For those people who want children, knowing that you are expecting a baby is a thrilling time! Signifying a new chapter starting in your life, some things may need to be organised and planned; you’ll need to get your home ready before the latest member of your family arrives home.
If you have been pregnant yourself, you will be all the more familiar with the nesting process that new mums go through when coming to the final few weeks of their last trimester. When finding yourself in this position for the first time, it can be somewhat perplexing. Not to mention, it can often be challenging to know where to start and to ensure that you are using products that are not harmful to you or your soon-to-arrive family member.
6 Ways to Get Your Home Prepared for the Arrival of a Newborn
If you have found yourself in this position and are searching for tips on how best to get your home prepared before your due date, look no further. We have compiled a list of ways to do just that, of which you will not overexert yourself doing. Rest those swollen, weary feet of yours, soon-to-be mum, and read on for our tips and tricks!
Check Your Home is Safe
While it will be some time until your new-born is roaming around, this is worth checking sooner rather than later, for you are sure to be somewhat occupied moving forward! This is something that might slip your mind when the time does come around, so ensuring that it is completed before you become busy with new responsibilities can ensure the continued safety of your new baby.
By going through your home with a fine-tooth comb and checking that there are no immediate dangers for your child to explore, you can rest easy knowing that you are going above and beyond and that your baby will not come to any harm when they do begin exploring.
Sorting Anything That Might Cause Harm
This does not have to be anything specifically but can stretch to include items that you use daily. Storing any harmful chemicals – including the likes of cleaning products and others similar items – out of your child’s way can further ensure their safety; no prying hands will be getting into those products anytime soon!
While most washing tablet boxes and containers nowadays have a child safety lock included in the packaging, there is nothing wrong with being overly cautious about this kind of thing. When thinking about what to clean before your baby arrives from the hospital, head to our next point.
Cleaning Your Home
Getting the overwhelming urge to clean is something that many expectant mums experience. More so, when wanting to ensure that the home is clean when bringing the new-born home, you naturally don’t want them to catch any bugs or viruses. When searching for ideas of what hotspots to clean in your home, think of just that! What places in your home do you frequent often, and what touchpoints in your home do you use on a daily or hourly basis?
Handles of doors and appliances are a hotspot for viruses and bacteria to linger, so ensuring that these are one of the things that are thoroughly cleaned is crucial. Not to mention, regularly dusting areas of your home that are prone to collecting dust. When your baby has arrived, consider keeping packs of antibacterial wipes to your person or close by to these areas when wanting to continue this level of cleanliness. You can give them a quick wipe when you have your hands full and ensure that they are clean following use.
Fixing and Repairing Any Home Issues
Something else that should be done sooner rather than later, for you are sure to have your hands full moving forward. Not to mention, you will be a little sleep deprived in no time! Addressing any home repairs that need doing before your new baby has arrived allows you plenty of time to organise for any workers to come into your home to sort the problem. While some people may feel comfortable letting people into their home following their child’s birth, some people may read this who would feel a lot more comfortable not having visitors to their home for a while following their child’s birth.
The choice is entirely up to you. However, if you are planning on getting any issues in your home repaired before your due date, use the services of a professional company like Drain Detectives. Businesses like these provide state-of-the-art quality care in their sector and alleviate any stress you may have surrounding the problem. Not to mention, you can put your weary feet up while they deal with the issue. To find out a bit more about the issues they can assist you with, check out this website.
Organising Childcare
This may not apply to all situations of those reading this, but it certainly may be relevant for some people. Particularly if you have another child or children, you will want to make sure that they are taken care of while you are in the hospital delivering your new-born. While you may not be planning to spend a long time in the hospital, it is always best to be prepared for any potential obstacles. Having your child cared for by a family member or close friend while going through this will ensure that they are in safe hands and give you a few days to adjust to life as a parent with another child.
While it can seem like a small thing to organise, it will certainly make a world of difference, so it should be considered and managed sooner rather than later. Particularly in a world where the pandemic is still raging on, it can be an anxiety-inducing situation at the prospect of having a baby during this time. By organising childcare with someone within your social bubble, or in exceptional circumstances – of which is in the current government guidance – you can relax knowing that you can look after yourself and your new-born. At the same time, your other child or children are also being cared for.
Ensuring the Cupboards Are Well-Stocked
This is something we are confident that you would have sorted already or have planned to do at some point, but which is still worth mentioning. Stocking the cupboards full of the new-born and other baby supplies that you will need can ensure that you will not run out of any baby wipes when most needed! Furthermore, when on the topic of well-stocked cupboards, organising a grocery shop to be delivered to your home following your child’s birth will further alleviate any day-to-day pressures that you might usually feel. You needn’t worry about going to the shops to fill up the fridge and kitchen cupboards!
While these are but a few of the things to do in your home before the birth of your new-born, we hope that it has helped to guide you in the right direction. One important thing to remember is that nothing you are doing is wrong or over-the-top. Wanting safety for your child is only natural, and this is a natural process to go through. Enjoy the peaceful night’s sleep while they last, and look forward to this new chapter of your life that will soon be starting!