How To Prepare Your Home For A New Baby
Welcoming a new baby and beginning your postpartum journey is such a joy, but can also bring anxiety, stress, and tension. Even if the new baby is not your first, the transition can be overwhelming and bring new challenges.
Currently preparing to welcome our second born, I sympathize with every expecting and new mama out there. I thought I was prepared when welcoming our first born but ended up with a huge learning lesson instead.
Check out the bottom of this post to receive a free checklist for preparing your home for a new baby!
In this blog post I’m sharing all the tips I’ve learned on preparing our home to worry less about household function and spend more time recovering and soaking up our newborn. This is what I’m covering:
· Take inventory and declutter
· Stock up on household essentials
· Fill your freezer
· Clean and organize all baby supplies
· Prep postpartum supplies
· Deep clean your home
· Set up your support system
· Check off administrative and personal tasks
So, if you’re a first-time mom or a seasoned mom looking for more peace and structure for welcoming home a new baby, you’re in the right place!
We welcomed our first-born son in early 2021. We had moved to a new city 6 months prior, lived in a different state than our family members, and COVID protocols were still in place. I don’t think we realized how in over our heads we were until well after our son arrived. Even with COVID protocols in place we were lucky to have some time and support from our families, but my husband quickly returned to work, and I was lost in what to do at home and how to manage the household with a newborn.
So many tips you see online are “the mess can wait” while you try to soak up your time with your baby. I tried embracing this and although I still partially agree with this (no, I don’t need my baseboards deep cleaned or make every meal from scratch), the basic household tasks and clutter piling up made me more stressed and even simple tasks more difficult.
By the end of 2023 we learned we would welcome a new baby by the end of the following summer (yay!). Pure excitement and joy consumed our little family, followed by a rough first trimester filled with morning sickness. When I started to come out of the trenches of that first trimester, I began putting all my time and energy into two things: 1) soaking up all the time left with my firstborn being an only child, and 2) organizing and preparing our house to run more effectively once baby arrives.
Thanks to a lot of googling, talking with other moms, list making, and trial and error, I feel completely at peace bringing home our newest family member.
#1: Take inventory and declutter
The best place to start is knowing what you have, what you still need, and what can go. Go through your baby supplies list, do you have everything you need off your registry? Still missing some important supplies or gear? How about household supplies; are you running low on trash bags or toilet paper? Or do you have items cluttering your home that can be donated or stored away in storage?
TIP: make a checklist of items you have and still need, even make separate lists for baby items and home items. Make lists and checklists your new best friend, especially if you are dealing with pregnancy brain or have people helping you! Check out the end of this post for a free checklist download.
#2: Stock up on household essentials
Put your inventory lists to use. This is the time to stock up on all your household essentials used regularly. The last thing you want to realize during a 4am blowout is you’re out of laundry detergent. Stocking up on these essentials is so handy because they are items that can store for long periods of time, and you will not have to stress over frequent or large grocery runs with a new baby.
Here are some of my top items to stock up on:
· Hygiene supplies (toilet paper, Kleenex, soap, shampoo, lotion, etc.)
· Cleaning supplies (disinfectant wipes, trash bags, paper towels, etc.)
· Medicines
· Older child’s supplies (pull ups, medications, snacks, etc.)
· Baby hygiene and medical supplies (diapers, wipes, medicine, formula, etc.)
· Pet supplies
· Batteries
· Laundry detergent & stain spray
· Dish soap
· Paper plates and plastic utensils
· Pantry goods (snacks, dried goods, seasonings, canned goods, etc.)
TIP: utilize services such as Amazon’s Subscribe and Save. Not only will you save money on your essentials, but they’ll arrive to your home before you run out.
#3: Fill your freezer
The last thing a new parent wants to do is spend time preparing and cooking dinner. With our first we did not prep any meals and ended up eating out, which was expensive and made us feel crappy.
