Starting a family is the most exciting, and terrifying thing that you will do in your life. There are a million and one things to sort out before our new child arrives. No matter how hard you try, you’re probably never going to be ready in time. Everything will fall into place once you get started, but there are some things that you will need to sort beforehand otherwise you’ll be overwhelmed. If you and your wife are expecting a baby, make sure that you get these things, like baby items such as getting the best baby swing, straightened out long before the due date.
The House
If it’s just been the two of you, then the likelihood is that you won’t have enough room in the house for a third person, especially once they get a bit older. Make sure that you give yourself enough time to sell your old house and find a new one before the baby comes. Visit this website for some advice on selling your old home.
When you’re trying to find a new place to live, make sure that you look to the future. When they’re first born, you won’t let them out of our sight. A few years down the line, however, you’ll want them to be able to go out and play. Look for safe neighborhoods so you’ll have peace of mind when they’re out and about. Also, consider the schools in the area, it will be a few years before you need to worry about it but you don’t want to have to move again to get closer to a good school. If you manage to get a good price for your old house, you shouldn’t have trouble finding somewhere.
Baby-proofing the house is another thing to think about. As soon as they start crawling, they’ll be exploring anything and everything. It is vital that you remove anything that could be a danger to them.
The Car
In your younger days, you might have liked cruising the streets in a flash two-door. You might not want to hear it, but it’s time to leave those days behind, it just isn’t practical anymore. Ditch the old sports car for something a bit more family friendly. Choose something with a good amount of space, and remember, you might have some more kids a few years down the line so plan ahead. It’s also worth thinking about fuel consumption; you’ll be doing a lot of back and forth driving the family all over the place and you don’t need to be filling up with gas every five minutes.
Sort Your Finances
Looking after a child is expensive business and you need to be ready. Make sure that you have a solid budget worked out that takes all of the expenses into account. If you are falling short, then one of you may have to look at taking on extra work, but be aware that this might mean getting extra childcare which is yet another expense. Check out this handy costs calculator to get a rough idea of how much it will cost.
Work Out A Schedule
Looking after a baby is an around the clock job, so you’ll need to know who’s doing what. If your partner is taking maternity leave, you will be free to work. But you might decide that you will take time off instead. However you decide to organize it, every hour of the day will have to be covered.
