Preparing for, and caring for, a newborn is hard work. Parents hire nannies, newborn care specialists, doulas, and baby nurses as experts to help them prepare for the arrival of a newborn and with postpartum care.
Be the expert they are looking for and be proactive and earn every penny they pay you by going above and beyond by pitching-in both before and after the baby arrives in the following ways:
1. Wash and Organize All Clothes and Baby Supplies
Help clean baby bottles, do extra laundry, and prepare the nursery before the baby arrives. Use a gentle detergent, (click here to see our favorites), to prewash baby’s bedding, changing table cover, and newborn clothing. Also wash some 0- to 3-month sized baby clothing because some babies are big and skip the newborn sized onesies altogether. Put a clean fitted sheet on the crib and/or bassinet mattress and have swaddling blankets clean and ready to use.
2. Stock Feeding and Changing Areas
Stock multiple areas around the home with everything the parents and caregivers will need for feeds and diaper changes. Have nursing pillows (they help with bottle feeding too), diapers, burp cloths, clean onesies, pre-opened wet wipes, hand sanitizers, and diaper rash creams on every floor of the house.
Don’t forget to put water bottles and granola bars or healthy snacks in the baby feeding areas while the mother is nursing to help her stay hydrated and nourished as well.
3. Safety Proof the Home
The most dangerous place for a newborn in the home is the crib. Make sure there are no blankets, crib bumpers, pillows, or stuffed animals in the crib.
Make sure pets have crates or can be contained in specific areas of the house away from the baby. Some pets get jealous and others angry so don’t allow pets to approach the infant without supervision.
Have the bassinet placed next to bed to make it easier for tired parents to place the infant in the bassinet rather than falling asleep with the baby in their bed.
Check recalls at the Consumer Protection Safety Commission web site to ensure all baby products the family owns are safe. Take the initiative to start the return process for the recall and then replace the recalled item with a safer alternative for the parents.
4. Inspect and Prepare Car Safety
Install a rear facing infant car seat. If you aren’t a certified car safety technician take all cars that will be used to transport the infant to an installation inspection station near you.
Keep gas in the car, check the tire pressure, have oil changes, and make sure any necessary maintenance is up to date before the baby’s arrival date.
5. Prepare Easy Meals
The family needs to be nourished and the parents won’t have the energy to prepare healthy meals. You will be priceless to them if you can make them all dinner to serve when you are working. Then try to make and freeze other recipes that they can reheat when you aren’t working.
6. Care for Older Siblings
Keep the other kids in the home on as normal a schedule as possible. Read age appropriate children’s books with them to prepare for their new sibling.
Once the infant arrives get the older siblings out of the house to have fun. Give older brothers and sisters plenty of attention they will crave from tired parents of the newborn.
7. Run Errands
The family will undoubtedly run out of supplies. Be willing to go out and pick up items the family may need. To keep from making so many trips to the store suggest that they sign up for automatic subscriptions for refills of commonly used baby items.
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