Before I had my first child, one of my worries was wondering what would happen when I actually brought the baby home from the hospital. We didn’t know what a newborn baby needs. Was our house even baby-friendly? What would I need for my new baby? We had no idea how to get the house ready for a newborn baby.
I had no rule book, not even a new baby checklist to follow! (Don’t worry, I’ve created a newborn baby checklist for you in my free eBook!). But preparing for baby was nerve-wracking to me at the time.
If you scroll down you’ll also see the ultimate best baby products we loved and where you can buy them.
I had spent a lot of time planning what I needed in my hospital bag and what I would need as a new mum for myself but hadn’t given much thought to the practical things needed for a baby and to make my life easier in the first few days after I came home from the hospital. I didn’t know much about how to prepare for a baby.
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You know I even asked myself, am I ready for a baby? The answer was No.
Now, after having two babies, I thought I’d share some of the things you need for a baby and what I did at home to get the house ready for a Newborn Baby. Bringing baby home is so exciting and knowing you’re prepared in advance really helps.
If you’ve been wondering what do I need for a newborn baby, this should help. (There’s a handy newborn shopping list for you too!).
Plus at the end you’ll see some of my all time favourite things to buy for a newborn baby too!
New Baby Checklist
1. Clean the house
I’ll start with a pretty obvious one but if you’re physically able to, try and give the house a really good clean from top to bottom. After the birth you might be physically incapable of doing much cleaning the house before baby arrives. You’ll certainly be time-poor so if you have the opportunity to get the house in shape beforehand, do so. A clean house is pretty essential when getting ready for baby. (Read on for my preparing for baby checklist).
When a friend or family member asks if you need any help after you’ve had the baby, say YES. Hand them a duster :)
2. Change your bed sheets
This is only going to work out perfectly if you know the exact date you’re going to have your baby of course! There’s something very lovely about getting into your own bed after having your baby and even better to have fresh, clean sheets. Especially if you’ve spent any nights in a hospital bed!
I loved coming back to mum’s house after giving birth to baby #2 and getting into a lovely, comfortable ‘just made’ bed.
3. Stock up on the small newborn baby stuff (and for mum too!)
I mean things such as quick and easy-to-grab snacks, drinks, magazines, DVDs etc. In those first few days and weeks while you’re recovering, you’ll be spending a lot of time holding your baby and with little time and only one arm, you’ll want to be able to grab the things you need quickly and easily.
If your baby is anything like mine, they’ll feed constantly for hours in the beginning so snacks, water and magazines kept me going during those long sessions.
4. Wash the baby’s clothes and blankets
This is one of the important newborn baby things to do before baby comes. It’s a good idea to wash any clothes or blankets that will come into contact with your baby’s skin before you use them. You don’t really know what chemicals or condition the items have been kept in before they hit the shops.
It’s also a great way to work out what items you have to make sure you have enough and it’s so cute to see the tiny things hanging up on the washing line!
More on this in my free Things to do before Baby Arrives Checklist in my free eBook!
5. Decide where the baby will sleep
Another pretty obvious one but it’s worth spending some time considering where the baby will sleep. Talk to friends about what worked for them and decide what will work for you.
Will they be in their own cot and nursery from day one? Or perhaps you’d prefer them to sleep in your room? If so, is there space for a cot there or would a co-sleeper be a better option?
I’ve breastfed both of my babies and it was easier for me to have them in a co-sleeper next to our bed. I also invested in a nursing chair (similar to this one Glider Rocking Chair – affiliate link) for the corner of our room too.
6. Prepare freezer meals
Finally, I’d recommend spending some time, before the baby comes, preparing some extra meals for your freezer. There are many pasta and casserole dishes you can cook in batches. Then just separate them into portions and put into ziplock bags or containers to store in your freezer.
It’s an idea to write the date you prepared the meal and what it actually is on the container too – something I forgot to do a lot, baby brain!
Do you have anything to add to my getting the house ready for baby checklist? What advice would you give new parents for their new baby list before they hit the shops?
Also let me know if I’ve missed anything off this essential baby items list too and what was on your newborn baby items list.
At the end of the day, there are very few things to prepare for new born baby. You’ll see on the newborn baby essentials list that they don’t need much to be happy.
I hope this helps you in you getting the house ready for a baby and for you in how to get ready for a baby! Checking off your newborn baby shopping list will give you so much more confidence that you’re ready.
Grab your FREE New Baby Checklist and eBook in my resource library:
My All-Time Best Baby Products!
