19 Clever Ways To Make Your House Baby-ready

Getting organized before your baby's arrival is surprisingly easy and will help you to remain stress-free during those first precious weeks with your new arrival.

When it comes to welcoming a new baby into your home, you're going to want to consider the whole house, not just the nursery. But fear not! We're here to take you through making your house baby-ready in a simple and digestible way. Not only will your home be ready for your little one, but you'll have totally revamped your home into a living space that feels new, fresh, spacious, and ready to house a family.

In this post, we're going to look at how to get your whole house ready for a baby in 19 simple steps.

1. Declutter

If you want to organize your home for a new baby, you're going to have to start thinking like a minimalist. Having a clear-out is one of the best things you can do to prep your house for your baby's arrival. Go through each room of your home and make 'keep, donate, and sell' piles. Be brutal.

Not only is this baby going to require lots of space for everything that they're going to be bringing with them, but fewer 'things' means less to tidy up! And having a house that's easy to tidy means that you can spend even more time with your precious newborn without being distracted by the housework that needs doing.

Here's a step-by-step way to tackle the clutter in your home:

● Start with the bathroom

● Kitchen drawers

● Clothes, shoes, bags, accessories

● Children's rooms (if you already have children)

● General clutter (ornaments, unused objects, etc)

● Garage and other storage spaces 

2. Deep cleaning your home

Cleaning out the clutter is also an excellent opportunity to give your house the deep clean that it's been calling out for. The great thing about doing this as you declutter is that it will break it into manageable chunks that you can start and finish in a short amount of time. For example, instead of deciding to deep clean the entire house in one day, you can declutter and deep clean the bathroom over the space of a couple of days (or even a whole week!).

The key to keeping it manageable is taking your time and separating your home into areas that can be decluttered and cleaned one at a time.

It's best to use natural cleaning products as regular products often contain chemicals that pose a risk to you and your unborn baby. If you're ever in doubt, stick to baking soda and a little white vinegar, mixed with lots of water and a few drops of essential oils to make it smell nice.

3. Organize your clothes

During the postpartum period, you're going to be stuck between maternity clothes and pre-pregnancy clothes that no longer fit. For some, not fitting into a wardrobe full of beautiful pre-pregnancy clothes can be a bit disheartening.

The best way to prepare for that is to pick a section in your closet to group all the clothes you will be wearing and set aside the clothes you're unlikely to be able to fit into for the first few weeks or months after birth

There's more choice than ever before when it comes to postpartum and nursing clothes, so find some pieces that you love and that make you feel great - then fill your wardrobe with these!

4. Tackle the fridge

Depending on how often you go through your fridge for expired food, this task could range from a 5-minute clean to a 1-hour deep clean. Creating space in and organizing the food in your fridge will give you one less thing to think about when your sole job becomes being a mom.

We recommend creating lots of space in your freezer so that you can prepare lots of easy-to-reheat meals in advance.

5. Food prep

In the final month before your baby arrives, it's a good idea to get cooking! Having a selection of healthy meals readily available before baby comes will save you a lot of time and energy. And as well as that, you're less likely to grab a quick dinner that lacks nourishment. Check out this article "25 Yummy freezer meals to Make Before Baby Comes" by The Postpartum Party, which will give you some great ideas.

If friends and family are asking how they can help you in the lead-up to the arrival of your baby, why not ask them to prepare you a couple of home-cooked meals that can be frozen? This is also the kind of help that you'll appreciate from people throughout the first year (or several…) of your baby's life.

6. Babyproof

While your baby is still very small, it's not particularly necessary to babyproof the entire house. Though you may want to consider what will need babyproofing when your little one becomes a curious crawler. Here are a few things that you might want to start taking note of around your house.

● Long blind/curtain cords

● Open sockets

● Sharp corners - think tables and fireplaces

● Drawers - you may just want to rearrange your storage spaces to ensure that dangerous objects are kept out of reach.

● Staircases

● Fragile objects and ornaments

As your baby starts to explore, you'll quickly see the areas of your house that need to be baby-proofed. While some babies tend to stick to mom, others will be diving into every corner, cupboard, and crevice that they can find!

10. Prepare your bedroom

As your baby will be spending their first few months in your bedroom, make sure that the space is ready for a newborn. You'll need to ensure that there's enough space next to the bed for your baby's bassinet as well as room for you to get out of bed during the night to use the bathroom (or for any other reason!).

Setting up a charging station in your bedroom will also make midnight diaper changes much more simple and less tiring. We recommend keeping a box or basket next to or under your bed so that you can change your baby's diaper from the comfort of your mattress! Just remember to put a changing pad portable in there that can be used to protect your bedsheets.

11. Prepare for visitors

Although you might scoff at the idea of having overnight visitors once your baby arrives, you're sure to appreciate the extra pair of hands when your mom offers to visit and help you with the afternoon feeds so you can take a well-needed nap.

