When you finally come home with your little one, the last thing you want to do is worry about cleaning up, cooking meals, and getting everything in order. Let’s review some tips and strategies that will help you get your home ready for a newborn so that you can enjoy your time together when they arrive.
Baby-Proof the Home
While it will be a while before your baby starts crawling or waddling around, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to baby-proof your space. You should anchor all TVs, electronics, and furniture, cover all electrical outlets, and hide any cables or ropes, such as blind cords. Setting up baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs is also wise. You should also lock your garbage, cabinets, and refrigerator. Finally, keep knives, glassware, and chemicals out of reach.
Set Up the Bathroom
While washing your little one can be daunting, they’ll need to get a good washing, especially with how messy they love to get. It’s better to get the bathroom ready now before a dirty disaster strikes. The first thing you’ll need, whether you have a shower or bathtub, is an infant tub and an anti-slip foam pad. You’ll also need gentle soap and shampoo, soft towels, hooded towels, and a rinsing cup.
Clean and Organize Your Space
Before we get into how to clean your home, know that your home doesn’t have to be entirely sterile, disinfected, and perfect. You want to get your space clean and organized as you usually would so that you don’t have to worry about it when your baby arrives. That may mean washing the dishes, cleaning and putting away your clothes and theirs, setting up the nursery, and getting rid of dust to remove allergens. Also, if you want to wash smarter and not harder, put a splash mat under their feeding chair when the time comes.
Stock Up on the Essentials
Parents often ask the question—how soon should you start shopping for baby stuff? The answer is that it depends. Ideally, when you hit the third trimester, you should start stocking up on the essentials, but if you haven’t yet, now’s the time to start. This isn’t just limited to baby products, either! Start hoarding what you and your baby need, like diapers, wipes, toilet paper, bottles, pacifiers, extra clothes, healing ointment, etc.
Prep Meals
Stocking up on snacks, prepping meals, or getting frozen ones should be a priority. You want to be able to feed yourself in a flash for those moments when you’ve been going for too long or you’re up late at night. Also, depending on whether you breastfeed or use formula, you should start pumping and freezing your milk or prepping bottles with formula so that you can prepare them whenever necessary.
Now that you know how to get your home ready for a newborn, you’re ready to enjoy all of that quality time with your little one.
