Hello!
Today’s post and video is about how I prepared our house for the new baby to make things as easy as possible for us when we brought them home!
As this was the second time round, I had a better idea of what to expect, so was able to set things up in a way that was just a bit more organised and helped make the transition a little easier!
I found the best way to think about it is in terms of “stations” - feeding station, changing station etc and making sure you have everything you need all in the right place!
This blog post is just going to be a list of things I had at each station, but the video talks through and actually shows things a little more, so have a watch if you’d like to know a bit more detail!
I hope its helpful if you’re about to have a baby!
I’m planning to do another post talking about the other (arguably more important!!) things to consider when planning for postpartum and the new bub - but this is just the house stuff for this post!
Feeding Station
Best to put it into a little caddy (or trolley like I did in this photo) that can be moved around the house easily! I used the Ikea RASKOG trolley.
Drink bottle (you get SO thirsty if breastfeeding!)
Boppy pillow (or other breastfeeding pillow)
Lansinoh nipple cream
Hydrogel breast discs
Breast pads
Bibs
Burp Cloths
Panadol & nurofen (although obviously make sure it’s out of reach if you have other kiddies - in the video I had it on the trolley but realised later that probably wasn’t the safest idea!)
Paper & Pen (handy for writing down which side to start feeding on next etc)
Book
Snacks
Red Light night light (not an essential but nice to have!)
Breast pump
Nappy Change Station
Changing mat
Changing mat covers
Cloth nappies (I lay them down over the top of the changing mat … avoids having to change the cover as often…sometimes I think a wipe-able change table would be a better option!)
Nappies (obviously!)
Wipes
Hand sanitiser
Sudocrem or other nappy rash cream
Cotton buds
Changes of clothes
Nappy Bin (We use the Ubbi Nappy Disposal Unit which is good because you can use regular rubbish bags. I wouldn’t recommend the ones that require specific bags!)
Laundry bin
Postpartum Station
Pads (lots of them!)
I also took home from the hospital a bunch of the gauze pads that they give you to put ice blocks in (and if you can, take some of those special ice blocks too!)
You can buy a specific Postpartum recovery kit from Kin Fertility which I thought looked quite interesting! I didn’t get it, as it was a little pricey (and ice blocks + gauze pads from the hospital worked fine for me the first time around!) but figured I’d mention it in case it’s something you were interested in!)
Breast pads
Hydrogel breast disks
Lansinoh nipple cream
Panadol & Nurofen
Bath Set Up
Angelcare Bath Support (or other baby bath support) - we didn’t have one the first time round with Ruby and this makes bath time SO much easier! Matteo loves having a bath in this one and it’s so much more enjoyable!
Baby Bath (if you don’t already have a bath in your house!) - it needs to be a large size to fit the Angelcare Bath Support. This is the one we have and it fits perfectly.
Cup
Flannels
Baby shampoo/body wash
Baby bath oil - we like the Dermaveen Shower & Bath oil
Clothes Storage
It’s best to use drawer dividers to separate the sizes and try to make some labels so that it’s easy to find things and maintain the organisation (I just used bits of cardboard and wrote the size and type of clothing)
Rolling is definitely the way to go when it comes to baby clothes!
I do remember wondering the first time what clothes you actually need to get, how many I needed, what sizes etc etc - and I learnt that really you just need the basics for newborns! Lots of onesies with the little clips at the bottom (long or short sleeve depending on season) and also lots of the all in one sleepsuit things (preferable with fold over hands and feet - we liked the Bonds Cozi suits for the first few weeks).
Also - you can never have enough bibs!
Kitchen Bottle Feeding Set Up
I mainly breastfed and only ended up giving the occasional bottle, so don’t really have any great tips in terms of the best way to set things up for this sorry!
Let me know if you have any specific tips or suggestions and I can add to this section :)
Bottles
Steriliser (I mainly used a little microwave steriliser for my pump parts)
Breast milk storage bags + permanent marker to date
I hope this has been helpful for you!
Wishing you all the best if you’re having a baby soon - particularly if it’s your first! It is the craziest life change and can be really overwhelming at times, but it is also the most incredibly magical time! Remember to take things slowly - you’re learning and it will take a while to get into the swing of things, but you’ll get there eventually… and remember to reach out for help if you need it!
Let me know in the comments or on Instagram @laurennatalia.co if you found this helpful or have any suggestions of your own! I share a lot of #mumlife stuff over on insta, so would love for you to come say hi!
Lots of Love
Lauren
xxx
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