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3 Tips for Preparing for a Newborn

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Whether you’re becoming a first-time parent, or expanding your family again, preparing for a newborn can be challenging. You may have to do several things around the house to prepare, like get the nursery ready or baby-proof your home. You may also have to look at your current financial habits to determine if there are areas you need to cut back. Whether it’s on regular spending or you’re considering saving money for a new home this financial check-in will be crucial in your preparation.

Consider creating a checklist that can help you make sure you’re on the right track for when the baby comes. The better prepared you are before the baby is born, the more you can relax and enjoy their company when they arrive. Take these tips into consideration while checking items off your list!

1 – Check-In on Your Finances

As you get more excited each day leading up to bringing your baby home, it’s important to make sure that you have all your bases covered financially. Are there areas where you can cut back on spending so you can save to buy new things for the baby? For example, you may consider cutting back on the following items:

  • Streaming Services: Do you pay for Netflix, Hulu, Paramount, etc.? If so, even just cutting back to one streaming platform can save you at least $20/per month.
  • What You Already Have: Instead of going on a coffee run every day, consider making coffee at home!
  • Eating Out: If you order in or go out to eat a couple of times a week, try meal planning to save money on going out.

Saving this extra money will allow you to put it towards the baby’s nursery, clothing, or even hospital expenses.

Plan for Change

Bringing a new baby into the family may mean you have to make a lot of big, life changes to accommodate the little one. For example, if expanding your family causes your current home to become too small, you may consider buying a new home. This process on its own can be costly, so where you can, you’ll want to avoid stressing about buying a new house in the midst of having a baby. Along with many other strategies, financial preparation can help with that.

You’ll need to take into account whether you will be living off of one salary after the baby is born. If that is the case, you’ll need to determine how much you can afford on a house based on your income. You don’t want to put yourself at risk for not being able to afford a new home, pay your bills, and provide for your family. So reassure yourself that you can afford a home that will fit your family’s needs.

2 – Think Ahead When Designing the Nursery

One of the most exciting things about having a baby is designing the nursery. The baby’s room is an area where you and your newborn spend a lot of time together. Creating a separate checklist for the nursery room may help you identify everything you will need or what you already have and may just need to pull out of storage. You’ll want to think about the setup of the room as well in regard to where you want the crib, changing table, and rocking chair to go. For example, you don’t want to place the crib near the door where your baby can easily hear noises throughout the house. You also don’t want to place the crib or changing table under a vent. If a crin is located under a vent, the heat and air conditioning could be blowing directly on the baby, causing them to potentially fuss or become too warm or cold.

If you’re reusing a crib from one of your other kids, it may be best to invest in a newer mattress, and if you are investing in a new mattress, shop with us at Colgate Mattress. Mattress safety is extremely important when it comes to your baby as it affects their quality of sleep. Purchasing a new mattress will also ensure that the mattress is sanitary and you can ensure that it is firm enough for the baby. Since babies should not be sleeping with extra pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals, the mattress should be comfortable for them to lie on without extra support. Babies can’t sleep with extra items in their crib because of the potential for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), so investing in a mattress that is breathable too is crucial. At Colgate Mattress, we can supply you with a variety of crib mattresses that will best fit your needs. Babies tend to roll on their faces while sleeping, so making sure they can breathe while snuggled in their crib is important.

3 – Baby-Proof Your Home

Creating a safe space for your baby is crucial not only for them but for your family as well. Babyproofing your home is an important step as it brings a level of comfort to your baby and family knowing that they won’t have to worry about anything tragic happening. If you’re moving into a new house for example, you may consider babyproofing the home before you move in. This may consist of adding locks on all doors, installing gates around the stairs and in certain areas of the home, or adding window stops to all windows in the house. Taking these steps before moving in will reduce the stress of having to babyproof your home after the baby arrives.

Along with babyproofing your home, there are also safety precautions you should take in addition to standard babyproofing. Make sure that you have smoke detectors in each level of your home and a carbon monoxide detector. Each home should have one, but purchasing extra batteries and detectors to have on hand will also be in your best interest in the event of a fire, leak, or other safety issues.

Preparing for a newborn is such a fun and exciting process, but it can often become overwhelming. Taking these steps and tips into consideration and crossing things off your list will help you to feel ready for when the big day is here. In the meantime, make sure you are enjoying each moment and taking it all in, as it will go by fast. Before you know it, you will be in the nursery room creating memories with your new family member!

