Preparing your Home for a New Baby

Congratulations, you have a new baby on the way and isn’t it exciting? There is so much to plan, what will you do about work? Will you baby wear? How will you feed your babe? What kind of pushchair do you want? The decisions go on and on but one thing I think some parents overlook in the pre-birth stage is getting the house ready for your baby.

There are several things you can do to make your life easier and your home more hygienic without breaking the bank – read on:

Install Laminate Flooring

Carpets may be warm underfoot, but they really aren’t practical once you have children. I recall the amount of times we needed to bring the buggy in with sleeping babies, or once the kids got bigger and the muddy footprints they trailed in. A much better option is laminate flooring and there is a grade to suit every budget and a design for every style lover. The click-lock mechanism makes it very easy to fit, it withstands knocks well and can be easily swept and mopped clean for a hygienic floor you’re happy to let your baby eat from!

Swap to a Leather Sofa

The best thing we ever did was swap from a fabric to a leather sofa when I was pregnant with the twins. All my babies were pretty sicky and its so much easier to clean up a leather sofa and keep it looking pristine. Our navy blue fabric sofa really didn’t fare well when JJ was a baby, but our brown leather one is still going strong now twelve years later without a stain in sight.

Re-imagine Your Kitchen

Youprobably don’t need a kitchen make-over but you will need to take a long-hard look at your kitchen. If you’re going to be bottle feeding there is a whole lot of equipment that comes with that, bottles, warmers, sterilisers and the like; where will you store them? Have you got some free cupboard space for the plastics pot, plates, bibs and such that your baby will require when they start to wean onto solid foods? Think through those first couple of years of your baby’s life and make the space for what you’ll need, now whilst you have the time and mental energy.

Photo by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash

Figure out Where you’ll store the Outdoor Gear

Babies come with a lot of gear for someone so small. Before they arrive, you need to think about where you will store their buggy, sling, winter coat, wellies, car seat, nappy bag, travel high chair etc, etc. The list really does go on. If you’re lucky enough to have a garage attached to the house, this could be the solution but if not, will you clear space in the under stairs cupboard, or buy some smart storage for the hall so those tiny hats and gloves don’t get lost? Ask friends who already have babies what they have done and see if any of their solutions suit your family too.

Plan the Nursery

This is the fun task and the one most parents remember to do, but don’t just make it about wall colours and pretty bedding/ pictures. Think through how the room will be used – will you feed in there during the night and thus want a rocking chair? Or will your babe be in your bedroom in a drop-side cot for the first few months? Are you a clothes folder or hanger, and thus what storage should you invest in? Will you change all babe’s nappies in there and therefore need a changing table? Really think it through and only buy what you need as it will be tempting for the next decade to buy all the cute and pretty stuff but you’ll soon learn that most of it is not needed.

You have exciting times ahead and with some planning now you can save a lot of angst later on, so put your head together with your partner and plan the changes you need to make now. All the best!

Why not pin this post for later?