Having a new baby is such an exciting time for families, but it can also be incredibly stressful. There are so many things to do in nine short months to prepare for your new addition. Here are five things you should consider for your home when welcoming a new baby into the family.
Discuss With Your Other Kids
One of the most exciting things about beginning your pregnancy journey is telling the family members in your home. However, if you have young children you’ll want to proceed with a little more caution than when telling other family members. Most of the time, young children are worried their parents will love them less or spend less time with them. When approaching young children on the subject of a new baby, make sure to listen to their concerns and explain that you’ll love them just the same. Focus on all the positive aspects of this change and how exciting it’ll be for your child to be a big sibling.
Baby-Proof Your Home
After you’ve told your family members about your new child, you’re now ready to start baby-proofing your home. Baby-proofing usually isn’t seen as a priority until the baby starts crawling or walking, but you should consider being proactive about this step. Once the baby comes, you’ll be so busy taking care of them that by the time they start moving it might be too late or inconvenient to baby proof. To avoid hazards that cause accidents, baby-proof your home before the baby arrives. Additionally, taking this step before the baby comes can help you get used to the adjustments you’ve made in your home. Things you should look for when baby proofing include: wires, electrical outlets, open doorways, staircases, sharp corners, baby locks, toilet seals, and a safe place for your baby to play, like a playpen.
Prepare the Nursery
A huge part of getting ready for your new baby is preparing the nursery, where the baby will spend a majority of their time. This is usually an entire room to keep all of the baby items in one place, as well as where your baby will sleep independently. If your home is lacking the ability to give your new child this type of space, you might want to consider a home addition. Getting this room prepared can sometimes be pretty pricey, but if you need the extra space consider using your home’s equity to help fund this transformation to your home at a tax-deductible rate. This is a financially responsible way to make your home a little larger to accommodate for your new family member. Your child will greatly appreciate their own space once they get older and have a little more independence. Some parents will want to wait to find out the gender of the baby before getting started on the nursery. However, there are some things you can check off your list before that point like setting up a crib and a changing station.
Collect Supplies
Whether this is your first child or not, there are still a plethora of items you’ll need to collect before welcoming your baby into your home. A great way to collect some of these items is to have a baby shower. Not only is a shower a great opportunity to receive some of the necessities that your baby will need, but it’s also a great time to celebrate the exciting changes in your life with your closest family and friends. Make sure to create a registry of what you need beforehand. There are some great online registries these days that can compile all of your items from separate stores. If this isn’t your first child and you don’t feel comfortable with a full-on shower, consider a small get-together to celebrate in case your family members will still want to present you with some gifts. A helpful tip can be to make a list of the items you need that won’t be on your registry, then each month spend a day collecting some of those items. This way you aren’t in a rush to buy all of your items during the last month of your pregnancy.
Declutter Your Home
A task that often goes overlooked is decluttering some other areas of your home. However, with all the new items you’ll be accumulating it’s best to make room for them by throwing away or donating some things you may no longer need. A great way to get your home organized is to utilize the two-box system. Have two large boxes, one for items you need to get rid of and another for items that are good enough to donate. The stuff you’re keeping can be cleaned and returned to where it belongs. This is a great opportunity to declutter your space and bring your baby back to an organized home. Once you’ve done all of these things, your home will be completely ready to welcome your new child. However, sometimes babies can come a bit sooner than expected so don’t stress if you don’t get to finish all of these tasks. The most important part of having a baby is being prepared to love and nurture them for the rest of your life.
Need help coming up with a name for your newborn? Visit mygirlynames.com or check out our blog for more parenting tips and advice.
