Whether it’s your 1st or 4th child, you need to get your home prepared for a new baby’s arrival. Getting this done before you bring your baby home will make your life much easier as you care for your newborn.
The tips below will teach you how to completely prepare and organize all the baby things in your house BEFORE you deliver. I’ll go room by room to show you how to set up your home to ease the transition of bringing home a new baby.
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Top 5 Tips for Preparing Your Home For a Newborn
As you have probably noticed, babies come with a lot of “stuff.” You don’t want to create too much clutter within your home, but you also want to have all the items that you need close by.
The main thing is adjusting your home to provide the most convenience for your growing family. You want all the newborn essentials easily accessible with plenty of items to make life easier! Here are some of my favorite tips for preparing your home for the baby and how to set up the rooms will be at the bottom.
1. Have Multiples of Your Most Used Items
In those first few weeks you will always have your hands full. Whether you’re holding, rocking, feeding, changing, snuggling, or playing, you’ll be constantly busy. Going back and forth between rooms or up and downstairs can be a nuisance, as well as a big waste of time.
I’m a big fan of spending a little more money for convenience sake, especially now with being a mom. Having everything you need at your fingertips makes caring for a newborn a lot less stressful.
If you have multiples of your most used items, everything will always be easily accessible. I try to have 2 of most things, if possible, to always have quick access to the things I need.
Since I have 2 floors in my house, I usually have stations set up on our 1st floor and 2nd floor (living room and bedroom), as well as other places throughout my house, car, and even the grandparent’s house.
You don’t need the same high-end, expensive items for all of these areas. The newer and better quality items I keep in my living room, since that’s what we use the most. For my second or third items, I use hand-me-downs, purchase items at garage sales, or get a cheaper version of it.
2. Create Stations Throughout Your Home
What’s also very important is to create organized spaces to make life easier for yourself. This includes having stations (feeding, diapering, sleeping) set up and rooms organized for maximum convenience.
Each station will include all the necessary items in one convenient little area or basket. Trust me, this makes things so much easier than searching all over for an item when you need it! As shown below, baskets and diaper caddies help tremendously with this.
In each room of your house you will probably need a station for what you will be doing there. For example, your bathroom will need a postpartum station, your kitchen will need a bottle station, your bedroom will need a feeding/late night station, your living room will need a changing station, and many more.
I’ll go into details on what should be in these stations below.
In order to create these stations, you’ll need baskets, storage bins, or organizer caddies. This helps to keep everything you need in one little area.
I love using small nesting baskets as organizers throughout my house, especially with babies. These are great for small items you need to grab. It’s so convenient to have items placed all throughout your house to make them easily accessible.
These baskets are just perfect for all your organizing needs. I love that they have a cloth liner so you’re not putting your things right in the bottom of a wicker basket. The size also allows you to nest them so you can put the smaller ones inside each other to compartmentalize into sections.
They’re also a neutral color and look stylish so you won’t mind having them scattered out around your home.
Another organizer basket I love is this Diaper Caddy Organizer by MollieOllie. There are so many small compartments to keep all the little items seen and easily accessbible, plus a waterproof interior for any cream or lotion spills.
Another super convenient item is these Large Storage Bins with Lids. They are the best for storing some of your larger items like toys, blankets, breast pump, etc.
These storage bins blend in well with my home decor, have an elegant style, and are durable and sturdy enough to hold a variety of items.
The best part about these bins is that they have a LID! I was looking all over for storage bins with lids to hide all the clutter and disorganization and these were perfect.
For baby items, I use them for toys, blankets & burp cloths, but the uses are endless. I even use them for other household items, such as a place for shoes to go by the door.
They can go in the closet for all the extra baby items that you may not need within reach, but still want to keep organized.
4. Wash and Sanitize All Newborn Items Before Use
You’ll want to wash and clean all the new items that your baby will come into contact with regardless of whether they are new or used. Wash the clothes, fabric covers or all the baby gear, blankets, sheets, etc.
Make sure you clean and sanitize all bottles, nipples, and pump parts. Use sanitizing wipes to wipe down all baby gear (swings, bouncers, etc.).
5. Get It Done Before You Bring Your Baby Home
When you return from the hospital after delivery, you may still be sore and uncomfortable. The last thing you’ll want to do is make unnecessary work for yourself.
