5 Must-Dos Before Baby Arrives

October 5, 2018 | by kevin gardner

If you have a new baby on the way, you have much to celebrate and much to take care of. You need to make your home a safe environment for your baby to inhabit, as they'll be on the move before you know it. Here are five must-dos before baby arrives.

1. Clean up

• You might be so used to the clutter around your house that it barely seems like clutter to you. It's almost like decoration. However, bringing a new baby home means you need to become all the more aware of various objects that are lying around instead of being in a secure location. These are things that your baby could hurt themselves with or choke on. Go through every room of your house (with baby-view on the brain) and see what's out in the open that shouldn't be. If you can't find a safe place for something or any justifiable reason to keep it, then get rid of it.

2. Sanitize

• Babies have more fragile immune systems compared to adults. Just dusting your house and throwing out the trash every week is not going to be enough. You need to have a deep clean that will expel the most stubborn of germs and dirt from your home. Call a professional house-cleaning service if you don't have time to do this yourself. If you have carpet, you should call a steam carpet cleaning service, as plenty of germs can be nestled deep in carpet fibers.

3. Babyproof

• When a baby is first brought home, they're going to stay in place. As they begin to crawl and walk, they're going to have all kinds of opportunities for mischief. You need to be ahead of them by babyproofing your home early. This involves making sure there are no dangerous objects within their reach, those electrical outlets are shielded, and that there are safety gates around the stairs. If you see anything that could be a potential hazard to your baby, you need to make sure it's taken care of in advance.

4. Buy plenty of clothes

• You already know that you need clothes for your baby, but you might not realize how many you need. Babies grow fast, and the outfits that were fitting just fine when you brought them home can barely be squeezed into them now. Go shopping for baby clothes with as much planning as possible. Buy outfits not only for their immediate arrival but also for the months ahead. Put the clothes for later usage in a specially labeled drawer.

5. Improve your sleep experience

• When your baby arrives, you're going to lose sleep. That doesn't mean you can't make the best of this situation. You should have your bedroom be as comfortable as possible, so that when you're woken up in the middle of the night by your baby crying, you at least will have gotten some decent sleep. Your sheets should be washed and fitted properly, and you should make sure no intrusive light is coming in. If you know you'll have trouble making it back and forth to and from the nursery, consider putting the crib or a bassinet in your bedroom, or getting a co-sleeper so that you can easily attend to them.

When you have your home prepared for your baby, you can reduce stress in your parenting experience significantly. Take all of these tips to heart and give yourself plenty of time to take care of them before your baby comes home. This is a time for joy, and you want it to go as smoothly as possible.