6 Changes to Make to Your Home Before Babies Arrival

Changes to Make to Your Home Before Babies Arrival

Preparing for your new arrival is both an exciting and stressful process. Once the nesting instinct kicks in, you’ll want to do everything possible to create a safe and organized space for your baby. But how do you know where to start? And what can you do to make the transition as smooth as possible?

Below we are going to talk about six changes you should make to get your home prepared.

Want to learn more? Then keep on reading!

Secure your furniture.

Falling accidents are one of the biggest risks for new babies and toddlers. To avoid them from happening, you need to make sure that you anchor your furniture directly to the wall.

The process is quite simple, and you should be able to do it yourself. Just make sure you gather the supplies first and have a friend handy to help keep everything level.

Clean the carpet.

When it comes time for your baby to start crawling, you want to ensure they have a clean and comfortable space to do so. The carpet in your home can carry dust, debris, and bacteria, so it’s a good idea to get it professionally cleaned before things get busy.

If you live in an older home, you might think about replacing the carpet altogether. Just remember to hire the right professionals for the job that are experienced with custom carpet installation. This way, everything will not only look amazing but be safe too.

Move hazards out of reach.

Things like medication and cleaning supplies are essentials in a home, but they can be very dangerous in a little one’s hands. Make sure that you remove these hazards out of reach by placing them in top cupboards. If this isn’t an option, purchase some child locks to keep everything secure.

Tidy up the electrics.

From cords, cables, and outlets – the electrics in your home are one of the biggest hazards to watch out for when preparing for a baby. Luckily, there are a few ways you can eliminate them, some of which include:

– Placing safety covers over outlets.

– Installing knob covers on stoves.

– Hiding cables behind furniture.

– Unplugging smaller appliances when not in use.

– Installing safety tassels and cord stops.

Clean up the yard.

While you might be focused on the interior of your home, it’s important that you remember to clean up your yard and outdoor living space too. Alongside removing hazards, you also want to eliminate any hiding areas where pests and creepy crawlies may be lurking. You can find some great tips to help you get started cleaning here.

Create a safe space for other household members.

Finally, the last change you want to make to your home is to create a safe space for any of your other household members. A new baby is a big change in itself, so you want your other children to have an area for alone time.

Alongside this, you may find that your pet struggles with adapting to a new family member. Ensure that they have a special spot to relax, unwind and get plenty of cuddles.

Plan a move well in advance

If you’re planning to move house before you give birth, you should plan it well in advance. Even if you know for sure where you’re going to move, moving house is a time and energy-consuming process that rarely goes smoothly. It can bring a lot of stress and unexpected events, which isn’t something that new mothers need in their lives.

Moving during the early stages of your pregnancy should go easier than scrubbing cupboards in the last trimester. Anyway, you should save the cleaning and the scrubbing from your nesting instincts for the last months—it’s when those instincts are stronger than ever!

Should you have no alternative but to move house during the later stages of your pregnancy, you can still try all tips to have it easy on you:

  • Plan the move to the most minute detail
  • Get as much help as necessary
  • Take it easy so that you don’t harm yourself or your baby

Take out storage

It’s an important step to make when moving house while pregnant. You can store all items you need for your newborn in a storage unit. It’s beneficial when you move to a larger home than the current one.

6/ 11 Changes to Make to Your Home Before Babies Arrival

Plan for the future needs

Experts don’t agree on this one, but we recommend you not to decorate the nursery. Many parents concentrate their efforts (and money) on creating the most impressive room for their babies and forget that babies will sleep for most of their days and nights. Newborns don’t notice nor care about how their space is decorated.

On the other hand, we recommend creating a five-year plan for the baby’s room to avoid any redecoration work. It’s one way to make sure that the room doesn’t feel too “babyish.” If you need inspiration, you can navigate the web for suggestions on creating the perfect bedroom for your baby to enjoy until going to school. It’s not a problem if you don’t know the baby’s gender just yet. You will find many ideas for gender-neutral bedroom designs that allow you to add the accents you want after the baby arrives.

