Preparing your home for the arrival of your new baby doesn't have to be an overwhelming task. Image: iStock
Preparing your home for a new baby’s arrival, or nesting as many would call it, forms a rather important part of the process of getting ready for this new phase.
Still, getting your home baby-ready could be a rather intimidating task and that is why it’s a good idea to tackle the challenge bit by bit while putting your and your baby’s health first at all times.
Once they become mobile, babies are natural explorers. Therefore, it is important to go through all the cupboards in your home – especially those that can be reached and opened by curious crawlers – and to remove or move all chemicals, medicines and other items that might pose a risk to your baby.
This is also a good time to declutter and throw out all expired medicines and to prepare the medicine cabinet by adding certain must-haves like Panado and Septogard.
The kitchen is probably one of the rooms in your home that holds the most dangers for your baby. That is why decluttering your kitchen and moving things around sooner than later, is a good idea. Remove all knives and any other sharp objects and store it in a high enough and safe spot.
Decide which items can be stored away and which items should stay on your kitchen counter (like the coffee machine). Decluttering your counter tops will give space for bottle racks and baby food makers. Also clear out some drawers by throwing out unused utensils and rather leave space for baby spoons, bowls and sippy cups.
A clutter-free fridge will most probably be a sanity-saver in those first few days after your baby’s arrival and therefore freeing your fridge from clutter is a must when you are preparing your home for a new baby’s arrival. Allocate room in the fridge for breast milk and formula, but also for pre-prepared family meals and meals that family and friends might be bringing by to congratulate you on the additional family member.
If you plan on having your mother visit for the first couple of days, be sure to declutter and prepare the spare room in advance. Running around for clean towels and bedding just after you’ve had a C-section and while you’re sleep-deprived won’t be fun, so be sure to have the spare room in tip-top shape beforehand.
Also remove non-essentials from the spare room’s cupboards, donate things that you haven’t used for the past six months and make space for your guests’ clothes.
ALSO READ: Lessons to learn from organising your home
You may be decluttering your home in preparation of the new baby, but once the baby has arrived, you may find that due to less time on your hands, the house might become cluttered with laundry, bottles, blankets and soft toys within a matter of days.
Buying an extra basket or two or storage bins to place in dedicated areas might limit your frustration once the baby has arrived. Toss items lying around in the baskets and when you find the time, take the basket and put the items back in their place.
The baby room is probably your main focus during the nesting phase. Staying focused when preparing this room is even more important, though. Ensure that there is a storage space for everything to prevent things from getting too cluttered once the baby has arrived.
Have a nappy bin in the room, as well as a drawer with all the necessities like nappies, baby bum cream, wet wipes and more.
Having stations around your home might make it much easier to keep your home clutter-free once the baby has arrived. These are organised spaces that will make life much easier for you, like a feeding, changing and napping stations and rooms that are organised for maximum convenience.
Your bathroom, for instance, will need a postpartum station, your kitchen will need a bottle station, your bedroom will need a feeding or late-night station and your living room might need a changing or play station.
A proper diaper bag will allow you to have ample space for everything your baby might need when you are leaving the house, which means you’ll only need one bag and you can store any excess bags for the time being.
In the end, preparing your home one room at a time, while keeping your and your baby’s needs and required stations in mind, could help you feel less overwhelmed. Happy nesting.
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