How do I declutter my house before having a baby?
6 Key Places to Declutter and How!
Congratulations, you’re having a new baby! I’m expecting too (due Feb 2022).
How to declutter house before baby arrives!
Whether you are just planning ahead, or you are officially in the “nesting” phase, this article is to help break down how to declutter your home for a new baby.
Decluttering should most definitely be your first step! Only after decluttering does it make sense to deep-clean, decorate, and organize.
6 necessary tips on How to declutter before baby arrives
Your life is about to get crazy in a whole new way, and the visual effects of viewing clutter in your home will not help you transition as smoothly as you possibly can. The less amount of visual clutter you experience the less overall stress you will get from your surroundings.
On top of that, you are about to be inundated with a tonne of baby gear. Think about every room in your house and how each room will now also need baby versions of whatever you usually have.
Here is a list of the KEY areas that will be affected by the baby’s presence to get started on.
1 - Get rid of unnecessary items from your living room.
You will probably spend a lot of time with the baby in your living space. There will be baby toys, play gyms, chairs, blankets, and more in this room at all times so you’ll want it to be as clear as possible beforehand!
For our living room, I cleared out a bunch of decorative items, old books we never read anymore, games, vases, candles, etc. that we never use in order to keep things as minimal and uncluttered as possible.
If you haven’t read it or used it a while, or you don’t feel strongly about it, I suggest getting rid of it!
Something that I found surprisingly effective in creating space was really clearing out all the old books we will never read again or just will never read (if we’re being honest). Having that clear shelf space now feels incredibly good. I put in organizers instead that I can put baby gear or toys into down the road.
In the picture below, every single cabinet square was PACKED with books and random objects.
How to declutter your place before baby arrives. Clear out old gear that does not get used or ‘spark joy’.
Make a pile of all the things you don’t truly need or that you don’t truly love!
I ended up keeping a couple of my favorite crystals, a couple of candles I knew I’d enjoy lighting, and only a handful of good books I knew I’d like to flip through down the road (mostly cookbooks).
2 - Get rid of your 8 extra “favorite” mugs, glasses, utensils, etc!
You have regular dishes and drinkware, for now, but soon you’ll need baby versions of all of that. Time to declutter what you can to make room for baby’s kitchen gear!
For our kitchen, I mainly got rid of a BUNCH of old Tupperware containers (so many), old travel mugs (also too many), mismatched wine glasses, old utensils we NEVER used, and excessive amounts of glassware we had collected over the years.
This alone created a lot of new space.
If you’re honest, you probably have way too many of each item as well.
Clear it out! You truly don’t need 12 different mugs, I promise you’ll be ok after letting them go.
Mainly, you want to ensure you have a good space for:
Baby food
Bottle gear
Formula (if using)
Baby plates, cups, and utensils
3 - Kiss those old products you’ve been hanging onto in your bathroom goodbye
Get rid of old products and tools you never use to make way for baby products, towels, and tools.
I did an intense clean of all the cabinets and drawers in the bathroom and mainly got rid of old products we never use. It’s still crazy to me that this alone cleared up a lot of space for baby gear.
Growing up I never got much beauty stuff, so as an adult I feel like I tend to hold anything skin or beauty-related. It felt really good to finally let go of the stuff I wasn’t actually going to use.
This might feel hard to do but you’ll be happy you did it!
You’ll probably want at least one shelf or drawer dedicated to baby bathtime supplies and room in the tub for baby shampoo/wash.
4 - Make your bedroom as zen as possible
Chances are that you’ll have a bassinet in your bedroom for a while, so clear out anything that is cramping your space. On top of that, it’s good to try to have this space as clean and low-key as possible so you can have a space to recharge.
We mainly had a lot of old books, cute storage containers with random bits and bobs that were useless and created clutter. Once they were finally gone, our room feels a lot more peaceful to be in.
We have cute lighting and a diffuser in our bedroom, this really helps us feel relaxed and unwind at the end of the day.
5 - Purge all your storage closets of bits and bobs.
Now is the time to clear them up as much as possible in order to to have somewhere to store all the new baby clothes people will give you, diapers you want to stock up on, and other baby-related gear you want to keep around.
I was surprised by how many items we never used had accumulated in our storage closets!
We cleared out random old pillowcases, old towels, old cleaning supplies, old board games, and other general garbage we had accidentally held on to over the years.
Be ruthless, if you truly never use it, then why are you holding onto it? Just let it go.
Bonus tip - Be sure to arrange your storage closets in a way that makes sense. Like items with like items! If you have see-through storage bins you can put like items with each other in, even better!
6 - Organize your closet when it comes to ‘regular’ clothes and maternity/postpartum clothes.
If you’re in your nesting phase, it’s probably time to move all of your regular clothes into a bin or bag and store it somewhere that is out of sight and out of mind for a while.
Embrace having only what you need in your closet/ drawers right now so you do not feel overwhelmed.
Switch clothes in/ out based on what stage you are at, but always make sure that you are not overwhelmed by what is going on in your closet.
What to do with all your old clutter before the baby arrives!
You can of course bring it right to goodwill, however, if you feel like trying to make a quick buck from junk you didn’t realize you had, you can bring it to a low-key auction house in your area!
I found this extra motivating as I was clearing things out. Why hold onto something I never use when someone might want to pay $10 for it? This motivation makes it easier to say goodbye to things.
They will take a percentage for doing all the heavy lifting of selling your items, but you will get some money back that can help pay for all your new incoming baby gear!
Then feel free to drop whatever doesn’t sell off at goodwill.
Why is it important to declutter your house before the baby arrives?
The answer may surprise you…
For your own sanity!
We feel subconsciously calmer when our surroundings are tidy, in order, and looking visually appealing. Things are going to be hectic with your new baby, you might as well create as much calm in your life through all other means possible.
The less extra cleaning, organizing, and decluttering you have, means more time spent relaxing or resting in the brief moments you have.
A lot of women talk about how their husbands seem to find excuses to leave the house more and more after having a baby. While I’m sure there are a host of psychological, emotional, and other reasons why some men do this, I can’t help but wonder if the literal physical hectic atmosphere of a hectic home adds to the reasons they act like this.
I’m not at all condoning their behavior. I think it’s sad and pathetic that so many men think they are entitled to get out of the house for whatever reason while their partner is stuck at home all day.
I merely bring this up in case you have a stubborn guy like this. Perhaps clearing out half your kid’s toys, half the junk you don’t use anymore, selling off some old furniture, and so on, will make a more pleasant vibe in the house he won’t feel the need to run from.
At the very least, if it doesn’t help your husband want to be around more, at least you will feel happier and less frazzled in your space!