All Secure Storage Tips for Preparing Your Home for Your New Baby

Ready to prepare your home for your new baby? If you’re not, that’s okay – All Secure Storage is here to help. Here are some tips to help you get ready to welcome your little one safely into your home.

Rethink Your Spaces

It’s exciting to think about what life will be like with your new baby. But while you daydream, don’t forget to think about the spaces in your home and if they’re optimized for you and your little one. Part of preparing your home for your baby could mean reorganizing your bedroom and other spaces so they aren’t causing you problems while you parent.

For example, if your baby will be sleeping in a crib or bassinet in your room, think about where it will be and the route you’ll take to get from your bed to the bassinet. Is there anything that can cause you to trip or stub your toe while you get to the crib half asleep in the dark? It’s best to remove rugs or awkwardly positioned furniture to give you easy, foolproof access. Your future self will be thanking you for spending the time to think about these things now!

Create Organization Stations

Organization baby stations help you get your supplies organized before the baby arrives. These stations can be utilized everywhere, including where you plan to feed them, where you might rock them to sleep, or where you change them. They’re great tools as they help you focus on caring for your baby instead of constantly searching for supplies. Consider these stations for your home:

• Nursing – whether it’s a basket or rolling cart, keep your nursing and pumping supplies in here, along with a phone charger, a book, and snacks and drinks for you.
• Bottle and formula – this can go in the kitchen and should include bottles, different nipples and tops, formula, as well as supplies for washing bottles.
• Diapers and wipes – having multiple diaper stations around your house (and in your car) will make changing easy and convenient.

If you’re a first-time parent and are not sure what items you’d like for your station, ask other parents what items have been the most helpful for them. This can save you time and money in the long run.

Babyproof Early

Babyproofing helps to protect your child, and it’s never too early to start babyproofing your home. For newborns, you should follow sleep safety standards and turn down the heat on your water heater to avoid any bath scalds. When they start moving, you’ll likely have to use some devices around the house to protect your little one. Consider using:

• Locks – for drawers and cupboards.
• Safety latches – to safely latch doors, freezer doors, cabinets, and toilets.
• Anchors – applying anchors to bigger furniture pieces like bookshelves and dressers help prevent your baby from accidentally pulling them down onto them.
• Knob covers – these help prevent your baby from turning door knobs and getting into rooms they shouldn’t.
• Outlet covers – outlet covers and plugs protect against electrical sockets not in use.

Clear Away Clutter

For such little things, newborns come with so much stuff. Even the tidiest homes can become cluttered with the crib, changing mats, toys, bottles, and clothes. Before they arrive, spend some time decluttering your home. You may find you’ve been holding onto things you don’t need or don’t want anymore, like CDs, books, clothes, or hobby equipment. Go through items in each room of your home and decide if you want to keep, sell, donate, or toss.

Do a Deep Clean

Doing a deep clean before the baby comes will not only be nice to come back to after the birth, but it can ensure places where the baby will be are in tip-top shape. A few key areas you’ll want to take care to clean thoroughly include the tub or sink where you’ll bathe the baby, flooring for worry-free time spent with your baby on their stomach, and all the bedding (yours and theirs). This is also the time to pay attention to air vents, light fixtures, and ceiling fans, as they can make a big difference in air quality for your baby.

If mom is going to be cleaning, make sure gloves are worn to protect from chemicals and that help is on hand to take care of heavy lifting and hard-to-reach spots.