Preparing your home for a newborn can be a lot of fun and something that makes you deeply satisfied as a parent. But what should you be doing, exactly to get ready? Let’s take a look.
Give Your House A Deep Clean
Babies don’t have as much immunity to germs as fully-grown adults. So, for that reason, you need to ensure that your home is extra clean. Pull the sofas out and clean behind. Sweep the floors and deep clean your carpets.
Make sure that there’s no mould anywhere, as this can seriously affect your child’s lungs. And be sure to remove any sharp objects in small spaces that could hurt them when they learn to crawl.
Remove Your Cat’s Litter Tray
Living in a house full of cat poop is not a good idea, particularly if you are pregnant. Bending down and crouching to change it can cause pain in the latter parts of your pregnancy, which isn’t good for you or the child.
Stock Up On Your Baby Essentials
Don’t buy baby stuff after you deliver. Instead, stock up on everything that you need beforehand so it’s all there, ready and waiting to go as and when you need it.
Brands such as Kinderkraft list all of the kinds of things that you might need. Essential items include things like baby strollers, buggies, baskets, cots and nursery room sets.
Make More Space In Your Fridge
Despite their tiny bodies, newborns can take up a lot of space in the fridge with things like breast milk and formula. Furthermore, you’ll want to make space for any food that friends and family bring over to support you in your time of need.
If you’re in the process of making space in your fridge, it’s a good idea to clean it out at the same time.
To do this, wipe down the shelves with a warm sponge and scrub them with some vinegar if necessary. You can also wash them in the sink along with the rest of the washing up if they are removable.
Reassess Your Laundry Situation
Laundry becomes a little more complicated when you have a baby. You have to spend more time separating clothes. Start by getting yourself a separate hamper for both you and your child. You’ll also want to do things like prepare for stains by getting an enzyme-based stain cleaner. Stains will become much more common the moment the baby arrives.
Open Your Windows
Air quality can suffer when new babies arrive, mainly because of all the nappy-changing that needs to happen. So it’s a good idea to open your windows and get the air circulating as early as you can. Having windows open can ventilate the space and make it feel a little fresh.
Prepare Some New Mum Pampering
As a new mum, you need to think about yourself too. Prepare your pampering ahead of time so that you can easily relax after labour and more generally once the baby arrives. Things like essential oils for your mistifier and bath salts can really have a massive impact on your mood.
Got Something to Add?
What did you do to get your home baby ready? Let us know in the comments below.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
Helen, Nial and Lewis.
Welcome to Pikalily, an award-winning food, travel and lifestyle blog. We are Nial and Helen, a happily married couple from Northern Ireland, who share a passion for food and travel among many things. We became parents to our beautiful boy Lewis in 2017. Follow our adventures through the blog.
