Is there anything more exciting than bringing home a new baby? However, there’s not a lot that’s more stressful either. You can feed the excitement and starve the stress by preparing for your baby’s arrival well in advance. You’ll be putting your nesting urge to good use and helping yourself enjoy time with your baby after the delivery.

How to Prep Your Home For a Baby

1. Assemble Baby Furniture

There’s a lot of furniture assembly in your future so you might as well get some of it done. The list of furniture you need will depend on the space you have. If your baby will have his own nursery, you could be looking at a crib, glider, and changing table. If your baby will be sharing your room for a while, it may be as simple as assembling a bassinet. Prioritize with the most important projects like the crib and glider and move on to the less urgent like the baby swing and baby gate.

2.Take a Safety Walk (or Crawl)

Your baby may not be mobile for a while but that doesn’t mean you can forget about safety. Take a walk through your house looking for potential hazards. Sharp corners, cupboard doors, and electrical outlets are the main problems. Be sure to look at your home from the point of view of a child. You’ll be amazed at what you notice when you’re on your knees or even all fours. Cords, stairs, and even rugs suddenly become obstacles. Cover them, tape them down, and make sure everything is secure so you don’t have to worry about it later on.

3. Prewash and Fold

Sensitive baby skin may react to things that your skin doesn’t. New clothing can have dyes and chemicals on them that can aggravate your baby’s skin. You also want to wash them because you don’t know how long they’ve sat in storage or on a shelf at the store. There could be dust and other allergens on them to which you’d rather not expose your baby.

Once you’ve washed them, you can organize too. Decide what you’ll hang in the closet or put in drawers and how you’d like to keep them separated. Socks are much easier to keep track of when they’re stored in a basket. Onesies will be your staple so they should be easily accessible. Remember, it’s always easier to start organized than to try to organize after the baby is born.

4.Feed Yourself

Your baby’s nutrition is of the utmost importance. However, to keep up with his needs, you need to be fully fueled too. You can prep some freezer meals or make double batches of a few favourites and freeze the extra for later. If you don’t enjoy cooking, another option is to buy a few gift cards to your favourite take out restaurants. Look for places that let you order online and offer delivery. You won’t have to cook, leave the house, or even get dressed.

5. Prepare for Guests

Grandparents, siblings, and friends might be the first visitors your little one sees. Prepare that guest room in advance so you can stay focused on your baby. Wash the sheets, make the bed, and prepare some reading material. As the day draws near, you can lay out towels too.

Conclusion

Prepping your house puts the nesting instinct to good use. You don’t need to prep all at once. A little at a time, day by day you’ll get as close to “ready” as you can be. The real pay off comes when your baby arrives. Meals will be arranged, baby clothes will be washed, and you can keep your attention where it belongs.

Author: Nisha Miller