This time around I found freezer-friendly recipes the whole family likes. The plan was for my mom to assist me in prepping the freezer meals, instead a came down with a virus and spent a couple of days in bed. My sweet mom prepped the meals while I rested.
Here are tips on filling your freezer:
· Find recipes that everyone in your house will enjoy. Utilize recipes you already make regularly or search through Pinterest for new ideas.
· Sit down and make a single grocery list of everything you need. Bonus: schedule a grocery pickup for convenience and less time on your feet.
· Cut and prepare all your veggies and such first, then your meat. Less time washing supplies and less worry of cross-contamination.
· Buy disposable containers. Yes, they are not as sturdy, but you can purchase a large amount for a small price, and no extra clean up!
· Don’t focus only on meals. I prepped sourdough, cookie dough, banana bread, etc. to have homemade snacks and goodies on hand.
· Don’t be afraid to utilize already frozen products. Frozen lasagna, bread, or roasted veggies are great to have on hand and take less prep time.
TIP: when you are needing fresh groceries during postpartum, utilize services such as curbside pickup or Instacart delivery.
#4: Clean and organize all baby supplies
If this is your first baby and most supplies/gear are new, this step focuses mainly on assembling and organizing everything. For our second-born we had to pull most of the gear and clothes from storage and received more hand-me-downs. Having everything baby related made it not only easier on me, but also for anyone supporting me to easily find items.
Some easy steps for managing baby supplies:
· Utilize your inventory list.
· Check off baby gear as you assemble and clean it.
· Having baby clothing for the first 6 months or so washed and organized is so helpful, the time goes by so fast.
· Use storage bins for items and clothing baby will need to grow into, keep them in a space easy to access.
· Organize diapers by size to easily grab the next size up when needed.
· Have a nesting party with some friends or enlist family members for help.
· Create a nursing/postpartum cart. Click HERE to read my post about creating a newborn cart: 18 Items To Build Your Newborn Cart
· Create “baby stations” throughout the home, especially if you live in a two-story home. These will contain all your main items: diapers, wipes, burp clothes, change of clothes, etc.
· Spend time in the areas you plan on being with baby the most, you’ll find little tweaks and upgrades to make.
· Prepare yours and babies hospital bags.
#5: Prep postpartum supplies
Welcoming a new baby either vaginally or via c-section entails recover and support for yourself. Preparing for my first-born, I talked with several moms who shared they did not prepare for their physical recovery after birth and felt blindsided. Having supplies to support my body postpartum was a huge benefit to feeling comfortable and continuing self-care.
Here are some of my favorite postpartum supplies following a vaginal delivery:
· Frida peri bottle. Yes, there are basic ones, the hospital will typically give you one as well, but this upside-down design was so convenient.
· Disposable underwear. Even after a c-section you continue to bleed a lot. Having comfortable underwear, I could easily throw away was so nice. THESE and THESE are some of the best.
· Dermoplast. So soothing and refreshing, especially if you had stitches from tearing.
· Tuck’s Pads. Line these on top of your pad for a cooling pain relief.
· Ice maxi pads. These things are amazing when freshly postpartum. They helped soothe pain and swelling. You can find ways to create homemade ones, but I highly recommend Frida’s Instant Ice Maxi Pads.
· Pain medications and stool softeners. Both I received from my doctor prior to leaving the hospital and took them regularly several days after returning home. Those postpartum contractions can be no joke.
TIP: Add a basket of postpartum supplies to your nursing cart and in every bathroom within your home. Makes it so much easier having all your supplies on hand.
#6: Deep clean your home
With our first-born I attempted this task the best I could two days prior to his arrival. Let’s just say my body was not happy with me and I did not check everything off the list. With our second-born I started this process in my second trimester by decluttering and donating items all throughout our house. This gave me a chance to make sure each item had a home and made maintenance cleaning much easier.
For the physical deep cleaning with my second-born, I enlisted my parents and husband on a lot of the tasks, as I was already 37 weeks along and not physically able to do a lot. Once the deep clean was finished I was able to keep the cleanliness maintained doing small tasks each day. Bringing home a newborn to a clean house brings so much peace and is helpful for their little immune systems.
