How to make your home baby-ready – the ultimate checklist
For someone so small, babies sure do need a lot of stuff! There are so many things you need to think about when preparing your home for a baby. If you’re not sure where to start, never fear! Here’s our room-by-room parent checklist to make life just that little bit easier.
The nursery
Babies are supposed to sleep all the time (right?!?) so the bedroom is a good place to start. There are so many different items out there for little ones nowadays, but not all are essential, so don’t get too carried away – especially if the room is quite small. Here are the key items you ought to consider:
- A cot (or bassinet for the early months) – with a good mattress, sheets and blankets
- Change items – nappies, wipes, nappy rash cream and change mat (or change table)
- Clothes and sleepwear – singlets/vests and onesies are the real winners when babies are small, plus muslin wraps or sleeping bags for sleep time
- Thermometer/night light – so you’ll know when the room gets too warm or too cool, plus it gives you a dim light for night time feeds and changes
- Cloth nappies – for mopping up all kinds of messes (particularly handy if you have a baby with reflux)
- Blinds or curtains – to encourage good sleep make sure you can sufficiently block out sunlight when you need, but just be careful not to have any cords dangling above the cot
The bathroom
Time to throw away all those really old medicines and unused cosmetics and make space for your new baby’s things instead!
Babies have sensitive skin so it’s important to make sure you use the right washes and lotions, and not just anything you have lying around. Bath products such as the new Cetaphil Baby range will keep your little one’s skin soft and smooth from head to toe, and help lay the foundation for lifelong healthy skin. The range includes a Gentle Wash & Shampoo, Moisturising Bath & Wash, Baby Shampoo, Daily Lotion and Massage Oil – all of which are dermatologically tested and use ingredients that are gentle on baby’s skin, with no soap, parabens or colourants.
Other items you’ll also need to get for the bathroom: a good thermometer so you can check your baby’s temperature when they’re sick, baby medicines (such as baby paracetamol and teething gel) and a medical kit for emergencies. You might also want to invest in a baby bath or bath support stand – plus some fun bath toys!
The kitchen
Babies feed a LOT. If you’re breastfeeding you won’t need as much stuff in the early stages (except for perhaps a breast pump and containers for storing milk if you’re going to express). But if your baby is on formula you will need at least six bottles, even more teats and tins of formula. Other items to consider are a bottle drying rack, bottle cleaning brush and bottle steriliser.
Then other things to make sure you have on hand for when your baby gets a bit older are:
- A highchair or baby seat that clips on to the table or chair
- A stack of bibs
- Shatterproof bowls, baby spoons and a good sippy cup for water
- First baby foods such as baby rice cereal and purees – small baby containers are also great for storing purees if you’re making them yourself
Living areas
This isn’t such a concern when your baby is newborn, but when babies start crawling the main thing to consider in all general living areas of the house is what could be a potential danger to them. Remove anything down low that is sharp, breakable, has batteries in it or is small and therefore a choking hazard.
Playmats or a nice rug with some toys are great items for the lounge area or rumpus. And don’t forget to place plastic safety covers over all the power sockets down low, and baby latches on all low cupboards with valuables or dangerous items like poisons so they can’t get in.
The laundry
Just like with the bathroom products, babies ideally also need chemical-free, sensitive laundry detergent and fabric conditioners to help protect their precious skin.
If you have a pet and keep their food in the laundry, you might want to make sure this is now kept up high or outside instead, if you can’t lock the laundry door. Little crawlers absolutely love devouring dog biscuits. The same goes for things like kitty litter (and animal faeces) which can be dangerous if swallowed and can also be a choking hazard.
You’ll also need to stock up on some good cleaning products (again ideally chemical-free), for making sure your home is clean and free of germs. And don’t forget a WHOLE lot of cloths and paper towels as well!
(This is a sponsored post for Cetaphil Baby)
