There is a lot to prepare for once you are pregnant. Sure, it can be a very exciting time as you anticipate the arrival of a new baby, and you might be very excited to meet your child, especially if this is your very first. But you shouldn’t let all that excitement get in the way of your preparations. After all, there is certainly a lot that needs to be done before you bring your little one home from the hospital.
When it comes to preparing your home for your new baby, it’s best to take things slow and use the full nine months to get ready. That way, you aren’t in one big rush in the final month of your pregnancy. When you are coming to the end of the pregnancy, you will be very fatigued and in some discomfort, and you just won’t feel like preparing your home anymore. Sure, you will go through the nesting phase at that stage, but you won’t want to do anything too taxing. So, as you can tell, it’s best to get ready in advance, and then you can relax in the final weeks of your pregnancy.
Think it’s time you started to get your house in order right now? There is no better time than the present, so it’s certainly a good time to start! Here are a few things you need to prepare so that you are all ready to bring your new bundle of joy home with you once they arrive.
Carry Out A Safety Assessment
First of all, you need to make sure that your home will be safe for your new baby. Even though your little one won’t be able to crawl around for the first few months, now is still the time to remove anything that they could get a hold of when they are on the floor. You’ll be busy as soon as you bring your baby home, and might not have time to move all of the usual hazards and risks once they do start crawling, so it’s best to do it now. So, while you are still pregnant, you should go around each room and make sure it will be safe for the young baby. It’s also worth getting down onto your knees and seeing what a small baby or toddler might be able to reach once they are mobile. If you think there is something within an arm’s reach, then it’s a good idea to move it up to a higher shelf or surface.
Clean Germ Hotspots
It’s important to bring your baby back to a home that is spic and span. Their immune systems won’t be fully developed and might be slightly weak, so they could easily fall ill when exposed to any germs or bacteria. Because of this, it’s important to keep your home in immaculate condition and as clean as possible. This is especially the case with areas that are hotspots for germs, such as door handles and light switches. Even though your baby won’t be touching these, you and other adults in your home will be, so you might end up unwittingly spreading germs around the house. Don’t forget to target other germ and bacteria hotspots, including dishrags, countertops, and cutting boards.
Get The Nursery Ready
One major job that all parents will need to do is to prepare their nursery for the baby. Lots of parents like to completely redecorate their spare bedroom so that it looks gorgeous for their new arrival. For parents who find out the sex of the child before it’s born, it’s easy to know what colours to decorate this room in. However, if you want to keep your child’s sex a surprise then you will have to do some gender-neutral decor. Thankfully, there’s plenty of wallpaper that will look good in any child’s bedroom and nursery. You can view more here for some inspiration. When it comes to items in the nursery, you don’t need too much stuff. Just the basics, like a cot and a changing station, will do. It’s also worth adding a little corner for you so that you can breastfeed your baby in comfort. Add a soft armchair and a small coffee table with some books on so that those midnight feeds don’t become too much of a drag.
Make Room In Your Fridge
Even though you may be breastfeeding your baby, it’s still a good idea to make quite a bit of room in your fridge for bottles. You can then express milk to fill bottles with, which can be stored in the fridge. This then gives you and your partner the chance to share feeding duties through the night so that you aren’t too exhausted. You might also need to make up some formula milk as well, and this will need to be stored in the fridge. After all, breastfeeding doesn’t always go quite to plan, and you might need to sometimes fall back on formula. Plus, all this extra space gives you somewhere to store a few batch-cooked meals. While you are making room in the fridge, be sure to give it a good clean so that it doesn’t become a breeding ground for bacteria and germs.
Plan For Visitors
Once the baby is here, you will be very popular indeed- everyone will want to meet your new bundle of joy! You will no doubt have a lot of visitors come to see your new family. You might even want to invite your close family members and friends to stay the night if they have to travel far. So, you might want to prepare a spare bedroom so that it’s always ready to welcome guests. Preparing the room now will be a lot easier than trying to rush around to make the bed while you need to be taking care of the baby, trust me!
Get Ready For Stains
If there is one thing that babies are good at, it has to be making a mess! So, you need to make sure that you are always prepared to tackle any potential stains. From burping up their last meal, to getting covered in milk and baby food, there are so many ways your little one will be able to make a mess. In fact, you might even wonder why you bother getting them dressed some days! One good way to tackle stains is to place a few bottles of stain removers in each room. That way, there is always one in easy reach. Make sure that it is a natural stain remover that is enzymatic as this won’t be made with harsh chemicals.
Fill Your Freezer
When your baby arrives, you will quickly learn that you won’t have much time for yourself at all. That means you’ll need to squeeze in all your chores and household jobs into what little free time you have. Unfortunately, that also means that you might not feel like cooking healthy and nutritious meals for you and your partner every day. But don’t worry, though, that doesn’t mean that you have to survive on convenience foods and unhealthy takeouts all the time. In fact, now while you are pregnant is the best time to prepare for this. You just need to make some room in your freezer so that you can batch cook some meals and freeze them ready for a later date. Dishes such as lasagnes, stews, and curries, are great to cook in advance and freeze for later. Then, when you want a healthy, home-cooked meal, you just have to take a couple of portions out of the freezer and heat them through.
*Contributed post
