Preparing Your Home for a New Baby: A Room-by-Room Checklist

Creating a safe and welcoming environment for your new baby is crucial to preparing for parenthood. Not all of these items need to be purchased before babe is here, however here's a room-by-room checklist to help you get your home ready for your little one's arrival:

Nursery:

1. Crib and Bedding: Ensure the crib meets safety standards, and use a firm mattress with a fitted sheet. Avoid using pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals in the crib.

2. Changing Table: Stock it with diapers, wipes, and diaper rash cream.

3. Clothing Storage: Organize baby clothes in the closet or dresser.

4. Baby Monitor: Set up a baby monitor if you plan to use one.

5. Nightlight: Consider a dim nightlight for late-night feedings and diaper changes.

6. Laundry hamper

Kitchen:

1. Baby Bottles and Feeding Supplies: Sterilize and organize bottles, nipples, breast pumps, and formula if needed.

2. High Chair: If your baby is ready for solids, have a high chair.

3. Baby-Friendly Utensils and Dishes: Purchase or set aside utensils, plates, and bowls for your little one.

Living Room:

1. Baby-Proofing: Install safety gates and secure heavy furniture to prevent accidents.

2. Toy Storage: Set up a designated area for baby toys.

3. Comfortable Nursing Area: Create a cozy spot for breastfeeding or bottle feeding.

Bathroom:

1. Baby Bath Supplies: Gather baby shampoo, soap, a soft washcloth.

2. Baby First Aid Kit: Include a rectal thermometer, baby nail clippers, and infant-friendly pain relievers.

Bedroom:

1. Your Sleep Space: If the baby shares your room, set up a bassinet or co-sleeper for easy access during nighttime feedings.

2. Blackout Curtains: These can help create a conducive sleep environment for you and your baby.

Laundry Room:

1. Baby Laundry Detergent: Have a separate detergent for baby clothes to avoid skin sensitivities.

2. Dirty Diaper Disposal System: Consider a diaper pail for convenience.

General Safety:

1. Outlet Covers: Childproof electrical outlets.

2. Safety Latches: Install cabinet locks to keep hazardous items out of reach.

3. Window Guards: Consider window guards for added safety if you have low windows.

4. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Ensure they are in working order.

Car:

1. Car Seat: Install it properly in your vehicle before the due date. This can also be done at any firestation.

2. Mirror: Install a rear-facing baby mirror to monitor your baby during car rides.

Emergency Contacts:

1. Pediatrician: Please ensure your pediatrician's contact information is readily available.

2. Poison Control: Post the number for poison control in emergencies.

Regularly review and update these safety measures as your baby grows and becomes more mobile. This checklist will help you prepare your home for the new addition to your family and ensure a safe and comfortable environment for your baby's arrival. Maintaining well-arranged areas throughout your home will greatly simplify your life. In the initial weeks, your hands will be occupied, necessitating multiple instances of commonly used items. Establish feeding, changing, and sleeping stations in various rooms for optimal convenience. Place all essential supplies in baskets at each station to minimize the need for constant room-to-room trips. Ensure everything is easily accessible for you while tending to your baby, whether during feeding, rocking, or soothing.

XOXO-Holly

Six things I wish I knew about the Postpartum Period......

When I think about all things baby, I am often left wondering why we spend so much time preparing for baby and pregnancy, labor and delivery, and we often forget about what happens when you bring your baby home. Not a lot of people talk about what really happens, how we feel, or what reality looks like. Once you get home, I’m going to be honest. Reality sets in. Whether this is your first baby, or your third. Things look different, and it is critical that people start to talk about it. There are long nights, breastfeeding, visitors, and TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF. Read that last part again. You need to take care of yourself, so that you are able to take care of that sweet baby. Below are things that I wish I knew when I brought my kids home, and things I discuss with all my clients so they feel prepared, and feel less overwhelm.

1. Get the Book The First Forty Days! It has amazing recipes for healing and I’m telling you, you won’t be able to put it down. Read it before baby comes. It will serve you well. In almost every single culture but ours, they really honor the postpartum period. A lot of other cultures lead the postpartum time with this concept. 10 days in the bed, 10 days on the bed, 10 days near the bed. I want people to understand that after you have a baby, there is an open wound the size of a paper plate. That is where your placenta attached. If you were walking around with that wound outside of the body, people would want you to rest and recover, but because we can’t see that it’s easy to forget how important healing time is. I am going to give you permission right now. You don’t have to go to Target. Send someone else. You don’t have to entertain people who come to see your baby. They can get their own water. You don’t have to LEAVE YOUR HOUSE. Spend time getting to know your baby with all the cuddles. Eat, Sleep, Rest and repeat.

