Preparing your Home for a New Baby

Congratulations, you have a new baby on the way and isn’t it exciting? There is so much to plan, what will you do about work? Will you baby wear? How will you feed your babe? What kind of pushchair do you want? The decisions go on and on but one thing I think some parents overlook in the pre-birth stage is getting the house ready for your baby.

There are several things you can do to make your life easier and your home more hygienic without breaking the bank – read on:

Install Laminate Flooring

Carpets may be warm underfoot, but they really aren’t practical once you have children. I recall the amount of times we needed to bring the buggy in with sleeping babies, or once the kids got bigger and the muddy footprints they trailed in. A much better option is laminate flooring and there is a grade to suit every budget and a design for every style lover. The click-lock mechanism makes it very easy to fit, it withstands knocks well and can be easily swept and mopped clean for a hygienic floor you’re happy to let your baby eat from!

8 Ways to Prepare for Baby Number Two

Image Credit: Boy cuddling pregnant belly from Shutterstock

You've found out you're pregnant, you've had the three month scan and all is looking good so now is the time you can start to tell all your friends and family and spread the joy of knowing that a new babe will soon join your family. Of course you are excited, but if you are anything like me you'll also be a little nervous and maybe even overwhelmed. Your family of three will never be the same again!

How you feel might well depend on the age of your first child and the potential gap you'll have between your children. According to the U.K. office for National statistics the average age gap between a first and second babe is about 36 months, although I have friends who had as little a gap as 8 months by falling PG with a newborn and then having their second baby prematurely. That really would scare the pants off me! My age gap was a much more sensible 45 months but the tricky part for me was that babes two and three came at the same time of course!

To help you beat that feeling of being weighed down with worries of what might be it is important to get prepared for your second babes arrival. Try and get all the practical things but of the way nice and early and this means if you do feel tired or poorly later on in pregnancy you are not stressing about all the tasks still to be done.

In case of emergency in America...

In just over a month I'm off to America to a summit with the ONECampaign in Washington D.C to hear from some inspirational speakers about many of the advancements and success stories that have been seen in recent years in Sub-Saharan Africa and of course I'll also hear of the challenges that this amazing continent still faces.

I know from my trip to Ethiopia in 2012 that things are really changing. I went out there with an outdated opinion that I would be going to a baron land with no hope and what I found was a beautiful land full of people with massive hearts and immense generosity.  Then as for the progress that has been made in regards to schooling, healthcare, sanitation, agriculture and transportation I was literally in awe of their entrepreneurial spirit and determination to change things for the better.

Some of the amazing women I hope to see again when I am in Washington D.C

Of course I'm super excited about my trip and the summit will be the pinnacle but I don't deny that travelling to America is also a little daunting. I think it is trepidation of what us unknown, I keep hearing stories from acquaintances and also in the news about how hard it is to gain entry into America nowadays, their security is really tight. Of course I have absolutely nothing to hide but that won't stop me worrying that customs will want to rummage through my case and throw about my undies!

I'm not normally a panic merchant but I think it is good to think through all eventualities when taking a big trip abroad, this thinking process allows me to work through and alleviate my fears and know that I'm covered for whatever might happen. Of course I have my trusty credit cards to use in an emergency and that could be anything from being starving hungry at the airport if the plane food is terrible on the 10 hour trip over or a real emergency like being stranded in a big city and having no idea where I am.

I think I'm less worried in general as I've got older, when I remember back to the first abroad holidays I took as a teenager I never took any cards with me in case they were stolen, I used to take travellers cheques and now it wouldn't even occur to me to do that. Then as I got a little older and more confident I did take my credit card when I travelled abroad but I would have it separate to my handbag, so that if my bag was stolen I could still use my credit card and sort out whatever I need to.

Nowadays I use an over the body bag and keep it close and pray it won't get stolen, for if it does then everything will be gone but thankfully I have a husband at home who will be ready to help me and with modern technology as it is now things can be solved so much quicker than they could twenty years back.

Luckily this post has made me remember I need to arrange travel insurance and of course get some currency but I won't bother with too much as I'll use my credit card mostly. I do then need to call my bank and advise them I'll be abroad so they know it is me when they start to see random purchases in US dollars. As I'm not a frequent traveller I don't want to get a temporary stop on my card whilst I'm abroad as that would end up being very inconvenient.

In all, I feel really good about this trip and I'm on countdown for a bit of time alone to reflect and ponder the future. I find when I go away it gives me a chance to miss my husband and children and then when I come back I'm so grateful for what I have. Let's just pray I have no emergencies whilst I am away.

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My picture: His words - Preparation

I have to be honest and say that never did I think I would be showing you a picture of a dumper truck full of mud here on the blog but when I was on one of my walks last week around the estate here I felt compelled to go over and photograph it.

It really seemed to signify to me that it is important to put in the ground work and to prepare ready for what will come. In this case it is a large vegetable plot being made ready for the next crop to be planted but I sense for me this was twofold, one was that God knows the hard work we put in and He appreciates our efforts and the other was that I need to prepare for when He comes again. I have the song 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord' whizzing round my head as I write this.

I'm trying to figure out what 'preparing myself for when He comes again' actually looks like but I'll pray on it and I know He will reveal all in His perfect time.

Wishing you a blessed week. Please do link up if you feel you have something to share.  Mich x

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If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!