Don’t put off these important ways to prepare your home for the new baby. You’ll be happy you got it all complete before you have your baby there with you.
It’s great to have a changing station in/near your living room or where you spend the most time. We have ours in a corner in the dining room, so it’s still easily accessible on our 1st floor.
We use the Chicco Lullaby Playard (which I highly recommend) that comes with a changer top and set up a little diaper station there. This pack-n-play is super convenient as you can store diapers on the side pocket, as well as have a place to change the baby and let him or her rest.
Don’t forget to stock up on the diaper genie refills too because you will go through those bags very quickly in the beginning- newborns go through 10-12 diapers a day!
In the side pockets of the playard or your extra changing basket/diaper caddy, include:
If you don’t have enough room in the side pockets, set up a little end table with a basket or storage bin.
2. Nursing Pillow
If you’re nursing, you’ll probably be doing most of that in your living room/family room space. Keep your nursing pillow here for convenience.
I love the My Breast Friend Pillow and think it’s the best one out there. I had the Boppy with my first baby and it worked fine, but the My Breast Friend is much better and easier to work with.
The Boppy still causes you to slouch down while nursing, leading to an achy back. My Breast Friend has a strap that you can strap the baby up higher while nursing so you don’t have to slouch.
It also allows you to walk around while nursing- multitasking is a must for new moms!
I have a Tummy Time mat set up in our living room (since this is where we spend the most of our time) and also in our bedroom. I have one new mat and another I got as a hand-me-down.
Add a mirror to the activity mat because baby’s love seeing their reflection while laying down and doing tummy time. Tummy time should start as soon as you bring the baby home form the hospital to start building their core, neck, and arm strength.
Newborns will love those plush, brightly colored, squishy toys, and after a month or 2, they’ll even be fascinated by teethers and objects they can grab and put in their mouth.
I have a basket of baby toys in my living room, bedroom, and don’t forget about your car! You should keep a few in your diaper bag, but it’s good to have toys to occupy them while they’re in the back seat by themselves (although you won’t need that for a couple months).
5. Baby gear
You should have some kind of baby gear in most rooms that you will be in for convenience when you need to put the baby down.
If you only get one thing though, invest in the newborn lounger because it’s the most portable, can be easily placed in different rooms, and most babies are very comfortable in it.
Some babies love swings, while others do not. A swing, bouncer, and MamaRoo perform the same function- a place to put your baby down where they can be cradled nicely and
6. Basket of burp cloths, bibs, and blankets
We keep a small bin of burp cloths, blankets, and bibs in our living room for easy access while feeding and holding the baby.
7. Extra boxes of diapers and wipes
Hopefully you stocked up on diapers and wipes if you found some sales so keep all of this boxes easily accessible. Again, I think that Water Wipes are the softest and safest natural, wipes for baby.
If you have a closet close by, store boxes of diapers, wipes, extra burp cloths, blankets, and bibs there for when you run out at your stations.
Parent’s Bedroom (11 Items)
1. Bassinet with Extra Sheets and Swaddles
Your newborn baby will most likely sleep next to your bed for the first couple months. The Halo Swivel Bassinet was a great option for my baby and so convenient for myself.
The swivel lets your baby to get as close to you as possible while still keeping them safely in a bassinet and it allows gliding movement. The side closest to you is able to be pushed down with just your forearms to easily take baby in and out.
If you have a bassinet without pockets, set up a basket on your night stand or even store them in the drawer. You can also add extra onesies or sleeper pajamas in there too.
Also, have you heard of the SNOO? This revolutionary bassinet has been a lifesaver for so many new parents. The SNOO is a bassinet that keeps your baby snuggly and safely fastened onto the mattress pad (decreasing the risk of SIDS) and actually rocks your baby to sleep if they wake up in the middle of the night.
This SNOO bassinet has helped millions of parents and babies get better sleep! Although it is quite pricey, there are several options to make it more affordable. It’s now available for rent so you don’t have to worry about purchasing it for the long term, simply rent it for a few months. You can also get it on sale or purchase one second hand.
So if you want to guarantee that your baby will be sleeping through the night, I would definitely look into this new SNOO bassinet.
