Caitlin Houston

Once you’ve got your finances and space for baby to sleep figured out, it’s time to baby-proof the rest of your home. Consider getting a play mat for your baby to play on, which can be easily wiped down and kept as a sanitary play area. Install baby gates to create a safe play area, and also consider installing a specific top of stairs gate which is the safest to use in order to protect your baby from falling down stairs in the future. For all our preparations for Leslie’s homecoming, we didn’t install play mats in our room.

Getting your home ready and baby-proofed isn’t exactly rocket science. It’s nothing that you can’t handle, especially since you’re doing it for your little one. Remember: If you don’t consider the financial implications of bringing a baby home If buying a crib or bassinet isn’t in your budget, or if you want to keep expenses down, a good alternative is to borrow one from family or friends.

You might feel like you can’t possibly meet all of your kiddos’ needs in that short period of time. Getting kids of different ages to bed on time takes creativity, but bedtime is a natural hard reset. If you don’t have a second parent at home (or even if you do), we have often found a “family” bedtime worked the best at getting kids of different ages to bed! Then the oldest kids read or look at books in their beds for 20-30 minutes while one parent puts the youngest child to bed.

Allow your dog to get used to the sounds and smells of your new baby before introducing them up close. Some experts even suggest placing an article of your newborn’s clothing wherever your dog sleeps! • Allow your dog to get closer to your baby gradually. This convenient bassinet allows your dog to be close enough to smell your baby, but with an added barrier for baby’s safety. As sweet and gentle as your furry friend is, a new baby can be extremely stressful for a pet, and they may behave unpredictably.