A baby is not just the most significant lifestyle change you will ever experience. Still, one that will require the most significant reorganization of your living space you will likely ever experience. Decluttering before the baby arrives includes going through everything you own. The number of new accessories, articles of clothing, and culinary items that are part and parcel of bringing a new life into the world take up space, and if your home is like most people’s, space is a hot commodity. You will not want to start reorganizing and filtering out unnecessary items the day of.
Here are three essential steps to follow to declutter before the baby arrives:
Have a game plan. Sit down with a pen and paper, visualize what your space looks like at the present moment, and compare it with how it will need to change to accommodate the arrival of a new family member. Ask yourself which areas of your home you will be spending the most time with the baby, and you will start to get a feel for the areas that will require the most attention.
Be methodical. After creating your plan, tackle one area at a time, and when it’s done, cross it off your list. It is reassuring to have some way to measure your progress and know you are getting everything done.
Know how to say goodbye. Take the arrival of your son or daughter as an opportunity to carefully consider how much you need and use certain things that seem like they have always just been a part of your life. If you know the baby‘s outerwear will need a certain amount of mudroom closet space, start thinking about how many of those winter coats you need and wear. If you have storage space for things you still wear or use, use it. If you don’t but still want to store your belongings, perhaps consult a self-storage company. The goal is to remove things from rotation, whether in your closet or pantry, that will not make your life as a new parent easier.
Clearing your house of clutter may seem like additional, unnecessary work that is a distraction from other more pressing preparations, appointments, and maybe even home renovations you have to schedule – not to mention work – into the busy lead-up to the arrival of your little guy or girl. Still, it will be the last thing you are going to want to do as your body is recovering and the birth of a child consumes your time. Plan in advance, rent a junk removal bin for the large items you’ll be getting rid of and ensure you have everything ready before the little one arrives.
