Preparing the house for baby may be different than you think. Bringing a baby home changes so much including how the home runs so getting everything as streamlined as possible may be helpful for your transition.
This is a list of things that you may not think would be included in the preparation of a baby, but it is so helpful for making the day-to-day easier once the baby is here. If you want a list of things to research and look into to prepare for your baby coming click here.
Preparing the house for baby
Systems and routines
I realized quickly that if I was going to thrive and stay on top of everything that I needed to do in a day I’d need to change my habits. As a stay a stay-at-home wife prior to getting pregnant, I had much more time throughout the day to get the tasks I needed done, done. I also had time to do a lot of things that I wanted to do throughout the day. Due to this, I wasn’t completing everything in the day in the most efficient way because I didn’t have to. Now that there is a baby coming I know I need to be able to have systems in place so that I am able to get everything done quickly and well.
I didn’t want to learn this once our baby was here when I could adjust prior and it not be as stressful or as easy to get behind on things if I was learning and troubleshooting with a baby attached to me all day. So I’ve made adjustments to my cleaning schedule. If you’d like to see what I’m doing click here to learn more about that routine.
I also made adjustments to how I cook, meal plan, and grocery shop. I knew this was something that took me a long time and I did not have a great system to week by week for coming up with meals other than stay to a budget. If you’d like to see my budgeting tips on groceries click here.
I made a list of meals we do like and how to make them. So that I or my husband can make them or grocery shop for these items easily. I also decided to start trying new recipes during this time to give us more options that we know are good. My goal is to make it less stressful to plan and it not be only me who can plan, shop and make the food we eat once the baby is here.
Making things so that my husband or others can hop in and help me when needed to take care of the house or the family. As a stay-at-home wife, I tend to be the one that keeps the home running. I take care of the home, pay the bills, keep track of everything, the list goes on.
Due to this, my husband doesn’t know all the things that go into this job, know how to do some of the tasks, when to do them, etc. I have made many papers that explain what needs to be done, when, and how to do it. I will be putting these papers up on the fridge when it’s closer to the time of meeting our baby. I also have been showing him and including him while I do these tasks so that he sees and learns how to do everything. It will be so helpful for him to be able to step in a take on any task the house or family needs when needed to do so. This will take the weight off of me knowing we are both aware of what needs to be done and know how to do it. I also bought a calendar and tasks chart to put on our fridge so that we all know what’s going on each day and the tasks that need to be done for the week.
If family comes over to help once the baby is here they can refer to those sheets as well to know how we do our household tasks which is very helpful.
House projects
This may be what you envision as preparing the home for baby. Getting all the house projects done before the baby makes their arrival is a great idea because it will be much easier to complete these projects prior to having the baby.
I’ve been including my whole family in getting these projects done. As I get closer to my due date I will be less help so getting them done in my 2nd trimester has been so helpful for everyone. For the projects that will be getting done in my 3rd trimester, I will be delegating the tasks and doing what I can.
Some major things projects that are all the list are baby proofing so that it’s done mostly getting furniture anchored to the wall and making sure we do not have things that babies can reach that we don’t want them to. Getting the nursery done, painting rooms, and doing any renovations we wanted to get done prior to knowing we’d be adding another member to our family. Getting everything done has not only been nice to have and see, but it also takes the weight off of my shoulders knowing the home will be finished prior to having our baby.
Of course, as time goes on the house will need new things or we will want to change something, but getting everything done that we know needs done currently is so helpful for us.
Home decluttering and organizing
Along with the big house projects I have been downsizing a ton and organizing and making systems for the spaces to stay organized as much as possible. I have been all about making my life easier as I step into this new phase of life and I have a feeling I will be thanking myself later for the efforts I am putting in currently.
So If you want to get organized consider tackling the messier areas of your home. Especially if it seems like no matter what it just keeps getting messy or unorganized. Clean it out, declutter it, get rid of things, and find solutions to make it stay organized.
I have found my kitchen counter gets filled with things that we deem as “important” or could potentially be. Especially from the mail. So, I bought a wall file organizer and put it up in a nearby closet so that we can store those papers away until we know we need them, we don’t need them and can throw them away, or I know I should file them away for long-term storage. They now have a home. Find ways to create homes for all the things in your home. You’ll find clutter builds up often due to not knowing if you’ll need it in the future. So if you have a category that is often becoming cluttered try to find a spot for it to have short-term or long-term storage in the home. Baskets are a great idea for short-term storage needs.
Visualizing the things that will change
It may seem silly for me to say to visualize the changes that are coming, but I’ve noticed many moms say they didn’t even think about how x y, or z would change once they had a baby. Taking the time to think about and visualize what will change will help the transition be easier if you feel prepared for it.
Often, I will catch myself daydreaming about how I will have a little one running around the house soon or playing in the corner I plan to set up with toys. I also will remind myself in the middle of the night when I wake up that I will be waking up to feed a baby or by their cries. That I will be in the corner of my room rocking them to sleep, etc. I try to visualize the joys and the harder times so that I feel equally prepared and excited for it all. Not choosing to focus on only good and having a false sense of what’s to come and not focusing only on the bad and having a dread for what’s to come. Somewhere in between so that I am able to be as mentally prepared as I possibly can be.
How are you preparing your house for baby?
I hope this has given you some ideas of what you can be doing to practically prepare for your little one to make their arrival. Maybe think of some more ways you can get prepared for your baby to be here.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, but making an effort to get ready is a great way to help yourself out in the future. Having systems in place so you can get the help you need and are also able to get things done in an easier way is great!
Pregnancy is a weird transitional time and an in-between of two phases of life. So try and take advantage of this time and remember all the beauty it has in it. It may seem like you are waiting forever to finally meet your baby or maybe time is flying for you, either way getting prepared for the realities that come with bringing a baby home should be a top priority during this time. There is no time too early in your pregnancy to start preparing. Do what feels right your you.
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