Navigating Postpartum: Preparing Your Home

Preparing Your Home for the Postpartum Period

When you are getting ready for your postpartum period, one of the most important things is preparing your home and establishing realistic expectations. You will be spending A LOT of time here, with little time to keep up on household chores, cooking, or organizing. Some of the main areas that are so important to handle before you enter postpartum are:

Deep cleaning your home
Meal prep or postpartum meal plans
Expectations and rules for visitors
Delegating housework before baby
Prepping your baby station(s)
Preparing your baby items

You can click any area above to jump to the section. I do recommend exploring them all. You may pick up something you did not even know you’d missed!

Don’t forget to learn about other areas of Navigating Postpartum, this is an ongoing series you can utilize. Click here to see the published blogs to date.

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Now, let’s jump into preparing your home.

Deep Cleaning your Home

One of the things I wish that we had done before each of our children arrived is hire a maid. This expense may seem frivolous, but, this is not something you want to spend time (or energy) on postpartum. If you have the means, deep cleaning before your baby’s arrival and a scheduled service after would be ideal. If you can not financially swing both, splurge on the deep clean before the baby arrives. According to bobvilla.com, the average cost to deep clean a home in 2023 is between $200-$400. If neither fits into your budget, keep reading for ways to DIY too!

Before the baby comes you want to get your home in the best shape it can be. Not only is it important the home be dust free and as sanitized as possible, but finding time once you have an infant at home is near impossible. Whether you are hiring someone or doing it yourselves, some things you want to make sure get cleaned are:

Anywhere dust may be collecting in the home including shelves, light fixtures, ceiling fans, and window sills.
Your kitchen needs to be sanitized and purged.
The floors throughout your home should be deep cleaned. You may even want to consider renting equipment for this phase if you will be doing it yourself.
Clean your bathroom thoroughly and make space for your postpartum care kit.

Keep in mind that all cleaning products should be as natural and clean as possible. There are some great options out there but a few of my favorite brands are:

For a more in-depth guide, this is a great article from maids.com

Meal Prep or Postpartum Meal Plans

Food is something often overlooked or forgotten when preparing for the arrival of a baby. We think we will have time to make simple meals, grab groceries and feed ourselves, especially while out on parental leave. The reality is, every day is so different that executing regular meals is nearly impossible. The good news is there are a lot of different ways you can prepare ahead of time:

Freezer Meals are an incredible way to really stock up and plan out the postpartum period. There are many different ways to get these sorted, from complete meals in oven-ready dishes to portions of meals that can be added to a crockpot or the stove. Here is a great place to start with a variety of meal types on What to Expect. I recommended sticking to tried and trusted meals vs. using this time to experiment with new dishes you may end up not using. You can also freeze baked goods, and many expecting families make and freeze things like lactation cookies to prepare.

Meal Delivery Services are another option that can really help during this time. There are many local companies in many areas that will prep refrigerated meals that are pre-portioned even. Some larger companies do this as well, especially geared towards fitness and high-protein/balanced healthy choices. Additionally, food delivery kits like Home Chef will send oven-ready meals (use this link to save $35 on your first order). These just take a moment to mix up quickly but are pre-portioned and easy to get from refrigerator to oven.

Take Out/Delivery is available for most if needed. This is a great way to have something fresh brought to you, without any work or hassle. The cost of this category can quickly add up, and for us, it was a treat here and there. One nice thing in our post-pandemic world is most places will just leave it at the doorstep, which is nice for the postpartum fashion show that is usually going on, lol.

Grab-and-go options are definitely something you want to keep on hand. We learned having peanut butter and jelly around and keeping a loaf of bread in the refrigerator or freezer was a great backup. Having snacks like protein bars, granola bars, cereal, premade oatmeal, etc. is another way to make sure you always have something on hand. Bonus: oats can help with milk production!

Store-bought, Premade meals both refrigerated and frozen are easy to plan ahead and keep. Birds Eye Voila makes a variety of one-pan meals that are as simple as putting in a pan with a lid. There are microwavable family meals and oven family meal options. Trader Joe’s carries a lot of great choices in this category as well.