On a side note, we remind you that the chances of your baby spending a lot of time in his room are slim, especially after birth. Don’t stress if the room for your baby isn’t done until your baby arrives. It can be months until you will all be ready to spend the night apart from each other.

Think about lighting

Instead of focusing on decorating the nursery, you should look at the light fixtures in your home. You probably have them before giving birth, and your lighting needs may change dramatically once the baby arrives.

Therefore, you should install dimmer switches, night lights for your bedroom and baby’s room, and soft ambient lamps. You don’t want intense lighting when feeding your newborn in the middle of the night. Let the other family members sleep and help your baby go back to sleep quickly.

Even if complete darkness sounds like the best solution to keep the baby during the night feeds, you still need some light. You don’t want to bump into things or trip while getting to your baby. In case of longer feeds, you can enjoy a read about raising children and similar.

As long as you keep an eye on the budget and do due diligence about it, you should be able to find the best lighting system for your home with a newborn.

Rethink spaces in your home

If possible, you should begin visualizing the challenges that will come ahead once the baby arrives. Will you be able to have an easy life in your home?

Having said that, we recommend you plan the house, which means reorganizing the bedroom and other rooms in your home. If you plan on having a Moses basket in your bedroom, you need to think about how you will get from the bed to the basket. You want to keep the number of trips to a minimum, especially during the night.

Rugs, storage solutions, or poorly placed furniture can make your trip and fall at night. If you plan to have baby sleep in his room right after birth, see that you have a clear route from your room to his crib. The more details you consider when thinking about space, the easier life will be after the baby arrives.

6/ 11 Changes to Make to Your Home Before Babies Arrival

De-clutter your house

Even if newborns are so tiny, they need many things for comfort and happy life. The Moses basket, pram, baby gym, toys changing mat, bottles, and all the other miscellaneous that you need for your baby can cause clutter in no time.

In the first stages of your pregnancy, when you’re still able to bend over, you should declutter your home and prepare it for all the baby stuff. Many of the items you have now will become less, if not entirely useless, once the baby gets there. Hobby equipment, bicycles, CDs, books, or records are just some to mention.

You might consider taking out a storage unit to keep everything you won’t be using for a long time once the baby comes. It’s a practical way to gain more space in your home and adjust to the new lifestyle.

Additionally, you can sell/donate items to clear space for the baby stuff. Selling/donating items has never been so easy.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should you begin preparing the house for the baby?

Most women have natural nesting instincts that grow strong during the last trimester of their pregnancies. It’s when they feel the most focused on organizing and clean the house before they give birth. However, we recommend beginning any home projects earlier than the third trimester.

Should you have a nursery or not?

Babies can get expensive. If you’re concerned about the high costs of a nursery or you don’t know if you have the space for it, remember that nurseries aren’t mandatory. Babies growing without nurseries turn out to be just fine. It’s love, affection, and a healthy home that they need the most for a happy childhood.

You want to paint the walls in your home. Are all paints safe for the newborn?

Look for low-VOC or zero-VOC paint to keep the baby room as safe as possible. Even if the paint is labeled “zero-VOC,” it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t contain any VOC. Federal regulations limit the use of VOC for paints.

Do you need to clean your house in a particular way before the baby arrives?

Deep carpet cleaning is crucial before the baby arrives. Experts recommend not to use chemicals and shampoos and opt for steam or water extraction cleaning. You can rent a machine to do it. For best and safe results, you should hire professional carpet cleaners.

Should you renovate the house before giving birth?

If possible, you should wait with major renovations until after giving birth and even several years after. Needless to say, pregnant women should avoid areas that are being renovated. For safety concerns, it’s best to contain rooms that are being remodeled.

About Amanda

I love to buy a lot of products for the home, and dissect them out. I split them into duds and winners, and share the findings here on my site. As a reader of my site, I'm aiming for your next purchase to be an informed and inspired one.

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