Here are some tips on deep cleaning the home:
· Work one room at a time.
· Declutter your space first.
· Enlist help from all members of the household and/or other support systems.
· Make a checklist to share with any of your helpers.
· Don’t wait until you physically feel miserable at the end of your pregnancy.
· If it is in your budget and something you feel comfortable with, hire professional cleaners.
#7: Set up your support system
Do not underestimate the phrase “it takes a village” when welcoming a newborn and raising children. I can completely sympathize with moms-to-be who struggle to ask for help, or do not have their main support systems living close to them. Having support can completely change your experience of bringing home a new baby. There can be so many things going on and it is impossible to do it all alone. Communicate with your spouse and other members of your household on what you need help with.
There were several tasks that I typically maintained, but my husband had to cover during the newborn phase. He was amazing at taking initiative even small tasks, such as sanitizing my pump parts, doing diaper changes, or even simply sitting and watching a movie with me during night feeds if I was struggling. Most people truly do want to help and support new moms, just don’t shy away from any boundary discussions that may come along with that desire.
Some support system examples:
· Your family
· Close friends
· Neighbors
· Your church
· New mom groups- welcoming our first these were not available during COVID restrictions, only a few online options which I did not feel were personable enough. You can find these locally on your own or ask the hospital where you delivered. They often have ones internally or can refer you to others.
Some ideas of what to ask your support group for assistance with:
· A meal train- these are so easy to set up and there’s nothing like a meal lovingly brought to you without having to cook.
· Childcare for older children- especially during delivery. This was a big planning aspect welcoming our second-born, we were blessed to have several backups on call.
· Household tasks: cleaning, laundry, car maintenance, help with pet care, etc.
· Picking up curbside or grocery orders.
· Quality time. Even just having a good friend sit with you while you while you nurse or baby naps on you. Company like this can help moms feel less alone during this transition.
#8: Check off administrative and personal tasks
Seemingly small tasks of welcoming a new baby or maintaining a home can add up quickly. Making a list and prepping for these prior to bringing a new baby home can ensure things do not get overlooked and everyone is taken care of. I can be prone to procrastinating the small things until they become more of a problem and during postpartum, the small tasks are already the last things on my mind.
Here are some examples:
· Schedule your upcoming bills. Using autopay during this time helps so much to avoid missing any due dates.
· Have your doctor and baby’s doctor set up. Know when you’ll need follow-up appointments and be informed of any issues that require a phone call or visit. Your doctor will typically give you a run-down of physical things to keep an eye out for, same for baby’s doctor.
· Know who to call and when for any insurance changes. I know for our insurance; we must call to add a new child within a certain timeframe from their birth for them to receive coverage. Also, if you are using pregnancy Medicaid, knowing how long it can be utilized post-birth.
· Be informed on other legal paperwork needing completion, such as baby’s birth certificate. Hospitals typically have an employee come and walk you through this process and provide any needed information. TIP: have your spouse handle this part, post-birth while still in the hospital was not my favorite time to manage or understand these tasks.
· Take care of yourself: get a haircut, have a pedicure, schedule any doctor’s appointments needed for the next few months, etc.
· Have your older children up to date on their appointments (doctor check-ups, dentist, teacher meetings, haircuts, etc.).
· Have your pets up to date on any vet appointments, vaccines, or grooming appointments. We chose to have our youngest dog spayed a few days after bringing home our first-born. Although having her lie low for a few days was peaceful in a way, I don’t recommend waiting around for those tasks.
All these tasks can seem overwhelming upfront but will help you thrive bringing home a new baby. Putting in the hard work and spreading it out throughout your pregnancy pays off in the long run. There is nothing better than spending your fourth trimester soaking up your new baby and recovering, without your household suffering from neglect. Having a clean space, nutritious food, and supplies handy helped me feel mentally and physically so much better and way more capable of caring for our new miracle!
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