9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. . . You made it!
That's right. You have made it through 8 months of your pregnancy journey and have reached the longest 1 month wait of your life. It is very likely that you will spend the next 4 weeks agonizing over all of the last minute preparations that come along with bringing home your new little bundle of joy. "I've washed all the baby clothes twice, is that enough? Do we have enough bottles? Do we have enough diapers?" There are enough details of new baby preparation that you could stay busy for what seems like a lifetime.
We've created a list of 5 New Baby Safety Tips to help you be as prepared (and stress free) as possible when you bring home your new addition.
1 - When It Comes To Baby. . . Clean is Safe
Dads, take note... Growing a baby is hard work, and I can assure that the wonderful woman in your life is exhausted. You can become an instant hero by keeping baby and mama's health (and sanity) a top priority and scheduling a full house deep cleaning about a month before baby is due to arrive. A follow up light cleaning while mama and baby are in the hospital would just pile on the brownie points and can often be purchased at a discount if you schedule both of the cleaning services at the same time. YELP is a great resource to help you find cleaning companies in your area.
2 - Better Safe Than Sorry: Write Out YOUR Household How-To
Take some time to think about the things that you do on a regular basis around your house: laundry, dishes, and general cleaning. After you have your baby, you will most likely be relying, at least in some part, on the assistance of others to get all of these things accomplished. We know that no one is going to be able to take care of your home the way that you do. Make sure that your significant other, kids, and all of the family and friends (you know, the ones that have been promising for weeks to come over to help as soon as your baby arrives) have every advantage when it comes to living up to your standards. You can write out simple instructions for how you like your laundry washed and folded, where certain dishes go after they have been washed, and what day the trash goes out. Pictures are always a great addition if you are having a super creative pregnancy day. This simple preparation can mean the difference between spending 20 minutes explaining to your mother-in-law how much laundry detergent to use and why and pointing to the strategically placed instruction sheet and adding that 20 minutes to your nap time!
Even if your support system is smaller, visual lists and reminders can still be helpful. Baby brain and sleepless nights can can take their toll on any parent. And if a helpful friend does pop in for a surpise visit, they will know exactly what's left to do!
3 - Nighttime Baby Safety: Do You Have A Nightlight Yet?
I have seen this overlooked so many times by new and veteran parents alike. It's 2 am as you stumble down the hall, over a pile of clothes, step on the dogs tail and kick the kitchen island... for the 3rd time this week. You are running on 30 minutes of sleep since you cleaned up from the last feeding and you couldn't find the light switch even if you wanted to turn it on.
Save your toes and keep you and baby safe. Do a walk through of what you THINK a night at home with your new baby is going to look like. If you are completely at a loss, enlist the help of a friend or family member that has some recent experience bringing home a new baby. This process will allow you to identify all of the areas of your home that you would want to have a night light.
So many parents never think about having sleep promoting nightlights in place and resort to turning on bright overhead lights that completely disturb their new baby's sleep cycle. Did you know that the best color night light to use is either orange or red? If you still aren't sure about which nightlight is going to work best in your home, check out this nightlight safety blog by Parent.Guide.
4 - Baby Monitor or Security Camera?
With all of the recent news articles about baby video and voice monitors being spied on, it's only natural that parents are exploring new alternatives to make sure that their little ones are safe and secure while they are in their rooms playing or sleeping. I recently spent some time at a friends house for a play date and noticed that she was watching the girls play in the bedroom on her phone. Curious, I asked her how she was able to do that and she said it was through her home security system. I had never thought about using my home security system as a baby monitor but it made so much sense! Her security system came with the cameras and she decided that she wanted one inside of her daughters room. She and her husband can access the live camera feed from anywhere that they have cell phone or computer access and they can talk to their daughter through the camera too. The most intriguing part was that the total cost of the security system and the install was about 1/3 of the cost of what she would have spent on a video baby monitor with the same features. She does pay a monthly monitoring fee but her and her husband now have the added security of a full home security system that they would not have with a traditional baby monitor.
Click the link below to receive more information about getting a home security system that can double as your baby monitor.
Your plan to relax can be as simple as setting up healthy snack baskets and bottles of water in the areas of the house where you will be spending most of your time with your new baby. You won't always be thinking about feeding yourself when you are in the kitchen so the side table by the glider in your nursery, the coffee table, your night stand and even on the counter in the bathroom are all great places to remind you to refuel.
Another great option for your plan to relax would be to join a Mom and Baby Support Group like Herself Moms in Sacramento, California. This group offers tons of prenatal and postpartum resources including yoga classes that you can take your new baby to. Try to join a group like this prior to having your baby so you have another line of support and encouragement once baby arrives. Having a group of like-minded moms to connect with can provide more relaxation that you might think. If you need more help trying find a support group, try a site like Meetup.*Please remember to do your research. Verify that the group you are meeting with is safe and make sure that you are meeting in a public place. It is also important to always let someone know what your plans are: where are you going, who are you meeting, how can you be reached and when should you be back?
Let the Countdown Begin!
Hopefully this list of Safety Preparation Tips will help the time fly by so you can bring your new baby home with the peace of mind of know that you are a little more prepared.
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