 

 

How To Prepare Siblings For A New Baby

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Congrats Mama – your growing family is expecting a baby! As you prepare for your new arrival, one of the most important jobs you’ll have is to get your older child ready for the big role of becoming a sibling.

A new baby is an adjustment for any child, and it is natural for them to feel that the new baby is taking over their role in the family, which can lead to sibling rivalry. This can be shown in different ways – some children experience feelings of jealousy towards their new brother or sister, while others throw tantrums or revert to “babyish” behavior to get your attention. 

Keep in mind that no matter how your child reacts to the news – with joy, anger, confusion or seemingly no response at all – it’s normal. Understanding their feelings and learning how they react to them is a big part of their emotional development. 

Knowing what to expect based on our child’s age will make it easier to handle the changes in your family. To help, we’ve gathered a list of age-specific tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics.  

Toddlers: Ages 1 to 2 Years

Young children won’t understand much about what it means to have a new brother or sister. However, let your child hear you talk about the “new baby” and feel your excitement. They may not understand why you are excited, but your attitude will rub off and they will feel excited too!

It’s hard to satisfy the needs of multiple children all the time – especially single-handedly. If you feel overwhelmed, ask your partner, relatives and friends for support and another set of hands.

  • Look at picture books about a new baby. At the very least, your child will become familiar with words like “sister,” “brother” and “new baby.”
  • When the new baby arrives, try to do something special for your older child. Reassure them that they are very much so still loved. Some ideas include giving them a special gift, spending some time alone with dad, grandma or another special adult, or taking them someplace special.

Preschoolers: Ages 2 to 4 Years

At this age, your child is still very attached to you and does not yet understand how to share you with others. They may also be sensitive to change and may feel threatened by the idea of a new family member. Here are some suggestions that may help ease your preschooler into being a big brother or big sister.

  • Wait a while before telling your preschooler about the baby. Explain it to your child when you start buying nursery furniture or baby clothes or if he starts asking about mommy’s growing “tummy.” Picture books for preschoolers can be very helpful. So can sibling classes – ask your hospital if it offers them. It’s best to tell your child before they hear about the new baby from someone else.
  • Be honest. Explain that the baby will be cute and cuddly, but will also cry and take a lot of your time and attention. Make sure that your older child knows that it may be a while before he can play with the new baby. Reassure your child that you will love them just as much after the baby is born as you do now.
  • Involve your preschooler in planning for the baby. This will make them less jealous. Let them shop with you for baby items and look at their own baby pictures together. If you are going to use some old baby things, let your older child play with them a bit before you give them to the new baby. Buy your child (boy or girl) a doll so they can practice taking care of the baby.
  • Time major changes in your child’s routine. If you can, finish toilet training or switching from a crib to a bed before the baby arrives. If that is not possible, put them off until after the baby is settled in at home. Otherwise, your child may feel overwhelmed by trying to learn new things on top of all the changes caused by the new baby.
  • Expect your child to regress a little. For example, your toilet-trained child might suddenly start having “accidents,” or they might want to take a bottle. This is normal and is your older child’s way of making sure they still have your love and attention. Instead of telling them to act their age, give them the attention they need, then praise them when they act grown-up.
  • Prepare your child for when you are in the hospital. They may be confused when you leave for the hospital. Explain that you will be back with the new baby in a few days.
  • Set aside special time for your older child. Read, play games, listen to music, or simply talk together. Show them that you want to do things with them. Make them feel a part of things by cuddling next to you when you feed the baby.
  • Ask family and friends to spend a little time with your older child when they come to see the new baby. This will help them feel special and not left out of all the excitement. 
  • Have your older child spend alone time with dad. A new baby presents a great opportunity for fathers to spend extra time with older children.

School-Aged Children: Ages 5 and above 

Children older than 5 years are usually not as threatened by a new baby as younger children are. However, they may still resent the attention the new baby gets. You can do these things to prepare your school-aged child for a new baby.

  • Tell your child what is happening in language they can understand. Explain what having a new baby means and what changes may affect them – both the good and the not so good.
  • Have your older child help get things ready for the new baby by fixing up the baby’s room, picking out clothes or buying diapers.
  • If possible, have your older child come to the hospital soon after the baby is born so they feel part of the growing family.
  • When you bring the new baby home, make your older child feel that they have a role to play in caring for the baby. Tell them they can hold the baby, but they must ask you first. Praise your older child when they are gentle and loving towards the new baby.
  • Do not overlook your older child’s needs and activities. Let them know how much you love them. Make an effort to spend some time alone with them each day; use that as a chance to remind them how special they are and that no one will ever change that.