Home improvements to make before baby arrives – a quick guide

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A lot changes when you have kids. This includes the way in which your home looks. While home improvements aren’t always necessary, many parents find that they can be beneficial. Such home improvements won’t just help to keep your child comfortable and safe, but they could also help to make your life easier as a parent. 

Below are just some of the improvements you may want to consider when getting your home ready. You don’t have to make all these improvements, however some of them might be worth looking into if you have the time and money.

Big improvements to consider

A few big home improvements could be worth planning in advance before you have kids. You can hire home organization services to help you figure everything out and organize ahead of time. While they may seem like a lot of effort, they could make your life a lot easier in the long run. Below are some of these big improvements to consider.

Take time to declutter

When having kids, you can expect to accumulate a lot of new stuff. This includes baby clothes, toys and extra equipment. You’ll need space for all of this stuff. If your home is already cluttered, then you’ll need to spend time getting rid of some of this clutter to make way for all the baby items.

The first big decluttering job could be clearing any spare room that you plan to turn into a nursery. Your baby will likely be staying in your room at first, but it’s easy to sort out this room before your baby arrives. After this, consider tackling clutter in other rooms.

Giving yourself a lot of time to declutter can allow you to handle the process in stages. This can often make it easier than having to tackle it all at once. You’ll also have time to sell items of value.

Decorate the nursery

As already mentioned, your baby will likely be staying in your room for the first few months, however you may still want to decorate their room before their arrival (as decorating with a newborn can be tricky).

How you decorate the room is up to you. A few things to consider when decorating a nursery include:

  • Painting the room: Most parents like to start by doing this. If you don’t know the sex of the baby, keep the colour neutral. It could be worth using a scrubbable paint (this will make it easier to remove any potential sticky hand prints or felt tip pens marks in the future). 
  • Putting up blackout curtains/blinds: You don’t want your little one waking up at the first glimpse of sunlight. Blackout curtains or blinds could help your child to sleep a little longer in the mornings.
  • Setting up storage units: You’ll need drawers, cupboards and containers for baby clothes and toys. Make sure that the nursery has enough storage units.
  • Adding a night light: A soft light could be worth adding to the room for when you need to put your little one to bed. 

Buy/assemble the cot

Your baby needs somewhere to sleep. While they may inevitably end up in your bed most nights, you’ll still want to set up their own cot. Most parents choose to set this up in their bedroom before moving it to the nursery a few months later.

A good cot can be expensive, although you can save money by looking into used cots or accepting a hand-me-down cot. Adjustable cots can be a good option – these can be adjusted in height as your child gets older (some even eventually convert into beds). Those that are DIY savvy may even want to build their own cot.

Invest in easy-clean furniture

Kids can produce a lot of mess. Certain furniture materials such as acrylic or silk are likely to get ruined by food stains and spillages in a matter of weeks. Investing in new easy-to-clean furniture could be worth considering for this reason.

Leather and polyester are two of the easiest sofa fabrics to clean and tend to be popular choices in family homes. When it comes to tables and dining chairs, look into laminate wood or metal options. 

Consider replacing your flooring

Some flooring choices can be hard to clean or could pose more of a slip hazard. Consequently, you may want to consider replacing your flooring before having kids. Finding the right flooring solution isn’t easy as they tend to each have their pros and cons. The two best choices are:

  • Short pile carpet: This tends to provide a soft landing. It’s also a lot easier to clean than a deep pile carpet. A darker colour carpet is less likely to stain. It could be worth investing in a carpet cleaner to help protect your carpet against stains.
  • Laminate flooring: Laminate flooring is the perfect easy-clean solution – you can sweep and mop away most food debris and spillages. Laminate flooring can be slippery, louder and harder to fall on, so you may want to put down a few rugs if you switch to laminate flooring.

New flooring can be a big expense, but is a worthy investment in the long run. When choosing to refloor multiple rooms, you may want to look into personal loans. Take your time to shop around in order to find the lowest interest rates.

Make your garden more child-friendly

You may also want to consider improving your garden space in order to make it safer and more child-friendly. This could include fencing off ponds or nearby roads and adding a soft lawn area if your garden is mainly stone.

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Small improvements to consider

There may be a few small improvements that you can also make around the home. These are likely to cost less and could be alternative solutions if you’re on a tight budget. 

Protect your furniture with slipcovers

Instead of buying new furniture, you may be able to preserve your existing furniture simply by adding slipcovers. These are pieces of fabric that stretch over your sofa and can be removed and easily cleaned (some are even machine-washable). A perfectly-fitted slipcover needn’t be the only solution – you may be able to simply use blankets or throws. 

Place rugs and mats strategically

Rugs and mats can be placed around your home to improve safety and make cleaning easier without having to buy new flooring. For instance, placing a wipeable mat underneath a high chair could be a great way of protecting a carpet from food debris. Breaking up long stretches of wooden floor with non-slip rugs can meanwhile prevent your little one from slipping and injuring themselves once they start walking. 

Install cupboard locks

Cupboard locks can be worth fitting onto lower cupboard and cabinet doors. Once your little one starts crawling, they will likely get curious and start opening cupboard doors. Having locks fitted can prevent your child from getting hold of dangerous or fragile items. These are very cheap and easy to install.

Install a stairgate

It could be worth adding a stairgate to the bottom and top of your staircase as a safety precaution. This will prevent your little one crawling onto the stairs and falling. 

Stairgates come in different styles and sizes. Some can be attached without having to drill holes (suitable for rental properties) and there are some that are made for narrow or wider gaps. Make sure to measure the space and consider property restrictions so that you buy the right gate.

Add socket covers

Electrical sockets can also pose a danger to babies and toddler who may poke around in them. An easy safety solution to this is to add socket covers to exposed sockets. These are very cheap and work simply by slotting them into the socket.  

Add finger guards to doors

Finger guards can be placed between the door and the frame to prevent kids getting their fingers trapped. These could be another safety feature to consider. Finger guards tend to be very cheap to buy and can be easily stuck on.

Add window guards/window bars

Some parents get worried about windows – especially those with low window sills that are easy to climb onto. Window guards or window bars could be a way of making your windows safer. Window guards are easier to install than window bars but are only an option for windows that fold out.

Buy a baby bath/anti-slip mat

There are hazards to consider when bathing an infant such as slipping or falling under the water. One solution to this could be to buy a baby bath. Baby baths are smaller, allowing you to more easily bathe your little one – they can be fit into a tub or may be completely separate tubs.

Anti-slip bath mats are also worthy features to consider for when your baby starts using an adult bath. These can stop your little one slipping in the bath and injuring themselves. They tend to be very cheap.

Photos by Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels, & Ksenia Chernaya from Pexels

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