2. Dohm Sound machine
Your baby will be in your room for the first few months so you’ll want to set the right sleeping environment in this space as it can make or break your baby’s sleep routine.
We used and loved the Dohm Sound Machine from day one to block out other noises and give my baby a consistent sound everytime he falls asleep. I feel that white noise works best as it’s a very neutral sound that doesn’t change as time goes on.
3. Humidifier
This Humidifier helps relieve congestion which most babies will get in the winter. You’ll want to have this on when baby is sleeping to clear their airways since newborns are prone to get congested.
4. Diaper changing station
To limit the amount of waking up you have to do in the middle of the night, you may want a small nightstand basket.
You don’t need a whole station, but put a couple diapers, wipes, and changing pad liner in there so you can change the baby right on your bed in the middle of the night.
Also keep plenty of burp cloths there if your baby is a spitter.
5. Water bottle
During night time feedings, especially if you’re nursing, you will definitely get thirsty.
Keep your water bottle on your nightstand or always bring up a cold glass of water with you before bed to satisfy your thirst in the middle of the night. I love the Simple Modern straw tumblers because they keep your water ice cold for hours!
6. Bottle basket station by bed
If you’re planning on bottle or formula feeding, keep some bottles, formula, water bottle, and bottle warmer right by your bed. This will decrease the amount of times you will have to get up in the middle of the night to prepare a bottle.
7. Night lights
Have a night light by your bed and the bassinet for those late night feedings and wake ups so you don’t have to put on the bright light and wake the baby even more.
These night lights are great and have a sensor to turn on only when it’s dark. Put one in your hallway, bedroom, bathroom, and nursery.
This drawer organizer is a great option to store all your small pump parts, bottle lids, nipples, breast milk storage bags, adapters, etc. Put this on your kitchen counter near your drying rack for easy storage of these small pieces.
2. Drying Rack
You’ll need a drying rack to dry all your small pieces from the pump and bottles. Don’t forget to sterilize all of these items (just boil them in water) before use.
Get this done before the baby comes!
3. Bottle Brush & Soap
You’ll need these Munchkin Bottle Brushes because you can’t get into those little bottle necks with a regular dish sponge. Dapple is the special soap to clean all the bottles and breast pump parts.
If you’re going to be putting bottles and pump parts in the dish washer, you’ll need a dishwasher basket for all of the small pieces.
6. Baby Brezza for formula feeding
If you’re formula feeding and you want to splurge on a super convenient solution for bottle feeding, keep a Baby Brezza in your kitchen! This thing whips up the formula in minutes and warms it to the right temperature for your baby (so you won’t need a steerage bottle warmer either).
You simply add the powder and water and watch it do it’s magic. Makes mom life so much simpler!
7. Diaper Bag
Although this doesn’t actually go in your kitchen, I always keep mine here since it’s right by the door in my house.
You always want to keep your diaper bag packed and ready to go at moments notice. It’s hard enough getting out of the house with an infant, so always prepare your bags for leaving the house beforehand.
Keep the essentials like diapers, wipes, changing pad, diaper cream, burp cloth, extra onesie, extra pacifier, etc. in there.
Ps. I am OBSESSED with this new Freshly Picked Backpack diaper bag I got. It’s a little more expensive than I would have typically spent, but I seriously use it all the time.
Your diaper bag will become your purse (I just throw a tiny wallet for my money, keys, and credit card) so you should have something you feel good about.
The back pack feature has been more than helpful on multiple occasions to have my hands free.
Bathroom (5 Items)
1. Postpartum basket
In each bathroom in your house, you should set up a postpartum kit for yourself.
You may not know exactly what you will need because every woman heals differently, but consider including:
We actually bathe our newborn in the kitchen and place the bathtub on the counter for the first couple months. This is a lot easier on our backs so we don’t have to bend over the tub when they’re still small.
You can do this until they’re about 6 months old and sitting up. After that, I would be afraid of them moving around too much and causing the tub to fall off the counter.
This Summer Infant bath tub is great for the raised height, comfortable incline for a newborn, and the piece that comes out when you just need to give a sponge bath.
We actually leave our tub in the laundry room which is right off the kitchen for convenience to not have to go to the bathroom to get it.
3. Wash cloths & towel
Have a few extra wash cloths and towels on hand in the same place you store your tub. You shouldn’t use the same wash cloth more than once before washing it.
