Newsflash: While you may already know everything you need to do to keep your home organised, your new baby didn’t get the memo. In fact, you may find that from the moment your little one arrives, your home becomes a maze of toys, babygrows and blankets – a far cry away from the warm and welcoming haven it once was.
Fortunately, however, it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, with a little bit of planning ahead of time, you can make sure your home is ready for the new arrival, which can help bring a little calm to the storm of their first few months. This also means that you can spend less time cleaning and more time bonding with your little one.
Here are some top tips to get you started!
Spring clean
We’ve all heard of the ‘nesting phase’ of pregnancy. Well, this is a good time to use that energy and motivation which seems to come from nowhere to give your home a thorough clean before your baby arrives. Having a deep clean means you can get rid of dust and harmful bacteria and bring your new baby into a clean and healthy environment. Thus, more time spent bonding with your baby in those first few important weeks and less time worrying about the cleanliness of your home.
Be careful with the cleaning products you use though, not only for the baby’s benefit but also for your own. Using strong chemicals such as bleach can damage sensitive skin and can be dangerous to breathe in, especially when pregnant. And don’t forget, while pregnant you need to take it easy. Avoid any heavy lifting and take regular breaks. The best thing to do is have a partner or relative help with the more strenuous work.
Set up their bedroom
One of the easiest ways to begin to prepare your home for your baby is by setting up their bedroom. This can be a lot of fun – especially when you get to put your creativity to the test when decorating. However, before you pick out a colour scheme – you should also ensure that you buy all of the necessary furniture. This could include a crib, a Moses basket, bedding and more. Thankfully, you can get everything you need online from sites such as Foryourlittleone – meaning you don’t have to spend hours going from store to store to find every last item. And the best part, you get everything delivered directly to your door.
If this is not your first child, there is also the option of reusing some items you may already have. For ideas on what you can and can’t reuse, take a look at Items You Shouldn’t Reuse With Your Second Baby and Items To Reuse With Your Second Baby.
Get creative with storage
You must be able to create more space in your home before your baby arrives. This is due to the simple fact that you’ll need to find space to store all of their belongings – from nappies, clothing and toys to bottles, formula and toiletries. Thankfully, there are various ways in which you can make more space within your home without having to move to a bigger property.
For example, you can install additional shelves throughout the space or look into things like under bed storage. Reorganise your cupboards by using reusable plastic boxes and containers to store items and get rid of bulky packaging.
Decluttering is also a great way to create more space – more on that below.
Baby proof your home
By now, you’ve probably read a lot of articles about the importance of babyproofing your home. While this may not seem much of an issue until they start crawling around, the safer you can make your home, the better. Thankfully, there are various ways in which you can do this. The first step of the process is to remove any clutter from your home. Not only does clutter make your home appear untidy, but it can also be hazardous for you (and, by extension, your baby). Once you’ve decluttered, you should install baby guards on any stairways and locks on any cupboards that little ones should not have access to. For example, this is particularly important when it comes to your medicine and cleaning cupboards.
While some of these tips may not seem necessary ahead of baby’s arrival – creating a safe space for your family is likely to give you great peace of mind, allowing you one less thing to worry about.
