Get Ready Before The Baby Comes! -4 Essentials to Get Your Home In Order
Along with the excitement and the anticipation of the moment your baby is born, comes the fear for their well-being and safety. It’s time to get ready before the baby comes! Developing certain worries about keeping your cherub safe in this world is a normal thing. Well, although there are some occurrences you can’t really influence, you can still make sure your infant is safe in your living space. Here is how you can prepare your home for your newborn’s first arrival there.
Make your home toxin-free
Proportionally to a newborn’s body weight, they will eat and drink more than an adult in order to grow, but also breathe more air. This is why it’s crucial to keep your home, and especially their room, toxin-free. First of all, don’t let people walk into your baby’s room with their shoes on, since they can unknowingly bring in various toxicants, such as lead or pesticides. Next, the paint on your little one’s walls and furniture can emit volatile organic compounds, and it’s also possible that there are some harmful flame retardants or PBDEs in their mattresses. To avoid all of these dangerous substances to affect your infant’s health, before you even start decorating your baby’s room, carefully read the labels on everything you bring into it. Ventilate the room well and clean it properly with natural cleaning products. Similarly, choose natural materials for their mattress and any rugs or carpets in the room.
Eliminate allergens
Another thing that could prove to be problematic is different allergens you can find in a home. From pet dander, mold and dust to pollen which your family members or guests can carry into your home on their clothes. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to ensure the safety of your little one. First of all, HEPA filters can be of great assistance, so make sure your vacuum cleaner and your air conditioning unit have them. Clean your whole home and use a wet cloth for dusting. Also, before your baby is born, you’ll want to wash all the clothes you’ve bought them, as well as their bedding, towels and anything else that will come into contact with their sensitive skin. In order to do this properly, you should look for new generation washing machines. The older models weren’t as efficient and they could cause mold to appear on the walls of your laundry room or bathroom, and with mold being an allergen, getting a new washing machine might be the best thing you can do.
Prepare all the basic necessities
Newborns are small and, although some people think that they don’t require much more than breast milk, they actually need a lot more than that. First of all, they’ll need a whole bunch of diapers, and the speed they’ll go through them will probably surprise you. Also, don’t forget about the baby clothes, creams and hygiene products, such as soap and shampoo, made especially for them. Of course, you can’t use your regular nail clippers on your infant, so you’ll have to get that, too. Cotton pads, rubbing alcohol, all sorts of bottles and pacifiers are just the tip of the iceberg you’ll end up with eventually. In case you can’t breastfeed, you’ll also need formula, but wait until your doctor tells you exactly which one to buy. Plus, don’t forget about yourself. The postpartum period can be tough, so make sure you always have enough maxi pads, ice packs and anything else you may need. In case you aren’t sure what to get, talk to your doctor or one of your friends who’ve recently gave birth.
Babyproof your home
Although some parents decide to leave this part for later, since small babies can’t really move around and are less likely to get injured due to some sharp table corner or an exposed electric socket, you might want to babyproof your home before your baby even arrives. While they’re still infants, all you really have to do is to make their bed safe for them to sleep. This means removing any stuffed animals, pillows, blankets or bumper pads from their crib since these items can fall on your baby’s head and prevent them from breathing. The other important thing is to set the temperature in your water heater to a maximum of 49°C so that you don’t burn your baby when giving them a bath. And as much as it’s true that the rest of it can wait till your baby starts crawling and walking, you should also consider the fact that now you have the time and patience to deal with all of this, so maybe you can take some simple steps, such as placing plastic guards on sharp edges, securing the furniture which could easily tip and fall on your baby and get electric socket covers, and then tackle the rest of it when the time’s right.
Preparing your nest for your newborn is something that all parents do. So, take some time and do it before your baby is born, so that you can give them all your time once they arrive home.