2. Arrange your home to be convenient. I will tell you a little story. When I brought my first baby home, everything was perfect, or so I thought in my head. Nursery was perfect, house was so clean, everything was organized. It was organized like a museum, rather than a home that was about to have a very sore mom and new baby. I had a level four episiotomy, and a baby that ended up in the NICU. The main floor did not have a rest room. There was one upstairs, and one in our finished basement. I had over a hundred stiches and could hardly take two steps, let alone go up and down to change diapers. It was literal hell on earth. It wasn’t until my step mother came to visit that she set up little stations all over the house so everything was arranged on what worked for me and baby. A nursing station in the living room, a changing station in the dining room, our sunroom became his nursery. My home had been arranged in perfection for guests, not a mother who could barely walk or a baby that spent time in the NICU. Arrange things for convenience. You’ll thank me later, I promise!

3. Meal Plan. Get an instant Pot. Pre make food so that meals are the absolute last thing on your mind. Sign up for a meal plan service. I love SAKARA, Hello Fresh, and look locally. If you are in Minneapolis or surrounding areas, Hola Postpartum is amazing! Have a friend or family member set up a meal train. If you don’t, two thing will happen. One, you will eat non stop take out which gets expensive, and won’t promote nearly enough of the nutrients that you need for healing, or two, you will skip meals altogether. Neither of these options are great.

4. Use your resources. Listen to your body and mind. There are so many professionals that aid in the postpartum time. Pelvic Floor Specialists. Post Partum Therapists. Post Partum Doulas. IBCLC’s (International Board Certified Lactation Counselor). These people are specifically trained to aid in your postpartum journey. There are there so that you are not sitting up late at night feeling like you have no support. This is hard. I will be honest with you. This is one of hardest times that you will face, and I am here to tell you. YOU CAN DO IT. There will long nights, there will be tears, but you are strong, so there is no doubt in mind that you can do this! Reach out to people that can help you. Sometimes the advice from your family members is riddled in judgement, you just don’t need that.

5. Talk to your partner about who does what. Laundry. Cooking, Shopping. How will things look different in the immediate postpartum time, and go forward? Who will do what? If you have a plan go forward, there will be less arguing. I have seen this work. It’s ok that roles switch for a while. No one says that if they roll one way, that they can’t go back, although I will tell you, sometimes they don’t . You have added a whole person to the mix. You will find your new normal. Things level out. It get’s easier. Allow yourself grace and patience. The parenthood journey is one of the most amazing things you will do.

6. Schedule time with your partner. Schedule time for each of you to do things that you love. This is one of the most critical things that I can encourage you to do. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO IGNORE THE THINGS YOU LOVE. You just have to make time to do them. Even if it is for 30 minutes. My husband loves to run errands. Alone. He loves it. That is something that I understand and appreciate, and honestly the Target runs get done. I hate to do them. I love to spend time hiking. It’s my thing. We each understand that having this time to ourselves helps the family function happily. Maybe it’s meeting friends to play cards , or you want to get a manicure with your sister. DO THESE THINGS!

I tried to do all the things. The only thing that really ended up happening is I was exhausted, crabby, and felt like I was never going to heal or catch up. Sometimes I just needed someone to give me permission to just rest with baby. So, if you are someone like me who needs permission, YOU HAVE PERMISSION to not do all the things, and to relax, heal, and hug that baby.

My Top 15 Baby Product Picks.......

First things first. The baby industry is projected to be worth 88.72 billion dollars worldwide by 2026. It is an extremely profitable business, which is why gearing up for your baby seems like a very overwhelming experience. I am here to tell you…YOU DON’T NEED ALL THE THINGS! You just don’t. It will be literal crap that just takes up space, and you will have to rehome or donate. Babies are tiny humans, and they have preferences just like us. Don’t run out and buy all the things. You just don’t need it. The baby industry wants you to think that you need it all, and that without it you are not providing the absolute best for your baby. Not True! Let me give you an example. I HATE baby bath tubs. They are huge, awkward to use, and take up space. Plain and simple.

Here are my top recommendations for some baby products that have excellent reviews, and parents love! I am not receiving any compensation for the products in this list. Frankly, it can be hard to find honest reviews where you are feeling like people actually like the product rather than being paid to recommend it. The list is not made of the most inexpensive, but rather what people love. In my opinion some of the items aren’t truly necessary, but rather nice to haves, not need to haves. These are in particular order.

• Wander and Roam Foam Play-mat. You can find this here . They are woman owned, eco friendly, hypoallergenic and non-toxic. They also come in the most adorable patterns and colors. They are great for everything from play, yoga, and everything in between.

