Bringing home a newborn baby is an exciting time, but it can quickly become a stressful time if the right home preparations haven’t been made. That’s why it’s important to start preparing your home for your baby’s arrival early on in the pregnancy, and avoid any last minute rushing. How happy and comfortable your newborn will feel in your home is extremely important, so here are a few tips for creating a loving and happy environment for your baby.
The Baby Nursery
The nursery is the most important room in the house for you and your baby, as you will both be spending a lot of time in there. That’s why you should start preparing the room early on and ensure that it contains every necessary product or piece of furniture.
Since this is a room where your baby will spend most of his time sleeping, start by painting the walls in soft and relaxing colours that aren’t so vibrant as to keep him awake. Begin filling the room with furniture such as a crib, changing table, rocking chair and dresser, and then get to work on the decorations such as curtains, flowers, stuffed toys, baby books and soft lamps.
Everything you put in the nursery should be calm and comforting rather than harsh to ensure your baby feels safe and loved.
Safety-Proofing
Making your home baby proof is an important part of creating a loving and safe environment for your child. Even though your newborn babywon’t be moving around on his own for a while yet, that time will come sooner rather than laterso it’s wise to start baby proofing your home before he comes.
Begin by putting covers on all your power points, corner bumpers on tables, and safety locks on cabinet doors and toilet seats. Also, remove any loose wires, dangling cords, and loose pillows and stuffed toys from your baby’s crib or bassinet.
A Healthy Home
Every parent wants their home to be a safe place for their child, but it can be easy to overlook all those invisible hazards that are floating around in the air. Wet paint, carpet, commercial cleaning products, and most new items all contain and emit harmful chemicals into the air – chemicals which are about 15 times more toxic to your baby than they are to you. Common toxins that are found in nurseries include lead, pesticides, flame retardants, mould and formaldehyde.
It’s easy to reduce the amount of toxins in your home: use no-VOC paint, buy organic mattresses and bedding, use hardwood or tile flooring instead of carpet, have at least one plant in each room, and use natural cleaners in your home (especially in the nursery). If you don’t have the funds for organic products, then even buying used clothing and bedding will make a big difference. Similarly, it’s also time to establish some new rules in your home, such as: no smoking, no walking into the house with shoes on, and no pets in the baby’s room.
Besides all of the ways that makes your home safe, healthy and comfortable, your baby will also be looking to his parents and other family members to make the space positive and loving. This will probably come naturally for you and your partner as you welcome home the new addition to your family.