Family and/or Friends may offer to supply some meals as well. We had this for our first and looking back, it would have been more helpful if it was a little more structured. If you have people close offering this up, try a sign-up sheet or some way to coordinate what and who is bringing things beforehand. Also, you will want to have a visitor plan in place ahead of time if that is important to you. Read more on that in the next section.

There are a lot of different ways you can get yourself into a place to not have to cook, starve or constantly stress over meals during the postpartum period. The biggest thing is just making sure that you have a plan in place.

Expectations and Rules for Visitors

This was a really important preparatory measure for me to take. There are a lot of expectations that people outside the household may have about what will happen once the baby arrives. It is best to communicate beforehand what your plan is, where you may need help and to set boundaries beforehand. Some great questions to discuss with your partner are:

Do we want anyone at the hospital?
Do we want anyone else in the delivery room?
When do we want to start accepting visitors at home?
Do we want to limit these visitors to certain people?
Do we plan to travel to anyone with the baby?
If so, how soon?
Do we want to set a limited time for visitors?
Do we want to ask visitors to wear masks?
How will we handle feedings and naps with visitors present?
Do we want to set up any kind of consistent help from family/friends?

These decisions are incredibly personal and look different for everyone. There is no right or wrong way to answer these except to do what feels right for you and your partner.

What I can tell you is I had no idea how exhausted I would be in those first few weeks. I was so thankful that I had set some pretty strict boundaries for us. With both of my children, we struggled initially with breastfeeding. What I didn’t know was how common this actually is. I could not even get a shirt on for almost a week straight due to nipple trauma and pain. I can not imagine what it would have looked like or felt like for me to have to entertain guests during this time.

That’s another thing, when people come to see the baby there is still a feeling for many that they are entertaining. You want your house to look in order, yourselves to look in order, and to host even. It is so unrealistic during this time for any of those expectations to be put on you by yourself or others.

To give you an idea of what worked for us, here is what we sent out for our newest addition in mid-2022:

Because of my anxiety and just general knowledge of what kind of boundaries I need, we practiced a very reserved approach. This worked well for us with both kids and we did not have any regrets. After the initial period with both children, my Mom came and stayed for a bit to help me. This was the perfect time as we had eased into some kind of comfortable space with everything.

What this may look like for you can be completely different. Maybe you know you will need more support around, or are very close with friends and family who you can not imagine missing it. Planning ahead and vocalizing what you expect from those who need to know is the most important part. What you want to avoid is a situation where you start to feel someone is overstepping and it becomes a conflict to address. Keeping your plate clear of any unnecessary stress postpartum is so vital to your recovery and mental health.

The same goes for setting expectations that people help, even with meals or more. If someone says they can not wait to be there, and then the time comes and they are not, it can cause a lot of resentment and stress. Make sure you iron out exactly what being there looks like ahead of time.

An example would be your Mother-in-Law saying she plans to be around as much as possible. You know she isn’t very busy so you expect a lot of her. Suddenly, a month has passed since the baby arrived and she has been over twice. You are so burnt out and resentful that she offered help and is not there now. She is feeling like she has been over plenty. What may have been better when she said that would be, “I could really use help during the day a couple of times a week. Would Tuesdays and Thursdays work for you so I can plan for that?”

When in doubt, over-plan, over-prepare, and over-communicate. The more you have set before the easier this time will be and the more present you will be able to be for your new little family.

Delegating Housework before Baby

The same rule applies to expectations within your home as it does to visitors and help from outside. One piece of advice I was given after the fact that I wish I had known prior, was to split up your household work BEFORE adding a baby into the mix. I can not tell you how much resentment brews in that initial sleepless, overwhelming time postpartum over housework. Both partners feel like they are doing everything, or so much more than the other person. It is so hard to wrap your head around the fact that even when you both kill yourselves, things still are not getting done.

So, how can you avoid that or help it not become such a snowball? Make a plan beforehand that you are both comfortable with so neither person feels taken advantage of or micromanaged. Some things to be aware of:

If Mom plans to breastfeed this will take up a lot of time. Feedings are 10-12 times per day for around 30 minutes each during the initial month. That means 5-6 hours of breastfeeding per day! Pumping can be comparable as well.

If Mom is handling feedings through the night, she may be more tired and have less energy overall, so make sure her plate is not overloaded.