Here are some of my favourite newborn baby things – check them out!
BabyBjorn Carrier One Air
You can buy the BabyBjorn Carrier One Air here in Australia, here in the US and here in the UK.
SwaddleMe Swaddles
You can buy SwaddleMe Swaddles here in Australia, here in the US and here in the UK.
BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light
You can buy the BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light here in Australia, here in the US and here in the UK.
BabyBjorn High Chair
You can buy the BabyBjorn High Chair here in Australia, here in the US and here in the UK.
Here is more information on new babies.
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Are you ready to get the house ready for a new baby now? I hope my Free New Baby Essentials eBook helps you! It has a newborn baby checklist printable to make your life easier too. You’ll know what to buy for baby in no time – good luck!
Disclosure: this post on how to get the house ready for a newborn baby contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I might receive a small commission. This doesn’t affect the price you pay.
If your nursery is upstairs and your bedroom downstairs, be realistic. Are you really going to climb the stairs every time the baby needs to be diapered or changed? Set up an area downstairs for that. I am so glad my mom made us do this, we just turned our office into baby zone. Freezer meals are a must! I also did not think that I would need my mom, as much as I truly did in that first week home. I am so glad she insisted on staying!
That’s such good advice, thank you! I was the same in setting up a change station downstairs – the stairs were not a good idea too soon after childbirth either :)
Be careful about washing too many clothes right away. If any of your kids are like mine they were big and grew very quickly. We skipped over nb stuff altogether. My son was wearing 6m clothing by 6 weeks. There were so many clothes we never got to use. I wish I had kept more tags on them to exchange them. That was my first time mommy experience. This time with our daughter I bought and was given a lot of hand me down items and the few things that have been purchased for us I am keeping tags on except her snow suit. I love these for newborns. They are so much easier than a jacket for the winter time.
They’re such good tips, thank you! Yes you’re right, until the baby arrives there isn’t much of a clue what size they’ll be :)
Good idea to ensue that the person that will help you with baby when out of hospital has keys to your house. There will be times you can’t leave what you are doing to go open the door.
Great . Thanks for sharing
Agree with all. I’d add clean the car and install the carseat.
YES to the carseat – an essential for bringing home the baby :)
Great tips, I think we’ve done all of these but need to fill the freezer with some meals now. And I never thought of the bed sheet one, thats a fantastic tip!
It’s so lovely to get back into your own bed when you get home :) x
Fab tips lovely. We were lucky and had my SIL stay for a week and she was a godsend :) Thanks for linking up to #TheList x
That’s amazing – it makes such a difference having someone around to help :) x
I agree about thinking about where baby will sleep. Baby slept in a cot in our room at night but it seemed too far away from the action during the day. We used a moses basket during the day so they could nap easily and could be moved around the house with me.
Such a good idea to be able to have them ‘mobile’ in the day – they don’t like to be too far from the action :) x
Fabulous list! I was so unprepared when we brought home #1 (with an extra, unexpected, night in hospital mum popped into ours to pick up some more babygros. She then went straight to M&S because, as we now realise, three babygros really isn’t enough!)
I felt so much more prepared with #2. Yes to everything you have said. Freezer meals in particular. After a 4 week recovery at my mums she got a cleaner into my house before I returned. I can’t describe the feeling of relief and comfort walking into a clean home, with a full freezer, a BedNest all set up, clean sheets and subscription to NetFlix. Blissful!! So pleased to have found your blog. off to trawl your archives now!! x
Oh thank you!! Ooh how absolutely wonderful to have a cleaner go in – that would have been a huge help – you have a very brilliant mum! :)
Good suggestions! I’d add ‘Disconnect the doorbell’ :) New families always get too much company.
That is such a good point – love it! :)
A great list! We thought a lot about number 5 before bringing baby home. I decided Bub would sleep in her cot in her bedroom right next to our room. When I got her home I cried because I thought the cot was actually WAY too big for her and I felt bad putting her in there (of course it was those crazy baby emotional hormones doing their bit!). My partner ended up racing to the baby shop and buying her a super cute wooden bassinet on wheels so I could move her around the house in it in those first few weeks! Haha! Crazy times!!!
Thanks for sharing! x
Aww they do look so tiny in the cot when they’re newborn! You have to do what works for you :) :)
Great tips. Freezer meals were the best thing I did on maternity leave! x
Thanks Donna! I wish I had a bigger freezer so I could have done more :) x