Making Space When You’ve Got A Baby On The Way
When you’ve got your first baby on the way, you will need as much space at home as possible for everything you need to care for baby properly and to make sure you stay calm and stress-free.
Congratulations! You’ve got your first baby on the way! Now come the months of preparation for the new arrival, including creating the space at home to accommodate an extra person.
You can never quite prepare for all the extra room a baby will need – they are minimal, but they come with a lot of stuff!
Toys, equipment, changing units, cots, pushchairs – your home will soon be completely baby-oriented. It is fascinating, but it does pay to prepare in advance.
Here are some tips to help you utilize your space at home when you’ve got a baby on the way:
Keep Your Decorations Simple
When you go hell for leather on a theme, it can be tempting to fill the nursery with even more items than before, to ‘tie the theme together.’
To avoid this, consider opting for a neutral theme, which will make the room appear much more significant and stop you adding extras you don’t need.
Make Now The Time To Declutter
Now is the time to declutter and get rid of all the items you never use but always thought you might need. Used them in the last year? If the answer is no – get free.
There are just a few necessary steps to decluttering successfully:
- Tackle the external spaces first – if you’re storing stuff in your garage or garden shed, now is the time to have a clear-out. This will give you more space to store those things you do want to keep but don’t have room for in the main living space.
- Clothes and Shoes – you know you don’t really need them all (enough said)
- Kitchen – all those chipped plates, storage boxes with no lids, sauce-pans with broken handles. And that’s just the start…
- Children’s toys and books – think about whether they will keep them when you are gone. They are more likely to if you keep a precious few.
For each area you are tackling, go through a process of putting items in piles for selling, storing, throwing, and giving away.
The things you don’t manage to sell online or at a car boot sale – take them straight to the charity shop before taking them back home.
The items you want to store but don’t have room for – pack away and get them into a cheap self-storage unit; once you have lived without them at home for a while, you will genuinely realize you don’t need them.
Use Every Inch Of Space
Try to see every single inch of space as an option for storage. There are ingenious storage options out there from raised fruit crates to elastic strip clothes holders attached to the ceiling – no space can escape from being a potential storage option. Remember that a clutter-free home is less stressful.
Just make sure if you’re doing it yourself, that everything is secure and doesn’t present any risks to yourself or your baby.
Multi-Use Furniture
Opt for furniture that has several uses to save on space. You’d be surprised at what just one unit can be capable of – retailers know new parents value space and practicality, but they also like to tempt you into buying furniture that is specifically for a baby that you don’t need.
Multi-use furniture pieces will save masses of space and make it easier for you to do several jobs at a time (something you’ll be doing a lot of soon enough!).
It’s also worth looking at foldaway furniture and toy options as well as cleverly disguised storage, like a toy trunk that doubles as a coffee table once your little treasure is safely tucked up in bed and you can relax.
Use Old Furniture
Do you have any old furniture in your garage or loft that could be useful? If you have a tired old chair, ugly table, or any other furniture that has seen better days – consider upcycling it.
There are so many tutorials online on how to do it; you could surprise yourself with your creativity and make something unique for your little one – again on the safe side, make sure you use products that won’t be harmful to the baby.
Remember, keep an open mind, be creative, and enjoy yourself – you’ve got a fantastic reason for these home improvements!
