When your due date creeps ever closer, and your to-do list before your little one arrives feels never-ending, many soon-to-be parents can quickly become overwhelmed by the numerous tasks that need to be checked off.
While decking your nursery with all your furniture essentials, like a safe and cozy cot, an air purifier for smoke and other impurities, and a stable and efficient change table, is largely considered to be the more exciting part of preparing for a newborn, ensuring your entire home is ready for this new and exciting journey you are about to undertake will make the sleepless nights and never-ending baby needs more manageable.
Sterilize Feeding Items
Once you have purchased a breast pump, nipples, pacis, and feeding bottles, it is crucial to sterilize them properly, despite how shiny and new they may appear. These days, many companies that specialize in baby products sell machines that can effortlessly do sterilization for you, but the process is relatively simple to do at home.
All feeding items should be sterilized in boiling water for 5-10 minutes before their first use. Once this has been done, you won’t need to sterilize the items every time you feed your baby. However, bottles, nipples, pacis, and breast pump attachments should be washed in hot, soapy water after every use.
Install the Car Seat
While this may not technically be in your home, ensuring that your car seat is properly and safely installed before your baby is born is a critical step in your preparation and should not be overlooked.
Depending on the company or retailer you purchased your car seat from, the staff may be legally qualified to install the seat for you. However, in many locations, a trip to an authorized restraint fitter will be the best way to ensure your seat is installed correctly.
Once installed, test the buckles and straps to practice securing your baby in the future. Keep all instruction manuals on hand should you need further reminders later.
Get a Jump on Baby Proofing
Having a mobile baby who can get into every cupboard and drawer in your home may seem like a lifetime away, but many parents will tell you that this moment creeps up on you quicker than you may expect. Ensuring your home is appropriately baby-proofed is vital, as children reach developmental milestones fairly quickly in early infancy. Plus, it is much easier to properly prepare your home now, as opposed to navigating the task when you are sleep-deprived later on.
Alongside safely storing all cleaning products and medications out of reach of your little one and securely locking cabinets and drawers with magnetic locks that are easy to install and don’t pinch your fingers, the American Academy of Pediatrics further recommends checking or installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. ‘
Laundry, Laundry & More Laundry
Laundry may seem like a given, but before your bundle of joy arrives, it is necessary to wash all of your baby’s things. This list includes all their clothes, sleepers, sheets, and blankets. You should remove all packaging and any tags or labels on their belongings that could pose a choking hazard or irritate sensitive skin. You should use a detergent free of any dyes or perfumes, typically one specifically designed for infants.
Pre-plan for Future Needs
Trying to anticipate and plan for your future needs may feel a little difficult, but taking the time to consider things you may need once your baby has arrived can go a long way, especially when your time is severely limited. This can include ensuring your fridge has been properly cleaned and sorted, allowing space for pre-made meals and breastmilk storage as needed.
Additionally, you can prepare, cook, and freeze a range of extra meals, stock up on household essentials like laundry detergent, toilet paper, cleaning products, and paper towels, and fill any prescriptions you may need. If you don’t plan to use formula, many experts suggest buying a small number of bottles and a container of formula for emergencies. Your future self may be grateful you did.
Make an ‘Essentials’ Basket
As a new parent, you are likely to find yourself trapped under a sleeping newborn for most of your day. In these moments, you will be grateful for making yourself an essentials basket that you can keep within arms reach.
This basket should include things for both you and your little one, like extra diapers and wipes, water bottles and snacks for feedings, a spare onesie, and an extra shirt for yourself in case of spit-ups or blowouts. Replenish your basket as things are used to stay well-prepared throughout the day.
Establish a Visitor Schedule
It is important to note that in the early days of your post-partum recovery, you are not obligated to host any guests, regardless of whether they are friends or family. When you are a new parent, the first days of being home after giving birth can be a whirlwind of sleepless nights, non-stop feeding, and a brand-new routine. You should never feel guilty about saying no to visitors after birth.
However, if you do plan to have overnight guests in the days after birth, it is worthwhile preparing for their stay before the baby arrives. Stock up on bathroom essentials like toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, and other toiletries they may need. Change the sheets in the guestroom and ensure extra towels and soap are available should they be required.
Jessica has a flair for writing engaging blogs and articles. She enjoys reading and learning new things which enables her to write different topics and fields with ease. She also strives to break down complex concepts and make them easy for anybody to comprehend.
