Congrats on your pending arrival! Becoming a parent is one of the most rewarding adventures you’ll likely embark upon, and before you know it your little one will be here. As you prepare for your bundle’s arrival, there are many things expecting parents can do to make life post-baby much easier for you and your spouse. Whether this is your first child or your fifth, every new parent can benefit from these practical tips, which were designed to help new parents be prepared for their growing family.

Purchase Life Insurance

As a new parent, you want to be sure your little one is cared for, which means securing their future in the event that you aren’t able to provide for them yourself. To do that, you should consider purchasing life insurance before your little one arrives. Having life insurance makes sense for just about anyone’s situation, but as a parent, it makes even more sense to have this extra assurance that your loved ones are taken care of in the event you’re no longer around.

Upgrade Your Vehicle

Sure, driving around in a car that’s been with you since your college years makes sense when it’s just you behind the wheel. However, when you have precious cargo to consider, suddenly your clunker doesn’t seem like such a viable idea. Before your bundle arrives, upgrade to an affordable new car for a growing family to ensure that you’re toting around your loved ones in a safe, reliable vehicle.

Draw up Your Will

Thinking about creating a will when you’re young and healthy may seem like a strange idea, but if something should happen to you and your spouse, you want to be sure your child is cared for by the people you trust most. Having a will can ensure that your little one goes to the right people and leaves no room for people to question who you want to raise your child in the event that you and your spouse cannot be there to do it yourselves.

Do Meal Prep

After the excitement settles down and you have your new addition home with you, you may find yourself limited on time, especially when it comes to completing routine household chores such as cooking and cleaning. Help ensure that you still receive nutritious meals after your baby is born and spend some time preparing meals that you can store in your freezer and heat up at mealtime. This can be a lifesaver for new parents, who are often too tired to cook a meal from scratch and want to devote their time to their baby.

Finish Prepping for Baby

You may think you have plenty of time to finish painting the nursery, building the crib, and installing the car seat, but the reality is that sometimes baby comes sooner than you may think, and you want to be prepared. Take time to wrap up any outstanding tasks that you need to complete before the baby’s arrival so that all you have to do is wait for them to come.

Talk to Your Health Insurance Company

You want to be sure that your baby is properly insured from day one, so talking to your health insurance company is a must before baby’s arrival. This can lessen the chances that you’ll run into issues when trying to pay for your hospital visit because your insurance company will know that you’re expecting and you won’t have billing issues.

Having these tasks complete before your baby’s arrival can make the process much less stressful for anxious new parents. Remember, the best thing you can provide your new baby with is lots of love, and when you have these tasks completed, you’ll be able to focus all your time on doting on your littlest family member.