Getting your home ready for the arrival of your first baby is an exciting time. You’ll have plenty of time while you are pregnant in order to get those little jobs ticked off that you may not have time for once the baby has arrived. Of course, you will need to prepare one room for the baby’s nursery – but bear in mind that the baby will probably sleep in with you for the first few months in a moses basket - so there really is no hurry. In this article we are going to tell you some of the things that you should do to your house in order to prepare it for a child’s arrival. These don’t need to be done straight away – there is plenty of time between each of the child’s developmental stages in order for you to get your house ready. Here are our top suggestions for preparing a house for a baby:

Read: 5 cute ways to overhaul your child's bedroom on a budget

De-Clutter

One of the most important things that you can be getting on with while you are pregnant is to have a good sort out. If you think you have a lot of clutter now, wait until you have a baby! Babies tend to need an awful lot of equipment, toys and accessories, and it soon mounts up. To prepare for this, make sure your cupboards are as empty as possible, so you are only storing the things that you need. It’s a great idea to have a car boot sale or a garage sale in order to raise a little extra cash from these unwanted possessions – this can be put towards the cost of a new buggy for example.

Furniture

Stork Craft Portofino 4 in 1 Fixed Side Convertible Crib Changer

Every prospective parent busies themselves during the pregnancy by acquiring the necessary pieces of furniture such as a cot, a bouncer and all sorts of other bits and pieces for the baby. What you may not realize is that you will also need a chest of drawers which is dedicated for the baby’s things. You will be amazed at the amount of clothes, diapers, baby wipes and other baby accessories which need to be kept safe. Get a decent sized chest of drawers which can house it all.

Childproof Your Home

Your baby will spend the first 12 or so months of his life being pretty immobile – but after this, things start to change. As soon as he learns to crawl, coast and eventually walk, every corner of your house will become an obstacle course for him. Pre-empt this by putting up stair-gates, fixing childproof fastenings to your kitchen cupboards and making sure that loose bits of carpet are properly fixed down so that they are not a trip hazard. Of course, once your baby turns into a toddler, they will find danger around every corner – so you can’t completely childproof any house. You can however lower risks wherever you can – such as fixing corner pads to coffee tables and other head-height furniture.

Don’t panic – none of these things need to be done straight away. The reality is that all of your child’s developmental stages happen very slowly – so you’ll have plenty of time.

Featured images:

License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source

The author of this post is Paula Freeman. Paula is a freelance blogger currently writing for Alliance Floor Source Inc., leading dealers of hardwood floors in Toronto. Paula likes to read fiction novels and play tennis in her spare time.