5 Signs You're Nesting Before Welcoming Your Baby

Throughout pregnancy, you're sure to experience energy spikes and lulls. But as you inch closer to your due date, you may become super-motivated to clean, organize, and optimize your baby's future environment. That impulse is known as nesting.

Nesting is common in animals whose newborns need significant nurturing before they can survive independently. Studies show that humans also show nesting behaviors, like carefully preparing their baby's space. Researchers think these behaviors are linked to an instinct to protect vulnerable infants.

Nesting instincts can begin at any time during pregnancy, but some pregnant people take it as a sign that labor is near. Here, are telltale signs you're nesting before your baby arrives, and tips for embracing your newfound energy in a healthy way.

1. You Become a Clean Freak

It's common to amp up your regular routine of straightening up and wiping down countertops. But many parents-to-be find themselves motivated to engage in intense deep cleaning. This may mean digging under and into the nastiest crevices of your home and scrubbing surfaces you may have never even glimpsed before. You might even have the urge to make the bathroom spotless at 3 a.m. If you are battling pregnancy insomnia, you're up anyway, right?

It's smart to clean and disinfect before welcoming your baby…to a point. Avoid oven cleaners, varnish removers, aerosol sprays, and carpet cleaners, which might be hazardous. Wear household gloves (and maybe even a face mask) and open up doors and windows to ensure good ventilation during cleaning.

You may have a newfound zest for doing laundry, too. That means cycling through clothes, towels, blankets, and even outdoor pillows at an unusual rate. Naturally, new baby clothes will get special attention. Because some new clothes carry chemical residue, it's a good idea to wash them in a hypoallergenic laundry detergent before the baby arrives.

2. You Get the Organization Bug

You're hunting for that household item you never realized you needed until now. A fruit bowl. A night light. A drying rack. It doesn't really matter what it is: You must find it. Your home—and therefore your baby's life—will not be complete without it.

It's natural to want to get your home in order before your baby arrives. It's also practical: You may have less time and energy to rearrange your space—or find a missing item—when you are engaged in the 24-hour-a-day job of caring for a newborn. Try to focus on the spaces you know you will use frequently as a new parent, like the refrigerator, your baby's dresser, and laundry area.

3. You Are in Declutter Mode

Out with the old, in with the new: It's a natural attitude when a needy new human is entering your space. Many pregnant people feel the urge to rid their home of items they feel they no longer need—or never really needed to begin with—before their baby arrives. Discards may include old clothes, dated knick-knacks, and unused appliances or electronics.

While you're at it, scrutinize whether you need items that may pose a risk to your baby once they're mobile, which will happen before you know it! If you're already tired of your sharp-edged accent pieces and overly fancy decorations, it's a good time to donate them. The Salvation Army, the Kidney Foundation, and Goodwill are happy to take those goods off your hands. Some may even pick it up at your home.

4. You're Focused on Furniture

You suddenly insist that the nursery needs to be assembled in one day (and painted). Maybe you have spent two weeks researching nursery rocking chairs or gliders. Or, you are inspired to rearrange other furniture throughout the house until everything feels just right.

Preparing spaces where your baby will sleep and eat and optimizing the flow throughout your home makes sense. Sturdy, comfortable, well-placed furniture is important for your baby's safety and will enhance your comfort. Have someone help you lift or move heavy items to avoid injuring yourself or creating possible pregnancy complications. It's hard to know what's too much—it depends on how much something weighs and how far or how high you're moving it.

Have someone help you lift or move heavy items to avoid injuring yourself or creating possible pregnancy complications. It's hard to know what's too much—it depends on how much something weighs and how far or how high you're moving it.

5. You Have an Urge To Shop

Even if you were a penny pincher pre-pregnancy, you might want to buy all the things now. And not just baby-specific items. Anecdotally, pregnant people seem to be enchanted by new sheets, fresh toiletries, lots of comfy lounge clothes, and cookbooks, among other Amazon clickbait.

Consider setting a family budget before your baby is born. That way, you can know exactly how much you have to spend on items that aren't newborn essentials. Be sure to leave some spending cash in the bank, since you never know what you or your baby may need once they arrive.