Preparing your home for a bigger family might sound like something to do only after you’re expecting. However, we highly recommend getting the bigger tasks and manual labor out of the way from the moment you know this is what you want from the future.
That way you can relax in relative bliss as you wait for your little one to arrive, and you don’t have to spring up a month before the birth because you’ve just remembered you need to babyproof!
And along these lines, we’ve got some things you should focus on doing right now while you’re still in the family planning stages. Make your property the best family home it can be by starting with the checklist down below.
Have a Good Clearout
Babies bring a lot of mess with their arrival, so you’ll want to prepare with a good clearout. Get rid of anything you don’t need, clear out cupboard and closet space, and think about what you’ll need to make new memories with your family.
Think About Renovating
Renovating, or remodeling, is definitely the kind of project to get over and done with before you expand your family. If you know you’re going to need more space, or you know you need more function out of your rooms, don’t leave the process until the last minute.
You do not want to have a newborn in the house when there are contractors coming and going, sawdust all over the floor, and you can’t use all of the rooms in your home.
So plan for these projects right now. For most people at this point in life, the bathroom is the key target. If you need some advice on how to change this for an expanding family, check out Kasper Custom Remodeling for bathrooms and get some ideas. Otherwise just pick your room, get your budget together, and work towards the dream finish you know will help to complete your family home.
Secure Your Furniture
This is part of making your home safer for babies and toddlers, seeing as they’ll be grabbing all kinds of things to pull themselves up. Anything that has an edge of some kind is a potential grabbing spot, and if you go round now and test the furniture yourself, you’ll see just how wobbly a lot of your furniture really is.
And when furniture wobbles, it’s going to fall down when it’s pulled on! You definitely don’t want that to happen, even if it’ll just be a throw and a bunch of cushions coming off the sofa. As such, try to secure as much of your furniture in place as possible.
This may involve screwing wooden things into the wall, such as bookshelves, and making sure top heavy items (like tables and cat trees) have been stuck in place. Do this with some velcro if need be!
Preparing your home for a family will take time, so get started ASAP. You’ll find it much more enjoyable that way!
