Nothing can be more exciting than the prospect of finally bringing your baby home after months of carrying the baby in the womb and hours of pushing. But before you bring baby home, you have to prepare your home for the baby’s arrival. Remember that an adult-friendly home may not be entirely a baby-friendly home.
So how do you prepare your home for your bundle of joy’s arrival?
New parents have to understand that baby’s body system is not fully developed and it is yet to adapt to the environment outside the womb thus what an adult’s system can tolerate babies can't. Because the baby’s body system is not yet adapted to harsh chemicals, exposure to harsh chemicals could affect the baby's respiratory system. Therefore, new parents should try to reduce the number of chemicals present in the house. Some of the ways to achieve this are by removing every form of auto sprays such as insecticide and air freshener and relocating the generator to a place far from the windows in the house or relocating the mother and or baby’s room to another room with windows far from the generator house or generator place.
Get rid of dust mites. Dust mites are tiny microscopic relatives of the spider, they live on mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture, carpets, and curtains. These are really harmful to your baby. If your mattress is more than a decade old, then it is best to replace it with a new mattress, or you use high-temperature steam to kill dust mites living in mattresses, pillows, and sofas. There are also mattress covers that are considered as anti-dust mites, wherein if you use them to cover your mattress, dust mites could neither settle nor come out of the mattress, giving you and your baby due to protection.
Protect your home against mosquitoes by keeping your home and surroundings clean and keeping water drums and buckets covered all the time. Also, do not forget to purchase a mosquito net for baby’s cot; mosquito nets are safe until your baby starts moving around. You can also install mosquito nets on doors and windows or replace torn ones in the house.
Clean up every corner of your home. Dust, mold, and debris are real allergens that could lead to sensitivities later on in life. You have to make sure that all corners of your home are spic-and-span.
Baby proof the house: first, start with baby’s room/sleep area, keep your baby’s crib away from the window and blind cords. Put outlet protectors on all outlets. When your baby starts sitting up, place the mattress in the lowest position. Note that baby proofing your home is a continual undertaking, continue to re-evaluate safety needs at the crawling and walking stages as well.
If you have an older child (ren), hint them about your new baby and encourage them to help you care for the newest family member. At first, you can expect some jealousy, especially if the main focus of your attention for several years suddenly has new competition, but be sure to spend some quality time with the older child (ren), this will help them to accept the new baby faster and also reduce your stress.
Prepare and store food in the freezer: Your first days at home from the hospital will be very busy for both you and your hubby. There will be times when neither of you will want to cook. Take-out food is an option but gets costly for a new family on a budget. Plan ahead. Make some easy meals and store them in the freezer. You can also invite your mother-in-law /mother over or get a house help (maid) so that you can have someone around you to help.