4 Tips for Preparing Your Home for a Newborn | Woombie

First and foremost, congratulations! Bringing home a newborn will undoubtedly be a beautiful moment in your life. While blissful and filled with love, it can also be stressful and overwhelming. Nine months may seem like a long time to prepare your home and gather thoughts, but it goes by quickly. You’ve probably thought about diapers, strollers, car seats, and cute outfits. Transforming your home to be baby-safe and friendly will take some adjusting, but here are a few tips to consider before you welcome your newborn home.

 

Setting Up the Nursery

Likely the most important thing to consider during pregnancy is the newborn's nursery. Perhaps there’s a spare room within your home, which would be an ideal space for the baby. However, if rooms are limited and space isn’t as abundant, the nursery will likely be in your bedroom. Either way, taking proper precautions is necessary. Keeping the baby’s crib far away from windows or doors, electric cords, furniture, as well as shelves and wall hangings will ensure a safe environment and peace of mind for you. Creating a nursery checklist can help you stay organized, ensuring you're properly equipped for your newborn's arrival.

 

Decluttering Your Home

Decluttering your home to make room for the baby's nursery and their belongings may seem overwhelming, but it’s necessary. Whether this is cleaning your bedroom or a spare room, it’ll allow you to see the space you have to work with to accommodate a crib, toys, feeding area, and other essentials. It’s recommended to do this early on in the pregnancy, the more time you have the better. A task like this can be easily planned out and setting aside a day during your week to declutter and clean can be a huge relief before the arrival of your newborn. 

 

Budgeting for the Nursery

If you're starting from square one and have nothing, you will need to make some larger purchases to prepare for. Not knowing where to start because this is your first child? Don’t worry, here are some of the essentials:

 

  • Diaper changing station
  • Toy/storage bins
  • Crib or bassinet
  • Rocking chair 
  • Laundry hamper

 

Together, these items can become very pricey along with the cost of building a nursery from scratch. That’s why it’s important to have a budget in place prior to the big day. Whether you decide to utilize a spare room, build an addition to your home, or renovate your bedroom to create more space, expenses can pile up. While some costs may vary, preparing your home for a newborn can be expensive and coming up with the funds can be difficult. Seeking secured or unsecured loans, personal loans, or taking out a home equity line of credit (HELOC) are great options. A HELOC is especially great for unexpected purchases, allowing you to pull equity from your home as needed with fluctuating interest rates.

 

There are plenty of budget-friendly nursery options out there. If you think about it, your baby will be growing quickly. They’ll eventually outgrow their crib, so getting a convertible crib that they can use when they’re older may end up saving them hundreds of dollars. Used furniture from family or friends who are looking to declutter their home may be a great option for rocking chairs, toys, changing stations, and much more. Cost-effective options are great, and should be taken advantage of. 

 

Baby-Proofing Your Home

Baby-proofing your home will require you to think both like a baby and an adult. Perhaps this is something you can have fun with while taking it seriously too. The best way to see what can be dangerous for your child, as they’re only crawling at this time, is to get on your hands and knees and crawl as well if possible. This will allow you to see from the baby's point of view, and not only yours. Covering sharp furniture edges, plugging unused electric sockets, hiding wires in your living room, and setting up gates on stairways and doorways are great ways to get started. 

 

The baby-proofing process will differ for each home. Cabinets may need to be locked with child locks, and hardwood or tile flooring may need to be replaced or covered with a soft, cushioned carpet temporarily. The ideas are limitless, the point is to make your home as safe as possible for your child. Anchoring furniture, especially tall and flimsy furniture, is often overlooked. But remember, babies are adventurers, they’re discovering their abilities and may begin to try and climb. Preventing worst-case scenarios as a parent can help reduce stress and give you peace of mind that your child is safe.

 

Your home is now ready for the arrival of your newborn. This is supposed to be an enjoyable time in your lives, don’t stress yourselves out by waiting until the last possible minute to prepare.