While it’s important to prep the nursery, you’ll want to do a few other things before your baby comes home. Here are nine tips and tricks to prepare for your little one’s arrival.
Do the Laundry
While doing the laundry may seem like a given, you’ll want to wash all of your baby’s things before they come home. This includes onesies, sleepers, and sheets. Remove packaging and any tags or labels that might irritate sensitive skin, and use a detergent that’s free and clear of dyes and perfumes, or one marketed especially for infants.
Install the car seat
Technically this isn’t an in-home tip or trick but it is important. Installing a baby’s car seat before their arrival is a huge step, one which should not be overlooked. You should also test out the buckles and straps now, so you know how to secure your baby in it later. And keep the instructions handy. You will be exhausted after birth and fighting with the car seat will be the last thing you want to do.
Make Room In Your Fridge
While your baby may be on an all-liquid diet, you will need room in your fridge, be it for excess breastmilk, baby formula, or just those delicious casseroles that your friends and family will bring over. So when your fridge is nearly empty (ideally before you go food shopping), give it a good cleaning. Work from top to bottom, and take everything out, tossing expired or unidentifiable food.
Target Red Zones
The areas in your home with the most germs aren’t light switches, keys, and doorknobs, as you might suspect. Instead, kitchen sinks, dish rags, stove knobs, sponges, faucet handles, countertops, refrigerator handles, cutting boards, and toothbrush holders are harboring the most germs, reveals research from the National Sanitation Foundation International.2
To bring your baby home to spic-and-span digs, have your partner give everything a once-over while you’re recovering in the hospital. Going forward, stash sanitizing wipes near hot spots so you can wipe them down regularly, suggests Jennifer Theons, who owns a Merry Maid franchise in Lakewood, New Jersey.
Prep for visitors, if you want to
The early days of parenthood are a blur, of sleep deprivation and visitors. If you plan to have overnight guests, you may want to prepare for their visit now. Stock up on toothpaste, toothbrushes, and toilet paper. Change the sheets, and put an extra fan in the room for white noise. You should also have extra towels and soap.
That said, it’s important to note that you should not—under any circumstance—feel obliged to have, house, or host guests. This always holds true but really applies now, when you are a new parent. There is nothing wrong with saying “no” to visitors after birth.
Prepare for Your Baby and Your Future Needs
While it may seem strange to anticipate your future needs—especially now when you are truly living in the moment—a little foresight can go a long way. Prep, cook, and freeze extra meals. Stock up on household essentials, like laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper, and other cleaning products. Fill your prescriptions, keeping meds as up-to-date as possible. And, even if you don’t plan to use formula, buy a few baby bottles and a container of formula. Future you may be thankful you did.
