Preparing your home for your baby’s arrival makes your life easier when you’re caring for a newborn. You need to adjust your home and make it convenient for the growing family. Here is a checklist with some of the best tips and tricks to welcome your bub. But note…. not every suggestion is right for every family.
Get the nursery ready
Setting up your little one’s nursery is the fun part. Purchase good-quality baby furniture and storage solutions to deal with all the baby stuff. A few must-haves to buy for your baby’s nursery are:
- Cot, co-sleeper bassinet, or portacot
- Dressers or clothing baskets
- Rocking chair or glider
- Toy baskets
- Lighting
- Nappy changing table
- Laundry hamper
Make space in the other rooms
Before your little one arrives, you will want to clean your house and make space everywhere. Here's a list of changes you can make in different rooms:
- Living/Family Room: Playpens, bouncy chairs, toys and electronics
- Bathroom: Baby tub, toys, baby toothbrush, comb, shampoo, conditioner, medicines and lotion
- Kitchen: Breast pump, bottles, cups, plates, bibs, high chairs, and baby food
- Cabinets/Wardrobe: Strollers, clothes, and nappy bags
If you have a hard time deciding what to get rid of in every room, evaluate your hobbies. See if you'll have the time or energy to pursue them once the baby comes.
Create stations around the house
Having organised spaces around the house will make your life much easier. During the first few weeks, your hands will be full, and you will need multiples of the most used items. Have feeding, changing, and sleeping stations set up in different rooms for maximum convenience. Include all the necessary items in a basket at every station to avoid going back and forth between rooms. Make everything accessible for you at all times while you're feeding, rocking, or soothing bub.
Storage options are your best friends
To create well-managed and practical stations, make use of different storage options. Caddies, baskets, storage bins, and tubs help you keep everything in one little area.
Prep all newborn items
Clean all the newborn items and sanitise them before your baby uses them. Wash all clothes, fabric covers, sheets, and blankets. Sanitise bottles, pumps, and nipples. Wipe down all the baby gear. Make sure that everything is clean and ready to use before the baby comes home.
Get vaccinated
Being pregnant makes you proactive in different areas of your health. Visit your GP to get the flu shot and a whooping cough booster. Mums-to-be are at a greater risk of complications from flu during the second and third trimester. Getting the recommended flu vaccination benefits the mum and baby. The protective antibodies travel through the placenta to protect the baby for up to six months. Since the immunity from whooping cough fades over time, it is better to be vaccinated at 28 weeks during each of your pregnancies.
Stock your freezer
Caring for your little one is a tough job, especially during the initial few weeks. New mums need to keep themselves fed and healthy. During the last few weeks of your pregnancy, it is better to cook twice as much food and freeze it for future use. The loss of sleep, feeding your baby, changing nappies and other things leave you with little time for groceries or preparing food. If a friend or family member asks to help you, getting frozen, cooked meals can be a simple, inexpensive and very useful gift.
Get breastfeeding and bottle essentials
All the essentials you need to feed your little one should be ready and in an easy-to-reach place. Breast pumps, formula, bottles and sterilisers should be cleaned and sterilised before your little one is brought home.
Prepare a dedicated changing station
A dedicated changing station may seem too much until you really start needing it. Your bed is not the ideal place for changing the baby’s nappy. When you need to change the nappy again and again, it wreaks havoc on your back and neck if you do not have a proper station set up for the baby. Changing on the couch or floor can make you slouch and tire you much more easily. Get a high and easy to reach changing station to make your life easier.
Babyproof your home
No, your baby does not come out crawling. However, during the nine months of your pregnancy, you can do your research and make your home safer for bub. Once the baby starts running around, it becomes harder to be thorough. Make sure every area in the home is safe. Use baby gates, get your furniture anchored, buy cabinet locks, and put on child-safe outlet covers.
Further Reading:
https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/a27125620/nesting-baby-home-preparation/