To avoid rushing around searching for the things your guest will need, prepare a space in the bathroom or a drawer in the house that's full of everything you'll need to set up space for a guest.

12. Clear out a drawer

Wondering how to stock your house for a baby? All you really need is an empty drawer…

Clear out a drawer in your kitchen to have a dedicated space for everything that you and your baby might need during the day. You could keep bottles, diapers, baby wipes formula, breast pads, burp cloths, and spare clothes in here. This will save you time from gathering everything every time you need a clean diaper or clean sleepsuit for your baby. It also means that everyone in your house will know where the baby extras are and can help you more easily.

Once your baby has outgrown diapers and newborn necessities, you could use the drawer as a space to store toys, books, and activities that they have easy access to whenever they like!

Alternatively, if you have a guest bathroom, you could clear out a drawer so that guests who want to help can have easy access to everything, or you could use a basket instead of a drawer. This way, everything you need for your newborn can be moved around the house to wherever you are at the time.

3. Set up the pack 'n' play

Put your pack 'n' play to use immediately by setting it up in your lounge and using it as a day bed for your baby. For the first few weeks, you'll be wanting them to take their naps next to you - setting up a convenient sleeping spot means that you can use the time productively (this includes napping and watching TV).

Even if your baby doesn't take naps in their pack 'n' play, you could use it as a lounging or tummy-time space for him/her.

14. Create a feeding box or basket

Put together a box or basket of everything that you might need when it's time to nurse or pump. You might want to put things like breast pads, burp cloths, and vitamin D drops in here. Keep it in the spot where you plan to feed them during the day to have everything on hand should you need it. Nothing is worse than getting cozy to feed your baby, only to realize that you didn't pop any breast pads into your bra and will now need to change your clothes once you've finished.

15. Prepare for spills

If you don't have a space dedicated to cleaning products, now is the time to make one. You'll be faced with milk, spit-up, blended food, poop, and stains the moment that your baby arrives, and you'll want a quick way to wipe away the mess.

Keep rags or wipes in your cleaning space, as well as anything that you might like to remove stains from your and your baby's clothes. With a cleaning drawer, staying on top of household accidents becomes a 30-second job that you won't get overwhelmed by!

16. Consider lighting

You might be surprised at how much lighting needs to change once your baby arrives! Things like lamps, dimmer switches, and nightlights can be hugely helpful when trying to get your baby to sleep or during night feeds.

Dim lights also make it easier for you and your partner to let your baby sleep in the evenings and early mornings while your baby sleeps. If you do not want to purchase new lamps, you could use smart bulbs instead. Geeni has excellent lighting bulb options that you can control with their phone APP—from dimming and changing light color to turning lights on and off.

When nursing or feeding during the night, consider lighting that will allow you to see your baby's face and change their diaper but will keep the room dark enough for your baby to understand that it's still nighttime. And although you might envy your partner for sleeping, a dim light will also mean that their sleep will be less interrupted so that they can take over during the day while you catch up on sleep.

17. Organize the clothes

Any clothes that you receive or buy for your baby that are for 3 months and upwards can be organized and stored away for when you need them. You won't be needing them for the first couple of months, and they'll only take up precious space! Sort the clothes into ages so that you can easily add to your baby's wardrobe every time they outgrow what they're currently wearing - which, despite how tiny they might seem, will happen very quickly.

18. Storing clothes

Purchase boxes in which to store your baby's clothes as they grow out of them. You'll also need to find somewhere to keep the boxes. It's unbelievable how quickly babies grow out of their clothes, and you'll be separating clothes that are too small from the pile of laundry at least every month. Keep the clothes that are too small for your baby in containers that will keep them clean and dry. This way, they'll stay in good condition for the next baby or if you decide to sell or donate them!

19. Clean the car

Depending on your style, your car could be spectacularly clean or in desperate need of a good wash - no judgment, most cars turn into a dumping ground!

Take one day to empty your car of trash and anything else that's causing it to be cluttered, then treat it to a deep clean at your local car wash. You can also wash it yourself, but the results are never quite as shiny...

The takeaway

Getting your house baby-ready is one of the best ways to feel prepared for your newborn's arrival into your life. It's a great opportunity to get excited with your partner about the new adventure that you're about to embark on together, as well as to make things easier for yourself once you step into parenthood!

Although it can seem like an enormous task, it doesn't have to be. Take things one step at a time, focusing on and finishing one job before starting the next. Take all the help you can get when friends and family offer to help you out in preparing your home for your baby's arrival, and things will be much easier - as well as a lot more fun.

The great news is that once you've prepared your home, it's done! Any more babies that you have will fit into your baby-friendly home with no trouble whatsoever.

Enjoy the process! It's all part of the fun.