You probably remember your Little League coach hollering at you to get in the ready position: knees bent, glove open, one foot slightly in front of the other, weight on the balls of your feet.

Now it's time to assume the ready position again – this time for the arrival of your baby. You've read endless articles about preparing yourself for sleepless nights and the importance of giving your partner a back rub whenever she needs one. Now that you're well versed in the mental and emotional sides of parenting, you need to snap into practical mode and ensure you're physically prepared, too.

Once the baby arrives, you'll be juggling lots of balls, and you won't have time for getting rooms in order. Creating a highly functional physical environment for Baby will make it infinitely easier for you to operate on little sleep and tenuous mental capacity. Here are four important steps to undertake prior to the baby's arrival.

The baby's imminent arrival serves as a great excuse to attack your own space – with extreme prejudice. After all, before you can create a functional space for your baby, you need to ensure your own living space is well organized so you're not tripping over laundry baskets or hair dryers on your way to the baby's room in the middle of the night.

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