You need to have some wiggle room with expectations of when things will get done. Some days things will line up and work out and other days you will just have to push things off a day or two. Again, if breastfeeding it will be tough for Mom to adhere to any time constraints.

Splitting baby duties beforehand (as much as possible) may also be really helpful. An example would be Mom handling feeding and then Dad doing any clothing changes or diapers so Mom can get a break as well. If you are using bottles trade off night feeds as much as you can.

Also, keep in mind certain housework will increase with another person around. Laundry is a prime example. You can expect to almost double the amount of work laundry used to take once you are washing blankets, sheets, burp cloths, and clothes for a little one. Dishes is another big one that jumps up with kids.

If there is anywhere you can outsource things that initial month or bring in help, that is where you want to splurge and do so. A lot of people will want to come to see the baby, but the most helpful thing that people can do is come and take on some of the housework for you. Do not be afraid to ask for this support. People often want to feel needed and helpful and just do not know where to start without being asked!

Again, I can not stress how important setting these expectations and the ownership of things beforehand really is. Even if you are not a first-time parent, try this! It can do nothing but ease some of those feelings when things get overwhelming and lessen the mental load of having to remember everything.

Prepping your Baby Stations

You do not need a ton right when your baby comes home but what you do need, you want to have prepared. Most babies sleep in a bassinet in the room with you for at least the first few months. They can’t safely use blankets or pillows during sleep so all you need in there is the mattress it came with and a tight, fitted sheet.

Besides the sleep space, you are going to want a diapering area (or two), lounge spaces around the home, and an area to bathe them. None of this needs to be complicated! You may be wondering, “what about the nursery?” Though it is great to have it done, it is not necessary. Most babies do not move into their own room for months, some even longer. We used our nursery for diapering and rocking in the chair with our first. When our second came, everything was in our room.

A lot of people will tell you don’t worry too much about your diapering space, you can just change them on the bed or floor. This never worked well for us. We wanted a safe, clean space to go to and have all of the products, wipes, and diapers there for us. There were also so many accidents early on that we were thankful it was contained on the changing pad! Here is a short list of things we kept in our space:

Baby powder is not missing from the list. It is something we had on hand with my first but found we did not need it or really use it so we omitted it with my second. Everyone does it differently, but we generally opted out of baby wipes unless it was a poop situation. They leave the skin really damp which leads to rashes, and diapers are made to wick the moisture away so it is not really necessary.

We only used one space in our home since we have ranch style and the area we set up is pretty central. If you have a larger home or a two-story home, you may want to consider having an additional area for diaper changes. It is unreal how many diapers you will go through in the beginning. I think they say about 12 a day but for us, it was a lot more some days.

Once your diaper areas are set, you also want some “lounge” spaces or spots you can safely set your baby down throughout the day to get a moment arms free. This looks different for everyone but ours consisted of a Snuggle Me Organic Lounger, Pack and Play, and a Lovevery play gym.

I will be completely honest, a lot of babies just want to be held during those first few weeks. They are used to being constantly rocked and held in the womb and feel lost without that. You are still going to need some time for yourself, even if they have other plans! The Snuggle Me was probably our lifesaver since it hugs them pretty closely. A Doc-A-Tot is another similar option for this. The Pack and Play is a larger space but sleep safe which is nice if you need to put them down once they have fallen asleep.

Lastly a bath area. You won’t need this until the umbilical cord has fallen off because it can not be submerged in water before then. That happens sometime after the first week generally. Once that has happened you can begin regular baths which actually soothe and comfort babies (though the first few may be rough!). We opted to not use any kind of soap or products for our second after having some skin issues with our first. It went a lot better the second time around. Our area was just an infant tub with a built-in scale and water thermometer, towels, and washcloths. Simple and easy!

For us, that was really all of the baby station prep we needed. Things may come up as you get to know your individual baby or parenting style etc but this is a great start. It is so helpful to know where to go and know you have the things there that you need. Set yourself up for success in the postpartum process!

Preparing Your Baby Items

The last thing you want to do is make sure you have all the items you need for the initial period and that they are prepared and ready to go. This does not have to be as much as you may think, or overwhelming, in fact, less is more. Babies do not need a ton during those first few months.

