Preparing Your Home for a New Baby #SeventhGeneration

Whenever I get pregnant I immediately start preparing for the new baby’s arrival. There is so much to do, and although we ideally have 9 months to prepare, it doesn’t always feel like enough time. Between taking care of myself, my Princess’, and trying to figure out what I need to do to prepare for this baby, life can get overwhelming fast.  

So I’ve compiled a list of 10 tips to prepare your home for the arrival of a new baby.

1 – Look up safety regulations, and recalls on any baby furniture you are going to use. Safety standards change a lot over the years, and products often get recalled.  This is especially important if you plan on using hand me down gear.  One of the first things I did after finding out I was pregnant, was check our car seat. We’d been using it since Princess V was born, and she just turned 5 yesterday.  I am so glad I checked it. It is a 5 year car seat, meaning Princess R was the last to use it. So now I know I need a new car seat.  We’ve also been using the same crib, which still meets safety guidelines, is in good condition, and has not been recalled.  View recalled items. 

2 – My next area of concern is paint. We are doing a lot of rearranging of rooms. This baby we will be putting in Princess V’s room, and moving her in with her sisters. Her room is painted very bright colors though, and is very girly.  We don’t know the gender yet, but I am sure it is a boy. If it is a boy, even a girl, we want to tone the colors down a bit. Thankfully paint these days no longer contains lead, but I still plan on researching the different brands of paint to find the safest for our nursery.  Also, I don’t plan on helping with the paint, but I know some expecting moms like to still paint. Just make sure you keep the room well ventilated, and wear a mask.  Protect you and that little child growing inside.

3 – The closer it gets to baby’s arrival, we will start setting up the nursery.  Right now Princess R is still in the crib, but around January we plan on moving her to the toddler bed.  At that point, I will be sanitizing the crib.  I love using baby wipes like Seventh Generation for this part. I know the wipes are baby friendly, and if any one of my children decides to suck on the crib, I won’t have any worries. 

4 – Baby proof the nursery.  Make sure the crib is placed away from the windows. Tie up any cords from blinds. I love this website to educate on the dangers of blind cords, and what you can do.  We also have hooks on the sides of our windows to wrap the extra cords around. Cover up those plugs too. Baby won’t be moving around for awhile, but if you start baby proofing now, when baby is suddenly on the other side of the room, you won’t have to worry, and you can enjoy the excitement of a new milestone. 

5 – Once we have the nursery painted, the furniture sanitized, and the room baby proofed it will be time decorate the nursery.  If you have older children, involve them! The transition of bringing home a new baby will be easier for them if they have helped pick out curtains, pictures, and bedding. 

6 – Educate your older children. About a month or two before baby #4 comes we are going to take our kids to a sibling class at the hospital. I was thrilled when I found out this class is offered! They help get your older siblings ready to have a baby in the house. They cover holding the baby correctly, diaper changing, and other safety aspects.  In the meantime, at home, I will also teach the Princess’ different safety guidelines for baby. Simple things, like never stick anything in baby’s mouth, wash hands before touching baby, and always ask permission to hold baby.  

7 – This next tip is going to be hard for my Princesses, but after Christmas, I am going to go through all of their toys. Any small toys, I plan on either getting rid of, or storing up high. 

8 – Another tip is to make sure any chemicals you have are stored up high. For us we’ve already done this since we have older children. We have a few items stored under the kitchen sink, and that is locked with a baby lock. The rest I have in the bathroom cupboard, which I even have to get s stool to reach.  In the past year I have started using more family and planet friendly products. Even though these items are “safe” to use around kids, and are “natural” I still store them out of the reach of small hands. I would hate to have any accidents happen. 

9 – A month or two before baby comes, we will have the nursery set up, decorated, and ready to put baby in. It will be time to wash all the baby clothes. In the past, we have used hand me downs. With 3 Princesses, we’ve kept all the clothes. Sitting in storage, they tend to get a storage smell to them, and before using on a new baby, I want smelling fresh and clean. Our concern is that sensitive baby skin.  Eczema is prevalent in our family, and laundry detergent has been a contributing factor. When doing baby’s laundry I look for dye-free, fragrance free detergents like Seventh Generation.

10 – Freezer meals. You don’t want to worry about what you’re family is eating, how many pizza’s you’ve ordered, because you are too enthralled with a new baby.  A month before your due date, start making double dinners. Put one in the freezer.  When baby comes, you’ll have meals ready and you won’t have to worry about those pizzas because you’ve already made dinner.  I plan on having at least a week of meals, but 2 would really be ideal.

My last tip to you the expectant mother is to enjoy nesting. It’s one of my favorite parts of the pregnancy. My whole house gets rearranged; I beam with excitement because I am being productive. And I know I am getting close to holding that bundle of joy in my arms. When you’re house is spotless despite having older children, you’re nursery is set up, and you know you’ve done all you can to make baby’s arrival in your home safe and comforting. Sit back, relax, and smile. Soon your baby will be in your arms, and because you prepared you won’t have a care in the world other than to hold that baby, and sleep.  I hope all my pregnant friends have a wonderful pregnancy!