The final months of pregnancy are exciting, but there’s also a great deal of work to be done. There are clothes to buy, basic supplies for the baby, and a house to prepare. How do you know where to start? Here’s a checklist you can use to prepare your home for the new baby and ensure that everything is ready in time.
Start Early
There is no time like the present to take care of chores, and that’s especially true when you’re expecting. Once you have the baby, you’re going to be busy enjoying your newborn, so take the time now to get the home ready. It’s also important to start early just in case your child arrives before the expected due date.
Baby Supplies
This is the time to stock up on those important baby supplies like bedding, hygiene products, feeding supplies and blankets. Start buying diapers in a few different sizes, and invest in a good diaper pail. In addition to stocking the nursery, you should also start stocking the kitchen with healthier snacks and meal ingredients. You’re going to need more energy after the baby arrives, so it’s wise to start eating healthier.
Once the supplies come into the home, it’s time to clean them. Brand new clothes may have residues from manufacturing or shipment that are irritating to a baby’s skin, so everything should be washed. Disinfect bottles, wash all the bedding and stock the diaper changing area. This way, everything will be ready to go when the baby comes home.
This is also a good time to cook a few casseroles that you can freeze for easy re-heating later. You are going to be short on time after the baby arrives, and you will love knowing that there’s a few meals ready to go in the freezer.
Improve the Air Quality
Take the time to spring clean the house, even if you are due in the middle of winter. Babies have more sensitive systems, so you want the house to be clean. In addition to the usual dusting and vacuuming, this is also a good time to wash curtains, steam clean carpets and have the upholstery cleaned. Change the filter in the furnace to help clean the air. Mold is another serious problem for the little ones and you need to take care of it before the newborn comes. We over at MoldBusters have everything you need for getting rid of mold.
Make the House Safe
Take the time to do a safety inspection of the home. Make sure you have fire extinguishers in the kitchen, laundry area and garage. Ensure that you have an escape plan out of every room in the home. This is also a good time to start baby proofing. Get electrical outlet covers, invest in corner cushion guards for tables and move knick knacks to higher shelves. Invest in quality child gates that screw into the wall so they cannot be pushed out of place. Put locks on cabinets with dangerous chemicals, or move them out into a locked cabinet in the garage.
It’s easy to miss hazards when babyproofing because adults and babies have two different points of view. You’re looking at things a few feet off the floor, but babies spend a great deal of time laying or crawling on the floor. If you want to make sure your home is safe, then view the world from your child’s level by getting down on the floor. This will help you pinpoint potential hazards and correct them.
You’re excited about the arrival of your precious baby. It’s never too early to start preparing, and that will help make the list seem less intimidating. Set a goal to get some of these tasks accomplished every day, and you will be prepared for the big day when it finally arrives.
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Helen Marino is a stay at home mother of two which has had a lot of experiance preparing and setting everything up in the house during her pregnancies. Now she works for MoldBusters and is a part time blogger, sharing everything she knows about taking care of family the right way with the world.