6 Tips to Prepare Your Home and Yourself for Your Newborn

Once the happy news is announced, you should start preparing your house for your baby’s arrival and yourself for a new family member.

You must’ve heard a great deal about diapers, car seats, strollers, and other stuff, but things to do to get your house in order before baby comes takes much more than that, both mentally and in organization.

So how to prepare your home for a newborn? what are the ways to prepare your home for baby? Is there a preparing house for baby checklist?

Elaborated below are 6 tips and advice for emotionally preparing for a baby and preparing your home for the newborns arrival. 

1. Set priorities

When the baby comes, you’ll feel lucky to get one thing done each day. Sooner or later you’re going to feel like you have a million things to do and you aren’t getting anywhere.

So you definitely must set some priorities for yourself, at least the first month or two after the baby arrives. For many young parents, the priorities are the health and family.

Even when you think you should be working, you should always keep the health and family in mind. Even if you have a bad day and want to treat yourself with all the chocolate you can eat, think of your health.

An important part of self-care is eating well after the pregnancy. On the days you eat healthy, you’ll feel you have the most energy for your baby and the rest of the family.

2. Childproof your home

Babies grow overnight and before you know it, your child will be crawling into every room they can get to. Also, it’s better to prepare your home now than later, when you’re sleep-deprived and unfocused.

So, don’t wait for your baby to get mobile – childproof your home right away. Secure any furniture that can tip over, cover all electric sockets, and put away all the fridge magnets.

Make a gentle, safe crawling zone by placing a colourful and stimulating rug that will soften any wooden or carpeted floors.

Also, as silly as it might sound, it’s not a bad idea to actually crawl around like a baby and see what you can reach. It might help you notice some things that you would otherwise overlook.

3. Stock up on supplies

In the first few weeks it’s hard to get to the store, so make sure your home is supplied with all baby and mom-related stuff you need.

Make sure you’re stocked with lanolin, breast pads, maxi pads, Tylenol, ibuprofen, wipes, diapers, and nursing shirts, and keep them handy in your nursing nook.

A few books can be a great source of entertainment and diversion during those few weeks. While you may not have time to read a lot, but every little downtime on the couch counts.

Be sure to stock as much healthy food snacks you can before the baby comes, and get into a habit of preparing a weekly grocery list with healthy food options someone can grab for you.

4. Manage your depression

Untreated depression during pregnancy makes it more difficult to care for yourself and an unborn baby. Not to mention that mothers with prenatal depression who don’t get treatments have a higher rate of complications during pregnancy.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggests taking an individualized approach. If you respond well to drug therapy, but your depression is persistent with frequent relapses, taking medication during pregnancy is safer than not.

On the other hand, not everyone responds well to antidepressants, and if your healthcare provider can avoid prescribing one, they will, often recommending talk therapy and self-help strategies as a first step in managing depression.

5. What dad should do

Your partner should look into taking as much time off as economically possible, as well as any paid leave or vacation time. Make sure the dad accompanies you to a couple of breastfeeding classes or support groups.

Even today, breastfeeding is challenging for most moms, and having a supportive husband or partner helps increase the success of breastfeeding success.

When you’re a first-time day, people are likely to tell you what to do all the time, which can become annoying. Thank them for the advice but say you’ll do things your way.

Eventually, the unsolicited advice will stop. During pregnancy and especially after the birth, your relationship is likely to change.

It’s surprising how small things can become big things. It’s important to keep the lines of communication open to change, even if it seems unfair.

6. Find time for intimacy

Many young mothers soon realize that no matter how much they like romance and sex, with a newborn around, they just appreciate a good sleep more.

You may love your partner, but the suddenly upturned routine leaves little time or mood for slipping naked under the covers. Step one, is to get in the mood, and the best way is to plan time for having sex. Just like back then when you were dating.

Make sure your bedroom is baby-free at bedtime, and to make sure you still get a good rest, consider getting a super comfortable mattress with layers of premium spring and breathable support fabric.

Staying physically intimate after the newborn arrives is incredibly important in feeling connected to your partner. Once you sleep-train the baby, spend time together as often as possible.

Preparing for your newborn at home doesn’t have to be stressful. The anticipation and planning can even be a remarkably exciting time for you and your partner.

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Lilly Miller

Lilly Miller is a Sydney-based graphic designer and a passionate writer. Loves everything about home decor, art history, family picnics, and baking. Shares home with two loving dogs and a gecko named Rodney. You can find her hanging out on Twitter. “Poetry creates the myth, the prose writer... Read more draws his own portrait."- Jean-Paul Sartre Read less

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