• Copper Pearl Bandana Bibs. You can find this here. They are well priced and have tons of pattern choices! I love these as when your baby begins to teeth, trust me you’ll love them. When my first was a baby, I was constantly changing his shirt because it was soaked, these take care of that. I love this company as they also have adorable apparel, blankets and are Family owned started by two best friends in 2015.

• The Solly Baby Wrap. This carrier is made of a lightweight, breathable fabric and comes in really cute prints, and are affordable. Another woman owned company. Good for 5-25 pounds and is less structured which keeps babe close. You can find this here.

• Lillebaby. These carriers are more structured and are useful for babies from 7-45 pounds. There are a variety of different styles and the website does a great job of explaining which carrier is best for your lifestyle. I used this from about 7 months of age until my son was three. It is great. Find the carriers here.

• Hiccapop Baby Wipe Warmer. This is definitely a nice to have. I had two babies that did fine without one, however with my last baby I will say that it made diaper changes a little easier. With over 9800 5 star reviews there is something to these. Click here.

• Baeba Babycook NEO. This makes everything from fine purees to food with chunkier textures and won’t take up a lot of counter space. You could also use an instant pot, but this thing is your one stop shop for homemade baby food! Click here.

• Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens. This has been voted best monitor time and time again. Again, over 40,000 ratings say so. Privacy is guaranteed. The video and audio is transmitted via a secure 2.4 Ghz Channel with Fhss Technology. This ensures no data is shared through the internet and no other devices can access your camera unit. Click here

• Sunscreen: Adorable Baby is one of the safest brands out there according to the EWG (environmental working group) website. This means that their products do not contain any ingredients of concern and meet their highest standard for ingredient safety. All of their ingredients are naturally sourced or derived. Click here.

• Graco 4Ever DLX 4 in 1 car seat. Car seats are a very personal decision. I go with safety first! I also like one that will last a while! This one transforms from rear-facing (4-40 IB) to forward facing harness (22-65 IB), to high back booster (40-100 IB) to backless booster (4-120 IB). It features an integrated seatbelt lock-off system and Graco’s SimplySafe harness adjustment system, which helps prevent mistakes common when adjusting convertible car seats. Car Safety Hub gives this one 5 stars. You can find the car seat here.

• Breast pumps. This is also a personal choice, and some insurance companies cover the cost of this so make sure you call and check. People love the Spectra S1 Plus. This pump has hospital strength, which means big power and less noise. You can adjust the speed and suction and it uses a closed in system which keeps milk completely sperate from the pump pieces. It’s portable and small in size compared with some of the other pumps that are available. People love the comfortability factor and it’s easy to use. Find the pump here.

• Bottles. Comotomo Baby Bottle. This one is shaped like a breast, and you can pump directly into the bottle. You are even able to squeeze the bottle to mimic mom’s breast and milk flow. For more information about bottle and breast feeding I rely and send my clients to Danielle Spradlin who is an IBCLC. She is amazing and the best resource for all things breast feeding. She has a ton of information on her website. I trust her with all of my clients breastfeeding needs.

• Sleep. Sleep is a very personal decision, and what is right for one family might not be the choice of another. I encourage you to visit these websites to make the best possible decision for your family. CDC provides info on safe sleep. You can also find great information from AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics).

• Babymoov Hygro+ Humidifier. This is not the most exciting item to add to your registry, but you’ll be glad you did! I can’t tell you how many times I needed it and was so glad that I did not have to run out to Target or Walmart late at night to find one. This one is programmable and customizable. The mist output is 360 degrees, and it runs almost silent. You can find it here.

• Swing. 4moms mamaRoo. This high-tech swing + bouncer hybrid mimics human movements with five natural motions, five speeds and four built in sounds AND is Bluetooth -enabled for remote motion and sound control. You really can’t go wrong with this one! Find it here.

• Strollers. I prefer one that is a travel system, and honestly if you spend money on one thing…this is it. Things to consider would be weight, how much room does it take up, is it easy to fold down, and of course safety. I love Inglesina strollers! They can be used from 3 months to 55 IBS. Here is the thing. I bought one of these when my first baby was born, 18 years ago. I used that stroller with each child, (my youngest is five). It held up and weighed less than 11 IBS. It folds up to the size of a matchstick and is really easy to use and durable. I honestly would give it 100 stars. There are lot of strollers out there ranging in price from $50-$1400 dollers, but I’m telling you can’t go wrong with this one! Find them here.

On a final note. There is so much stuff out there, and some of it is just stuff. There are really amazing companies that will make your life easier, and some products that will take up space and are useless. The old saying of give your toddler a cardboard box to play in or pots and pans and it will keep them busy for hours is true. I’m not saying to not buy any toys, but you don’t need ALL the toys and gear. Take it from me. When one day they are four and five and have to clean out that playroom. You will thank me. I promise!