It would be fair to say that not every child a couple has is planned in advanced. That doesn’t mean they’re any less welcome or wonderful of course, it’s just part of life that sometimes, children and their due dates can surprise us. Even if you were planning to become pregnant as a couple, you may suddenly find that you’re blessed with twins, or triplets even!
This can be quite a shock but also quite a wonderful surprise. After all, as long as your child is healthy, it’s a wonderful thing to become a parent, no matter how many times you’ve welcomed that experience before.
But of course, any new baby brings essential practical risks we have to plan for in advance. That’s because for the most part, while we can accommodate an unexpected child with all the love in our hearts, this might cause a strain on our finances or within the household itself. While we can’t give specific advice for that foremost problem, you may find some value in figuring out the second.
In this post, then, we find it important to help you manage your house with an unexpected child on the way. Without further ado, please consider some of the following advice:
Consider Dividing One Room Into Two
Infants usually need their own space to sleep, at the beginning you can easily use your own room, but they will require a peaceful area you can keep dark and quiet for their naps after a certain amount of time.
Among your younger children’s bedrooms, room sharing can actually turn out better than you’d think. Kids often love having a cozy area rather than a big empty space, and a simple bookshelf can work wonders as a room divider, or bunk beds can allow for a nice social experience. If you give each child their own little territory – maybe one gets the window side while the other gets the wall with more space for posters, then you can still help them feel the sense of privacy they need at that age.
But perhaps your master bedroom is quite large, and you’d be happy dividing this in two for your two children to use now as well. This is a renovative effort but it’s not quite as intensive as you may imagine, and can prepare you for years to come.
Plan For Attic Conversions
That dusty loft up top might just become your favorite room in the house if cared for with a little attention and work. Attics make surprisingly good bedrooms, especially for older kids who usually think they’re pretty cool.
While slanted ceilings that adults duck under might not seem perfect for you, you may find that your kids see them as perfect for a calm room they can occupy in peace. You don’t need anything highly expensive as some solid flooring, decent insulation, and a window can transform the space. Just make certain you utilize the best loft conversion company to ensure you maximize its potential and you’re left with an attic room you can really be proud of.
Think About Ground Floor Bedrooms For An Older Child
If your children are of varying ages, then you may wish to move your eldest into a ground floor bedroom that might be more suitable for their needs. There are several benefits here. It might be that you’ve converted a dining space or spare room to do it, but it also leaves you space for a bedroom nearer your own, meaning a space for your new baby.
But your older child will likely prefer it too. It means they can listen to music or come and go as they please (should they be old enough) without causing anyone frustration, and in the long run that can help them feel more independent. It also means you can convert the space they leave behind into a small nursery for your little one so you’re only a few moments away.
Child Proof
You may be pretty darn used to it by this point, but it’s time to look at your house through a baby’s eyes again. It’s funny how different the place looks when you’re thinking about tiny exploring hands.
This also means balancing the needs of any children you have around the needs of your baby once they learn to crawl, as those building blocks your older one loves might look tasty to a little baby but that’s not as safe as it could be.
When they begin to walk (it happens faster than you imagine) suddenly that perfectly safe coffee table seems to have sprouted sharp corners overnight. Each baby has their own mission to find the one thing you forgot to secure – they’re surprisingly creative that way, and so revivfiying your safety approach can go a long way towards improving their care.
Consider Your Pets & Their Suitability
Dogs and cats can get a bit confused when new babies arrive, especially if they were the baby of the family before. Giving them their own quiet spots away from the baby chaos helps everyone settle in better, but it might be that becauase you hadn’t expected a new baby, you’ve purchased a larger dog than you other wise might, and need to be more careful about where the safety gates are so they don’t accidentally tread on your child. Sometimes it’s as simple as moving the dog’s bed upstairs or finding the cat a sunny windowsill to claim as their new watching post to help prevent them, but be highly mindful about exposure and access. For instance, making sure your baby’s crib is off-limits to a cat looking for a warm place to sleep is essential, as unfortunately this can be a threat to your little one.
With this advice, we hope you can feel more confident about managing your house even with a lovely and unexpected child on the way. It takes a touch of time to get here of course, but with some planning abd robust care, you’re sure to thrive with them in tow.
