Adding a new member to your family can be quite exciting and sometimes stressful — especially when you factor in the amount of money required for a new baby, as well as getting your home ready for their arrival. To make it easier for you to transition into this new phase of parenthood, have a look at the 5 top tips to follow to get your home baby-ready:
1. Choose a nursery room or make space in your bedroom
When preparing for a new baby, choose a room in your home that will house the baby’s crib as well as clothing and supplies. If you own the home you’re living in or are allowed to paint, you might want to consider painting the nursery room a different colour, or maybe you can opt for bright paintings of cartoons on the wall.
If you’re short of space, you’ll have to make space in your room for the baby’s crib and other belongings.
2. Baby-proof your home
Before the baby comes home, you have to baby-proof your home. This includes making sure cabinets with cleaning supplies are locked properly, electrical sockets are covered, sharp corners are covered with corner protectors and many more.
Babies are curious, especially when they start crawling and walking. Try and put yourself in a tiny’s person’s shoes and analyse your home for possible dangers that need to be addressed.
Read: How to childproof your home
3. Buy non-toxic cleaning supplies
A lot of the chemicals we use to clean our homes are quite toxic to not only our health but to the environment as well. It’s certain that no parent wants their baby breathing in toxic fumes, or chewing on a toy that was washed with bleach, possibly exposing the child to harmful chemicals.
Non-toxic cleaning supplies can clean your home just as well as ones filled with harmful chemicals. They’re also good for the environment and tend to be owned by smaller companies, so not only will you be protecting your health and helping the environment, but you’ll be supporting companies that aren’t a part of a conglomerate too.
4. Give away items you don’t need or use for extra space
Getting your home ready for your baby means making as much space as possible. That blender that you don’t use much? Give it away or sell it. You’ll need the space for baby bottles and formula. That closet full of clothes you haven’t worn in 2 years? Donate them to people who need them. You’ll probably need the space for the baby’s new clothes. After all, as quickly as babies grow, the more space, the better!
5. Create a cleaning schedule to manage the daily mess
You’ll be surprised at how quickly a home can get dirty when it’s just been cleaned, especially with a new baby in the mix. Having an understanding of who cleans the house and when they clean it can help a great deal with managing the daily mess.
A messy house can increase the chances of accidents occurring and to minimize or eliminate hazards, keeping the house as clean as possible is recommended. Ultimately, support from all people living in the home or extended family members is important in ensuring that a home is ready for a baby.
Using the 5 tips above, you can make sure that your home is as accommodating as possible for your baby.