4. Shampoo/Body wash
I love this baby wash by Adorable Baby because they use only organic, natural ingredients, and I know it’s cleaning my baby well without any harsh chemicals.
5. Medicine cabinet
It’s great to have a few medical and first aid supplies on hand in case your baby is having an issue when you can’t get to the store. For a newborn, you should keep these items in your medicine cabinet:
Grab a health kit like this one from Frida Baby which comes with most of these items in one place.
You may need a separate kit for medications as well. Zarbees has a health kit that includes their top selling products for fever, runny noses, diaper rash, etc. Grab these kits so you always have these items on hand!
Cube storage in your nursery closet is a must. I contemplated installing shelves instead, but these cubes offer so much more space.
In the bins, I put blankets, sheets, extra diapers/wipes, swaddles, shoes, socks, extra toys, and everything else that doesn’t go in the drawers and needs to be put in a box. You don’t need a bin for every cube because in those empty spots you can put books, more blankets, or keepsakes that you want to be shown.
Target has a huge selection of all shapes and sizes of cubes for your closet. Make sure you measure the dimensions precisely because my cubes JUST fit in there, but I wanted to maximize the amount of storage I had. That’s why I used a 3×3 cube. Also, make sure you get the matching bins for what cube set you get because they are all different sizes.
These Room Essentials Hangers are affordable and a good size for baby clothing. Also don’t forget the hangers with clips for whole outfits so you can keep the pants and shirts together.
You also may want to use closet dividers to separate your baby clothes by months. It makes it easier to see exactly which clothes you should be using at that time.
The tiny newborn clothes take up very little space in your drawers so you can fit a ton in there. The BEST way to store clothes in a drawer is by rolling them (I organize all my drawers this way as well).
This way you can see every item in your drawer instead of when you stack, you can only see whats on top. You can also do 2 layers if needed.
I highly recommended to Wyze Camera to use as your baby monitor. It’s not marketed as one, but we got it for our second baby and wish we had it for our first.
It has great quality video and WIFI so you can see the baby when you’re out of the house.
With the Wyze Camera you can get the video feed right through your phone so if you’re at work or on a date night, you can still check on your baby. It does everything that a regular monitor can do, you just have to use your phone for it.
You really can’t beat it for the price either- only $38! A baby monitor with WIFI will cost you over $200. I also found that I always had my phone on me, but not the video screen monitor so it’s much more convenient.
You should also use a VuSee Monitor Shelf so you can put the monitor up higher and get a full view of the crib.
We used to attach the monitor to the crib, but once our baby started sitting up and reaching for things, she would pull it right down.
4. Diaper changing station
Changing pad, Changing pad cover, & changing pad liners– To maximize space, you don’t need a changing table, use a regular dresser and place a changing pad on top, with a cover, and changing pad liners so you’re not always changing the cover if there’s a blow out or mess.
Diaper organizer/basket– You’ll need some kind of diaper organizer for all your diaper stuff. This storage basket right here can hold everything you will need. It has plenty of room for diapers, wipes, creams, snaitizers, lotions, and any other miscellanous items that you want to keep organized and close together.
For the massive amount of diapers you’ll go through. Don’t forget to buy some extra refills because you go through them quickly (especially since you’ll be changing 10+ diapers a day when they’re newborns.
You will be going through lots of dirty clothes with a newborn. Make sure to have a hamper in a convenient space next to your changing station to throw it all in.
Using a hamper with a lid and removable/washable liner is a good addition. The lid will help to block any strong odors from dirty clothes and you want to be able to remove the liner from any bodily fluids that may leak out.
7. Crib & Mattress
You’ll need a mattress, waterproof mattress cover, and 2 sheets. I recommend the Kolcraft Pure Sleep Mattress. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a mattress and this one is nice and firm and fits great.
You won’t be using this right away so it’s not necessary to set up, but you may want to get a head start.
8. Touch light and night lights
These adjustable night lights are great to put on the dresser next to the diaper changing station and you can adjust the brightness on your own. These are great for the middle of the night or even during the bedtime routine later on if you don’t have a small lamp and don’t want to completely wake up your baby. Regular night lights are also great to have in there and in the hallway.
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