A short list of things to have on hand:

Onesies (8-12)
Pants (6-8)
Gowns (4-6)
Socks (6-8)
Mittens (4-6)
Swaddles (3-4)
Burp Cloths (12 or more)
Diapers
Wipes
Diaper Cream
Lotion
Nursing Pillow (Nice for bottle feeding too)
Electric Nail File
Formula (in case)

Let’s talk about the clothing first. If you have not been around babies or not closely, let me tell you their heads are floppy. You don’t realize how challenging dressing them is until you try and get things on and off over their newborn heads. With how many blowouts and spit-up incidents you may have in the beginning, it is easier if you get neck-friendly clothing.

Pro Tip: Most onesies are actually meant to go on and off from the feet which is why they have expandable shoulders. There is also the option of a kimono style which has snaps and allows it to wrap around the body. I really like this style!

If it is a warmer time of year you may be able to skip pants most days and just use onesies. This keeps things from being too complicated with all of the changing that takes place. You will be going through about 12 or more diapers a day in the beginning.

Another option to make life easy is using newborn gowns. Like the onesies, they generally are put on from the feet with expandable shoulders and the bottom just ties off. When it is time to change your baby you just have to untie them and tie them back up. This also is a warmer option if it is a colder time of year.

Newborn fingernails are another bizarre thing to encounter for the first time. They aren’t firm or easy to clip. There are a lot of tips and tricks I have heard to handle them, but what worked best for us was mittens initially and then an electric nail file made for babies. These really only get dirty if they get spit up on them or put their hands in anything. We would reuse them a few times so we did not need to have as many on hand. The reason this is so important is they are really prone to bad self-scratching in the first stretch of life.

Swaddles are tricky because every baby is different. You won’t necessarily know how your baby likes to be swaddled until you know them. Having a couple of swaddle blankets on hand at first is best. This is what the hospital will show you how to use, and these are pretty secure until they get stronger. Other options down the road are arms up like the Love to Dream, less restrictive like the Zipadee Zip, or more restrictive like the Merlin Magic Sleepsuit. Other fan favorites are the Ollie and the Happiest Baby Sleepea for their ease of use and security. With my son, we ended up in an Ollie swaddle under the Snoo swaddle. With our daughter, she preferred arms up and so we used Love to Dream under the Snoo swaddle with arms out. Both used standard blankets for the first couple of weeks.

Having a good stack of burp cloths on hand is so important. Even if your baby isn’t a spitter at first, they can become one. We don’t want to do daily laundry so we keep enough to launder 2x a week or less. You can use anything from cloth diapers to actual burp cloths for the job, as long as they are soft and absorbent.

Before you stock up on diapers know that they grow SO fast initially. If you overbuy they may size out of them before you can use them. We found buying a couple of packs of newborns and a couple of size 1 worked best since the weight overlaps pretty well. We also like subscription-based diapers, but have a store brand as a backup in case we get low.

A nursing pillow is great whether you end up nursing or not. They provide great arm support in your lap for feedings and contact naps. I use mine all of the time and even have a second for tummy time and sitting later on. Encourage your partner to utilize them too!

All of the items above need to be laundered before the baby can use them and this is great to do well ahead of time. Organizing them in an easy way is a great help, too. I found drawer inserts to be really helpful. Not only did it help contain these tiny little clothes in a small space, but I could take them out when I did laundry to easily put things away.

Lastly, let’s touch on the topic of formula. It is really important you do some research ahead of time and find out which formula you are comfortable giving your baby. No shame in this space but for us, we did not feel good about most American-made formulas and the ingredients they contained. We opted to use a European formula when we did need to supplement. What is awesome is one of these brands is now available in the US, Kendamil. The ingredients are so clean and fantastic! It is great to have some kind of formula on hand, just in case.

This may seem like a lot to get ready for, but take it step-by-step as you can. Register some of these items and try and prepare one thing every week or two leading up to delivery. The best practice is to have everything as close to complete as you can by 37 weeks. Once you have reached that milestone you are considered early term and nothing will be done to stop labor if it begins.

Knowing all of this is ready will help you focus on being in the moment when your baby arrives and give you the confidence you are prepared to bring them home. If you have anything helpful to add for expecting parents, drop a note below! Thank you for reading and don’t forget to check out the other installments of the Navigating Postpartum series!