There’s nothing more exciting than the expectation of bringing your new bundle of joy home. But while this is a wonderful time, it’s also going to be a busy time. This means that the best opportunity to get your home ready for your new child is before the birth.
Here is a quick checklist to help you make sure you have everything ready to go.Home Improvements and Maintenance
If you have any big home improvement projects planned, try to get them completed before the baby arrives. These projects are incredibly disruptive at the best of times, and nobody wants to try to get a newborn to sleep and relax while there’s construction work going on in the house. Babies and toddlers won’t understand what’s happening and can get extremely stressed.
The same applies to maintenance. Some repair tasks simply can’t be scheduled, as if something is broken, you need to fix it. But you can do some preventative maintenance before the baby arrives to keep everything running smoothly for at least a few months or so.
This includes getting your plumbing and electrical work checked out, especially if you’ve noticed an issue. Get a roof inspection. If you have a fireplace, make sure to call a chimney sweep. All of this will add to your peace of mind.
Get the Nursery Ready
Speaking of home improvements, it’s best to have the nursery ready before your child arrives. Even if you don’t plan on sleeping in a different room from your baby to start with, it’s best to have a room ready and decorated in advance.
This gives you somewhere to store your baby’s clothing and toys, as well as furniture like a crib and items like a pushchair and car seat.
While you’re at it, it’s worth decorating the nursery. As well as painting the walls and sorting the floor out, make sure you put up decorations like wall art. This provides a nice place for your child and helps you get excited for the new arrival.
Baby-Proofing
If you’re getting your home ready, you also need to make sure it's safe. Newborns thankfully can’t move much, which gives you some extra time to secure your home.
Focus on softening hard edges and corners first, then when your child starts to move around and explore, you can think about installing stair gates, blocking outlets, and adding child locks to cupboards to keep curious hands and mouths away from dangers.
Stocking Up Supplies
As mentioned above, the needs of your child will change as they get older. But it’s still a good idea to prepare yourself at least for the first few weeks or so.
As well as clothes and toys, you need to build up a stockpile of diapers and wipes. You’d be surprised at the amount of mess a small baby can produce. If you’re breastfeeding, a breast pump and a few bottles might come in handy, otherwise you should have some formula food ready to go.
Finally, try to have some meals in the freezer that are quick and easy to prepare, so you have one less thing to worry about.
