We are very pleased to share another guest post written by Chloe who regularly contributes to Smooth Decorator. She is using her master skills with interior design and organizational tips and combining it with how to make your home ready for the new baby.
We are very excited to share such a unique piece with all of you. We hope you enjoy these tips as you get ready for the new baby physically, mentally and emotionally!
If you’re looking for what else you should be doing in your Second Trimester of pregnancy, check out our other post!
How to Organize Your Home for a Baby
With a new family member on the way, it’s time you made your home more baby-friendly. From the essentials and organizational tricks to beautiful decorations and creative ideas, you have so much to do, so you better start as soon as possible.
Cosy up the living room
If you start with designing the nursery, you’ll lose all of your energy even before you think about tackling the rest of your home. Thus, you should work your way to the nursery by starting with other areas, such as the living room.
If possible, you should opt for the open-floor plan and merge your living room with the kitchen. Not only will this create a cosier and homier look, but it will also enable you to keep your eye on your baby once they start moving around.
Apart from basic baby-proofing, such as hiding any extension cords, removing glass decorations and adhering your shelves to the walls, you should create a functional, cosy layout that will enable you to move around freely with your baby.
You should remove all the clutter and ask your partner and friends to help you clean the space and the rest of the home thoroughly.
Baby-proof the bathroom
Although it will be months before your baby starts exploring your home on their own, you should make sure to create a safe environment as soon as possible.
In the bathroom, it means removing all the cleaning products from your baby’s reach, installing anti-scald devices in your shower and placing slip-resistant mats.
You should also make room for baby essentials, such as baby soaps and shampoo, cotton pads, nail clippers and so on. No matter how soon it may seem, you’ll be overwhelmed once your baby arrives, so it’s better to be prepared.
Stock up the kitchen
Since things can get a bit hectic with a baby in your home, having healthy and regular meals is of the utmost importance for you and your partner’s health.
However, you might not have time to cook, so you should consider preparing meals in advance and stashing them in the freezer. The more, the better!
You’ll be grateful to yourself for thinking ahead, especially after a sleepless night. You should also restock your fridge with fresh, healthy foods just before the baby arrives, which is particularly important if you want to breastfeed.
Set up the nursery
Designing the nursery can be quite fun and exciting if you approach it with a to-do list and a plan. If you don’t want to go with the cliché “blue for boys and pink for girls” look, you can choose a neutral colour palette and then introduce colourful details to create a playful look in the nursery.
You can introduce a specific theme, create a mural on one wall and hang lovely artwork. It’s completely up to you!
However, there are a few pieces that are a must in the nursery: a high-quality crib, a comfortable rocking chair or armchair, a changing table and plenty of storage space. Arrange these pieces in a functional layout and then add decorations for the final touch.
Treat yourself in the master bedroom
While you should remove potential hidden dangers, the master bedroom is your and your partner’s romantic sanctuary, so you shouldn’t clutter it with baby gear. Taking care of yourself and your relationship is of the utmost importance during this period, so you should do something for yourselves in the master bedroom.
However, you should still have a couple of things within your reach. Place a baby monitor on your nightstand while other items, such as a breast pump, extra bottles and other feeding paraphernalia, can be stored in a drawer.
If you have a master bathroom, you shouldn’t clutter it with baby equipment and bathing toys. You should leave this for the other bathroom and make yours more relaxing.
You can even buy one of those modern, luxurious bathtubs for the master bathroom. After all, you need to take care of yourself; and what’s more relaxing than a soothing bubble bath?
Once your baby arrives, you’ll be overwhelmed by the challenges of parenthood, so you should get everything ready as soon as possible. Just remember to treat yourself, too!
(We have a list of tips on how to prepare for motherhood so you don’t lose yourself!)
About the author:
Chloe is an art historian and recreational ballet dancer. Her biggest dream is to travel the whole world and take stunning photographs of beautiful places. She also enjoys learning and writing about home design, since she is crazy about aesthetics. She is a regular contributor to Smooth Decorator
Other posts that you may find of interest:
Items for baby shower from Amazon
The best Nursing Clothing on Amazon
Ultimate list of Maternity Clothing from Amazon
Planning on baby wearing? Check out this baby wearing accessory
10 free activities to do with baby
We hope that these tips can help you get prepared and organized for your new arrival.
Congrats and good luck. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments below!
Lindsay says
Such a beautiful nursery! Neutral colors all the way!
Kristen Jones says
These are all such great tips–some I would have never thought of! I feel like a cozy living room is key. All of my Mama friends live in their living rooms, so it only makes sense to make it cozy AND baby proof!
Karen says
i love these tips. Stocking the kitchen is one i wish I would have done more when my youngest was born