Preparing Space for a Newborn

With every newborn comes paraphernalia, and the best way to cope with it all is to be prepared. Or, if baby has just arrived, to get yourself sorted soonest – for sanity’s sake!

At easyStorage we’re not here to tell you how to parent. Our only advice on that front is to listen to all of the advice, smile and say thanks you, and then parent in a way that’s right for you, your family and your circumstances.

We do, however, know a thing or two about creating space and organisation.

So what are the considerations when baby finally arrives?

‍

Safety first

If you are pregnant, remember that during pregnancy, your body makes relaxin, a hormone which causes ligaments in the pelvic area to relax and sometimes loosen. Add

Additionally, pregnancy can cause weight gain, and can change body shape creating a different centre of gravity. So learn to lift properly and to ask for help when needed.

‍

Sleeping arrangements

Firstly, sleeping arrangements. Before stressing, remember that in days gone by, notably during the World wars, people had to swaddle babies in drawers because there simply weren’t the resources for creating cots.  It did them no harm. It’s worth remembering that when you’re looking at a small mortgage to buy a bed that may only get a few years’ usage.

Cots are lovely, but not the only option. Baby (‘Moses’) baskets, cot bed and co-sleepers are other options to consider.

‍

‍

Location

Considerations for locating the baby room include:

·         Room temperature

·         Proximity (closeness) to parents’ room

·         Noise (from outside and inside)

Even if your baby is sleeping in your room at the start, you are going to need your space to stay free of baby clutter if you want to remain sane, so, if you can, try and keep a separate space for your child’s things.

‍

Clearing baby’s room

Clearing any room requires a major decluttering exercise, and the sooner you do this, the sooner you’ll be able to create a space for baby.

We’re back to the four piles method of sorting things that we at easyStorage often talk about:

·         Keep

·         Give away (this may be two piles – give to friends and take to charity shops like Oxfam, BHF & Cancer Research)

·         Sell (Ebay or Facebook Marketplace are popular ones)

·         Bin or, ideally, recycle.

This should apply to everything in the room – you want to be starting with a clean slate. So empty those drawers and wardrobes of both clothes and stored ‘things’ deciding in each case where things are to go. Don’t just defer the problem for later – there is no time like the present.

Discipline yourself to put away what you’re keeping, clean and tidy. Avoid creating ‘temporary’ piles anywhere other than in baby’s bedroom, even if it is a room shared with a sibling. The arrival of baby is a deadline, and we all work better faced with one of those – it’s human nature!

If you haven’t got enough storage space in the house, either create some by buying underbed storage, baskets, extra sets of drawers – or decluttering another area to take some space back.

An alternative may be to consider a storage unit.

Now that the ‘things’ are dealt with, what about the furniture? Is what’s there right for the room’s new purpose? If not, it’s time to move it out. Whether it’s moving on or being kept, it needs rehousing, and again, you always have options like storing or selling on.

We have noted some home decoration trends back towards colour in rooms, and whilst dark wood furniture isn’t quite back in fashion, it may be soon. So if you have any oak or mahogany, you may want to consider storing it rather than selling in a market where these beautiful items are undervalued, or where it it would feel criminal to ruin the pieces by painting them. We can’t promise they’ll go up in value, but it would criminal for them to drop any lower in price.

Your child, we can promise, will not be born with an encyclopaedic knowledge of what Vogue and Ideal Home say is fashionable this year, so if it’s only about the wood colour putting you off, but you like it and can make use of it for baby, we’d suggest you consider keeping it.

‍

Cleaning the room

You’ve moved things around. You’ve been emptying things out. You’ve been packing.

Unless you are some kind of superhuman being, there is every chance you’ll have stirred up some dust, have marks on the carpet from where furniture has been moved, and may even have fluff and debris gathering.

Even if you’re going to be painting, whip out the ‘Marigolds’. (Rubber gloves. Other brands are available.) Grab the hoover. (Vacuum cleaner. Other brands are also available.) It’s time to clean.

Clean the furniture with appropriate sprays or waxes. Wipe down or polish skirting boards and furniture. Vacuum carpets, rugs, curtains and any upholstery. Clean the windows.

And do this even if you’re going to have foot flow coming through to decorate – in fact especially so. If you’ve moved furniture, the longer time the pile of carpets or rugs has to spring back, the better. And the last thing you want is ground in dirt that may well prove harder to remove.

If you are going to hire a carpet/upholstery cleaner, however, do this after decorating. (But still clean and vacuum as well as possible now.)

‍

‍

‍

Decoration

This is the fun bit!

Preparing a room for a baby is really about preparing a room for you. It helps create that little bit of magic around baby’s arrival.

Just remember what we mentioned about baby not really caring about design trends – they really won’t mind too much about the room decoration either, so you’re decorating for you!

And that’s good. It can be a chance for a sibling to be involved in a positive way, helping make small decisions and getting excited about the family’s new arrival. And having a space in which you feel comfortable, relaxed and excited about having your new arrival home into is important for parents, especially nursing mothers.

There are a million and one guides and shops to help you decide on colours and themes, and the sooner you get started, the less likely you are to be caught out by an early appearance.

‍

Deep cleaning carpets and upholstery

While you’re decorating (for rugs and curtains) or straight afterwards (for fitted carpets) is a good time to take things to specialist cleaners or to hire in cleaning equipment.

‍

Filling the room with baby things

Now’s the time to bring in those new (or new to you) things for baby. Changing stations, baby bags, clothes…….. you’ll soon be full!

We recently put together some useful hints and tips to help make the most of space: Five useful hacks for moving from bump to baby.

Don’t forget to bring in a baby monitor, which will allow you some private time for yourself without worrying about baby’s wellbeing.

‍

‍

‍

Here to support you

easyStorage is here to support you at every step of the way. We’re as here for short term storers as we are for lifestyle storers https://www.easystorage.com/blog/the-rise-of-the-lifestyle-storer storers.

Here’s how we work: the easyStorage difference.

You can obtain a no-obligation quote for your area online, 24/7 via our website, or call 0333 016 4341, where we can also talk you through any discounts that might apply.

‍

And by the way

Congratulations!

May we wish you and your family, including the new arrival, many years of health, wealth and happiness together.