Congratulations! It's time to bring home your baby bundle of joy. There's nothing more exciting than the arrival of a new baby. However, if this is your first little one, it's likely that your home is going to need a lot of changes to get you prepared.
What You Need to Know About Preparing Your Home for a Newborn
Clean it up
Well, this is probably the least exciting item on our list but nonetheless, newborns are highly sensitive to environmental factors in the home and giving your living space a thorough spring clean prior to welcoming your baby back home is pretty important. With their new, fragile immune systems and their lack of exposure to the world, even the smallest things can irritate them. Things like dust and pet dander can irritate their breathing and cause them discomfort. Before the baby arrives, engage help to do some deep cleaning to get the house ready. Get the carpets deep cleaned, get the dust bunnies out from behind the furniture, and give everything a thorough scrub. Once the baby arrives you won't have time for this kind of spring cleaning anyway, so it will be nice to have it done!
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Read More >> Why You Will Love Our Ecosy Bamboo Jersey
Nursery Needs
Like many expectant parents, you may have spent a lot of time and energy making sure the nursery is beautifully decorated in anticipation of your little one. But does it have all the necessary components? Obviously, you'll need a bassinet or cot, a changing table, and maybe a dresser for the baby's clothes. However, there are a lot of nursery essentials that parents don't often think of. Make sure there is lots of storage for nappies, wipes, blankets, swaddles, burp cloths, and toys. Also, make sure you have a secure way of storing dirty nappies - you don't want to stink up the room! Lastly, make sure the room has thick curtains to block the light completely since little ones do a lot of sleeping during daylight hours.
Babyproofing
While your little one won't be running around on their own when they first come home, it happens a lot faster than you might think. Take some time to get your home fully prepared for your little one so they are completely safe from the moment they start crawling. Cover all electrical outlets, block off any stairwells or steps, and put padding or barriers around the sharp corners and edges of furniture. Make sure that any blinds or drapes with cords are tied up safely out of reach from the baby. Firmly attach large furniture, like bookshelves and dressers, to the wall so they don't tip.
Stock the freezer
Once you are caring for a newborn, lots of your usual domestic tasks will fall by the wayside. Nothing is more difficult when you're tending to a crying baby than cooking yourself a good meal. Do your future self a favour and stock up your freezer with plenty of meals that are easy to reheat. Try making large batches of family favourites, like soups, casseroles, and pasta and freezing them in small batches. Then when you're ready to eat, you can just pop them into the microwave and immediately have a hot, homemade meal ready to go. When you're already running low on sleep, going hungry is the last thing your body needs!
TIP! Don't want to upset loved ones by repeatedly declining their offer to help? Stocking your freezer with home-cooked meals is actually a great favour to ask of friends and family. They will be glad to be able to contribute something and knowing that you won't have to worry about cooking meals will put their mind at ease, and make your life as a new mum so much easier.
Was this article helpful? Let us know in the comments below and please share with us your top tips on how to best prepare your home for a newborn.
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