Are You Really Ready? How to Prepare Your Home for a New Baby
sharing is caring :)
Disclaimer: Je’Ana C. curates the Shades of Tatiana product selections. We only recommend products we genuinely love. If you buy something through our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch
Preparing for the birth of your baby is a nerve-wracking time. There’s so much to do and so much to learn to get ready before you learn how to live your life with a new member of the family. And yes, before you ask, they really do let you just walk out of the hospital with a whole human without making you prove you’re qualified or have passed a test, like when you get your driver’s license. You simply walk right on out, and, suddenly, this baby is completely dependent on you for at least the next 18 years.
But honestly, it’s not as scary as it might sound, and preparing your home to bring your new member of the family back can help you ease some of those worries, feel slightly calmer and prepared, and build excitement for the next part of your life.
So let’s take a look at how to get prepared now before you start panicking too much!
RELATED ARTICLE: 4 Smart Bathroom Upgrades That Every Growing Family Needs
Getting Your Home Ready for a New Baby
01) Have a Clear Out
Whether you or your partner are in the nesting phase or not, you need to have a good clear-out. Babies come with a lot of stuff, and you need to make room for it.
Start by getting rid of those things that have been on your to-do list for a long time, whether that’s unused furniture, broken appliances, boxes, or things that were supposed to go into storage but never made it.
The aim is to have a place that is clear so you can either move items or furniture to make way for the baby, or have a storage area where all of your baby items can live, so they are in one place and out of the way.
Address shelves with things you’ve not used for months, clothing you have no idea why you kept, things that don’t fit your body or life anymore, etc.
Free up as much space as you can, and life will be so much easier when you’re looking for space for the year’s worth of diapers you bulk-bought, or the wardrobe of clothes you accumulated for baby, thanks to family and friends supplying well-meaning gifts.
02) Create a Baby Space
It might be a nursery, a closet, or an area in your living room, but you need a dedicated baby space for everything to be housed neatly and together. You don’t want clutter or to have to hunt for things at 3 a.m. when you’ve not slept for 12 hours.
You need to have frequently used items in an easy-to-access space to avoid disrupting routines.
Keep daily and frequently used items near sleeping or feeding areas.
Use the drawers and cabinets you already have before buying new ones to avoid filling up clear space.
Group items by use rather than room to room, i.e., bathing items, diaper-change products, clothing, etc.
03) Set Up the Baby Area or Nursery
Honestly, this is probably the one place that will be organised, because there’s nothing more exciting in the run-up to giving birth than getting the baby’s nursery exactly how you want it.
But beyond furniture, style, and decor choices, you have a few practical areas you need to consider.
First, the environment itself. How does the light come through the window? Does it get direct sunlight, or is it in a shaded area? Is the room catching morning rays or evening sunsets? Does it get hot? Do you have good airflow, and how noisy is it?
All of these factors influence the comfort of any room, not just a baby’s nursery. Identifying these things sooner rather than later means you can get fixes in place that help your baby adjust in there more easily.
If it gets really bright, blackout blinds and curtains are perfect. If it’s noisy, heavy blackout curtains can help, as can soundproofing and white noise machines to drown out heavy traffic. All small details, but ones that can impact how the room feels and how comfortable your baby will be in there.
Next up is bedding. You need enough bedding that you can change everything in the event of a diaper failure or throw-up. Wash, dry, and store all bedding, and ensure it is kept close enough to swap out when needed. Preparing your nursery bedding ahead of time means you’re prepared for those few nights when everything is new, you’re tired, and you need a bit of help. Future-you will thank now-you for this when you’re battling that first explosive diaper at 2 a.m.
More in Lifestyle:
04) Wash and Prepare Baby Essentials
A lot of baby items, despite being brand new, need cleaning before you use them. Clothing, bedding, towels, swaddles, etc., will arrive folded, but you should run them through the washing machine before using them for the first time.
Approach the task like this:
Wash similar items together.
Fold and put them away immediately to avoid piles and them getting dirty again.
Separate items — for example, sleepsuits and rompers you will use now, and clothing you won’t be using for a few months.
This helps avoid everything ending up in the laundry at the same time and becoming a big rush to organize.
05) Reorganize Rooms
You need to ensure ahead of time that the rooms you will be using when the baby arrives are suitable for the activities you plan to do in them.
It’s about the placement of the crib or bassinet in the living room or bedroom so you can access it easily from the sofa or bed to minimize disruption. It’s also about having storage for clothing, diapers, and cleaning supplies near where you will be sitting or changing the baby, so you’re not moving to multiple points to get what you need.
Go room by room, see what works, try a few different layouts, and get everything in the right place before you need it to be there. That way, you can experiment, improve, and remove friction from the setup before it becomes a problem when the baby arrives.
Final Thoughts
Some of the best things you can do to prepare for your baby are to make sure you have taken care of the practicalities of caring for a newborn. It’s not all about what you buy or having the latest items or gadgets. It’s about how you make your home work for you, so it eases pressure when you need it the most.
What part of getting your home baby-ready are you most excited about—or feeling the most overwhelmed by right now?
DON’T FORGET TO SHARE :)
