Share this with your birth partner! These are the most important things to consider when prepping baby’s nursery.
Episode Transcript
It’s Bev Garrison with first Breaths to First Steps. I always like to include a little bit of information for dads and birth partners, just so that they feel like they have some direction on what things can be helpful that they can contribute to during pregnancy. So today we’re going to talk a little bit about nursery preparation, I really simplified this and broke it down into four pretty simple areas including: low-level baby proofing, physical nursery preparation, building all furniture and deep cleaning.
So let’s get started. Low-level baby proofing, nothing crazy. I don’t think you need to start much until after babies are more mobile, but things we can get done beforehand include putting plug covers over the electrical outlets, double-checking CO2 detectors and, or buying them and installing them. As well as fire detector, replacing batteries for the backup, testing them, to make sure that they work. I think all three of those items are easy to do simple and once baby comes, you might not be thinking of all of those things, so just something to get started.
Second step I would look into is physically looking at the nursery. Decide which room you want to be in, clean it out. First thing that I would start with is doing any repairs to the room. Windows, making sure all the electrical in the room works and that things are in good shape. Next I’d start considering paint, asking and consulting with mom about what colors- get that done. Installing or check your fan-just make sure that it works. It’s nice to have a fan in the baby room. It does help to control temperature, but also can be helpful in the winter to move heat down and keep that room at a comfortable even temp. I would consider getting a humidifier and placing that in the room as well as buying a waterproof tray to put underneath it.
The closet is going to be pretty important for babies. There are things, not that they have too much, but they’re very small. So it’s nice to really build an install, some closet organizers to put everything in its place so that it’s easy to find for anyone who’s taking care of baby.
Hang any pictures that you guys have decided for decor as well as hanging curtains. The thing I’d tell you about curtains is think about blackout curtains, or if you live in a colder section of the United States. You may want to think of curtains that are fairly heavy to protect with warmth and insulation.
Next step is build all furniture. Seems pretty intuitive. Most of the furniture comes pre-made these days it’s delivered that way. But you may have some stuff – small assembly of side tables or things that are going to hold books or toys, small shelves, things like that. So you want to get that done.
Last thing to really think about, and maybe not in order as last thing to do, but deep cleaning. Carpets, it would be good to do that before you place any of the furniture get furniture where it needs to be, make sure that that’s all clean. The bathroom that you think the baby is going to use. It’s nice to set aside a drawer in the bathroom with all of baby’s needs. Including shampoo, any sort of bath toys, washcloths, the hooded towels, things like that. Also get to do that same thing in the kitchen. What we would call a feeding area. In that area, I would organize bottles, bibs, burp cloths, any formula, if you’re going to be using that as well as pacifiers. It’s good to put the parts and extra pieces to the breast pump as well as the breast pump. If you can store it all in one area makes it easy to find it and know where it’s at at all times.
So again, things that dad and or birth partner can help with as far as preparing nursery and getting ready for your newborn to be delivered is doing some low-level baby proofing, physically setting up the nursery, building all furniture and deep cleaning. Hope this list was helpful. If it was, you can easily click on the link in the description of this podcast, it will get you to a PDF with a quick, easy printed out list that you can have. If you’re interested in working with me one-on-one and helping you coach from the end of your pregnancy to newborn and beyond click that link to get in contact with me as well until next time be well .
