Preparing Your Home for a Baby

So, you’re a soon-to-be first-time mom. You’ve likely already robbed a few baby stores from all the essentials you will need after you bring your precious little one back home. However, besides all the pacifiers, diapers, and baby food, you need to prepare your home as well. 

Real safe-proofing your home comes when your baby begins walking. Still, making the necessary changes in your home early on will make your life much more comfortable in the months to come. 

Today, we’ll be taking a look at three vital areas when it comes to prepping your home for a baby.

Safety

Babies start moving around the house practically overnight, and you should prepare for that while you’re not sleep deprived. You can leave doorknobs as they are for now, but put the toxic chemicals away. Medication should also be locked up in a cabinet.

If you keep any weapons, lock them away. Install detectors for smoke and carbon monoxide. It might seem like these things won’t matter for at least another year, but they will put your mind at ease.

Also, if you don’t have one already, consider getting home insurance. Many companies, such as BrokerLink, offer affordable, reliable insurance – remember that babies need financial security, too. Such policies let you spend your budget on things that matter more.

Kitchen

At least in the first few months, your baby will spend most of its time in the nursery and the kitchen. Organizing the nursery is thus the number 1 thing to consider, but the kitchen comes as a close second. Here’s what you can do to make it more convenient.

Reimagine the Space

Take a look at your kitchen counter and decide what can be stored away. Leave the essentials, of course, but those devices you rarely use can leave space for a baby-food maker.

Also, clear out a cabinet for the tools you need to feed your baby – it’s best to keep it all in one place.

Clean the Fridge

Even while the baby is on the all-liquid diet, the fridge will need a place for breast milk and formula. Later, you will keep stacks of baby food there. So, before the delivery, make sure your fridge is meticulous.

Sterilize Everything

You don’t need to boil bottles, nipples, pumps, and teething toys, but they need to be clean. Use hot water with soap to kill common germs, and ideally, do it after every meal. That way, when the next feeding comes, you will be ready.

Laundry

You will soon be handling mounds of laundry, so it would be best that you do it ahead of time. Prepare the sleepers while your baby is still in your belly, and later, wash the clothes before you know you will need them.

Also, prepare for stains. Get an enzymatic stain cleaner and use it on the spit, formula, or urine stain as soon as possible. Soak the clothes you don’t plan on washing right away. Finally, learn to live with stains.

The Bottom Line

Preparing your home for the baby can be an excellent opportunity for you to get used to the fact you’ll soon have one. If possible, start prepping by the third trimester. That way, in the last week or two, you’re adding finishing touches.

Make a checklist, check everything off, and rest assured – you’re ready for your baby to arrive.