kids are never home.  They come home after school to grab a snack and then to take off to play at a friend’s house.  Then they come home in time to eat supper and run out the door to some sort of activity.  By the time they get home they work on homework and go to bed.  Is it really necessary to have a pet when the only time your child can play with it is on the weekends and during the summer?
5. Has the extra money:  Let’s face it, pets are expensive.  If you want a pure breed you are going to have to shell out big bucks, but even if you have a pet given to you there are expenses that will come along with it.  Dogs and cats need to go to the vet to get their annual shots.  Then they need heart worm and flea preventative medications.  What if you just want a gerbil or a fish?  The bedding has to be changed and the pet needs to eat something.  Then there are toys and other things that just add up.
6. The parent gets stuck with the work: Someone has to feed it, water it, take it for a walk if it’s a dog or clean out it’s cage if it’s a smaller pet.  Kids say they will do these things, but it rarely happens.
7. Hassle when you leave town: Who’s going to take care of this pet when you want to go on vacation?  Are you stuck staying at home now because you have a pet?  Dogs need to be boarded or you need someone to come over and take them out and feed and water them daily.  Small pets, like gerbils, can go several days with a bowl full of food and a water bottle, but even they need attention after about 4 days.
8. Imposing on friends: So if you don’t want to pay someone to take care of your pet then you are imposing on your friends or relatives.  Is this their pet?  Why do they need to take care of your pet?  Your kids’ friends are too young and would you trust them to come over and go into your house and take care of the pet while you are gone?
9. Liability issues: What if the pet bites someone?  That person could sue you for a lot of money.  Is that kind of thing covered under your homeowner’s policy?  You might want to find out the answer to that question before you think about getting a pet.
10. More time on homework: What child couldn’t use more time on their homework.  If you had a pet your child would just be distracted and want to spend time with the pet and then their schooling could suffer.

While no one really needs a pet, they do bring great joy to those who have one. Be sure before getting a family pet you really examine the pros and cons and be sure you are making the right choice for your family.

Preparing for a new baby can be fun, but it can also be stressful. Whether it’s your first baby or your fourth, pre-delivery jitters can affect even seasoned veterans. Forgotten bags, confusion and an empty cupboard can all be the results of a pregnancy-fogged brain.

Here are ten ways to prepare for the arrival of your little bundle of joy.

1. Pack Your Bags – At the beginning of your ninth month, it’s a good idea to pack an overnight bag full of essentials for mom and a diaper bag just for baby’s belongings. Though your partner can always pick up forgotten items, it will cut into the time you spend getting acquainted with the newest member of your family as a unit.
2. Buy and Install Your Car Seat –Many hospitals require infants to pass a car seat test prior to bringing their baby home. Others actually require a Certified Passenger Safety Technician check the installation before releasing the baby.
3. Prepare Birth Announcements – If you know your child’s gender and have already chosen a name, you can prepare your birth announcement template ahead of time. Though you’ll have to add delivery details after the fact, these small steps can save time, which will certainly be at a premium after your child is born.
4. Make Your Birth Plan – You’ve likely been weighing your birth options since your first trimester; now is the time to nail down your birth plan. Whether you’re opting for an all-natural, minimal intervention birth or plan to have an induction and an epidural, it’s best to discuss your wishes with your healthcare provider before those contractions start.
5. Prepare Older Siblings – Introducing a new family member can be stressful for children; though they have a vague idea that you’ll be bringing a new baby home, it’s still a good idea to have a discussion about their role as an older sibling and what they should expect when the new baby comes home.
6. Arrange For Extra Help – If you’re going to be hiring a nanny who specializes in newborns or inviting a family member for an extended visit to help out, it’s a good idea to hammer out the details of the plan as your due date approaches.
7. Decide Who Will Be Attending the Birth– While there may be dozens of loved ones in the waiting room, deciding who will be attending the birth of your child is a very personal and potentially difficult decision. Your comfort and the comfort of your partner are the most important aspects of this decision; don’t allow yourself to be pressured by insistent loved ones if you’re not comfortable with their attendance.
8. Attend Newborn Care Class – Parents-to-be with limited newborn experience might want to consider attending a newborn care class in order to prepare themselves and learn the basics. These courses are usually available at community centers; your midwife or obstetrician can provide you with contact information.
9. Launder Clothing, Bedding and Towels – All of your newborn’s clothing, bedding and towels should be laundered with a fragrance-free detergent specially designed not to irritate their skin. Checking this chore off your list before bringing baby home is best; you’re not likely to have time after delivery.
10. Stock Your Kitchen – As your due date nears, it’s a good idea to stock up on staple items. Preparing meals that are easily frozen and reheated is also a plus; neither you nor your partner is likely to feel like cooking in the first few weeks of parenthood.