How to Keep Your House Clean with a New Baby

With extra laundry to clean, bottles to wash, and a newborn baby to care for, keeping the entire house clean regularly could become a daunting and stressful job. You could hire a maid, or ask your family member to take care of your baby, but you need some brilliant and time-saving tips to keep dust, germs and bacteria away from the house.

Apart from this, you need a ton of energy to ensure your home is up to snuff with a new family member in the house. If you are preparing your rental property for the final inspection and you just had a baby, then consider hiring professionally trained bond cleaners in Adamstown Heights.

They can clean the entire property from top to bottom while letting you take care of your newborn baby. But for regular house cleaning chores, you need some sneaky tricks that can make both the jobs easier and time-efficient.

The following tips will help you knock out the household cleaning chores while giving you tons of time to cuddle your cute, little bundle of joy.

1. Keep Things Organised

Ideally, dealing with a newborn baby is life’s most challenging thing. And when it comes to maintaining the cleanliness aspect, make sure you keep things organised.

Since you don’t have lots of time to tidy up your entire house, it is vital to create a cleaning checklist and work accordingly to avoid chaos. Take assistance from your family member and plan your cleaning chores ahead of time.

2. Invest money in a long-range baby monitor tool

A reliable and user-friendly baby monitor lets you keep a close eye on your sleeping baby while you get all the cleaning work done around the home. The tool captures all the movements of your baby and gives you peace of mind.

This makes it super easy for you to clean your entire home while your baby is sleeping. The best part about these tools is that you can talk to your baby while performing your cleaning tasks. Isn’t it amazing?

Tip: Look for the best and feature-rich baby monitor machine available in the local market of New castle. You can also order online via Amazon.

2. Multi-tasking is a key

It is good to engage in multitasking when you have a small kid/baby in your home. Try to de-clutter all your clothes while you are playing or talking to your chubby baby. Similarly, you can wipe counters, vacuum your carpets and furniture, wash dishes and load the dishwasher while watching TV or making necessary phone calls.

Take a few minutes off while washing your hands and clean your sink. This is one of the best tricks to clean the forgotten areas in your house, without disturbing your baby’s comfort.

3. Do all the big chores when baby naps

It is difficult to say the accurate sleeping time of a newborn baby. But, still, you can organise your chores accordingly and clean up the floors, kitchen countertops, toilet seat, ceiling walls and other dirty areas whenever your baby takes a long sleep.

You can track your baby’s nap on the tool mentioned above in the 1 point so that you can freely get the work done without any stress. Prepare a homemade cleaning solution using baking soda, white vinegar and hot water to remove stains, grease, grime and mildew from the different surfaces of your home.

4. Clean your home in a chunk

Instead of spending one whole day doing the household cleaning job, it is good to divide the chores and do it regularly for a few hours or minutes. You can also take assistance from your partner and schedule the tasks accordingly.

For example, You can wipe down all the dust from windows, shelves, picture frame etc once a week. Vacuum the carpets and remove dirt from countertops whenever you get time. This is how you can manage your work while taking care of your baby.

5. Set a Timer

You will be amazed to know that setting a timer can help you accomplish the cleaning task without a hint of stress. This will also keep you stay focused, and you will be able to complete your assigned chore on time so that you can spend the rest of the time with your little champ.

6. Take professional assistance

If you are running out of your lease period and want to return the premises in the neat and tidy condition, then call for the best end of lease cleaning experts in Adamstown Heights. Since you can’t manage all the end of lease cleaning chores with your new baby, it is good to take professional assistance from the most experienced bond cleaning company in Adamstown Heights.

They can come to your place and clean every nook and cranny of the property from top to bottom using a safe and sound cleaning agent and high-end equipment.

Conclusion

Everyone wants to spend their day with a newborn baby. But being a mother, you can keep your house dirty or full of germs. It is your responsibility to keep every corner of your house clean, especially the floors and carpet.

If you want to spend quality time with your new baby but also keep your house clean, then follow all the tips mentioned above in this blog post. You can also hire professional bond cleaners in Adamstown Heights if you are running at the end of your lease period. They can help you get your full bond money back while letting you spend your entire time with your new bundle of joy.

Written by Stacey Kelleher.

Whether you’re welcoming your first baby or your fifth, the first few weeks with a newborn are exhausting. Between frequent feedings and diaper changes, it’s hard to find the time – and the energy – to tackle your to-do list. But a clean home is important for you and your new baby. With a simple, basic cleaning routine, you can manage the mess and feel less stressed and more positive.

Why a Clean Home Is Good for You and Your Baby

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the growing load of dirty bottles, towels, and baby clothes. But research confirms an organized home is good for your mental health. People with clean homes are more active, less stressed, and more likely to get a good night’s sleep – that’s especially good news for tired parents!

Removing Germs Protects Your Baby’s Health

Your newborn’s immune system takes 2-3 months to mature. That means it’s especially important to keep a consistent cleaning routine that protects them from bacteria and viruses that can make them ill.

A Cleaner Home Means More Quality Time

A clean home also gives you more time to spend with your baby. Letting the house go only creates bigger messes that are tougher, and more time-consuming, to clean later. As our co-founder, Sean Busch, likes to say, “Frequent care is easy care.”

If you spend a few minutes cleaning every day, you won’t have to spend hours tackling a mountain of laundry or deep-cleaning stubborn, stuck-on stains throughout your home.

Prepping Your Home Before Baby’s Arrival

When bringing home a new baby, Puracy’s veteran parents have learned that preparation is key. There are a few simple things you can do to make it a relatively effortless transition.

Sterilize Baby Gear

During the “nesting” phase of your pregnancy, sterilize baby accessories and gear that your baby will be using in the months ahead. This includes bottles, nipples, pacifiers, and teethers.

Puracy Natural Baby Dish Soap is ideal for any of these surfaces, since it doesn’t contain harsh chemicals and it leaves surfaces free of tastes, smells, and harmful residues.

Organize Your Space

Wash Clothes and Linens

Helpful Cleaning Tips for Parents with Newborns

Once your baby arrives, it’s time to streamline your cleaning routine to keep your daily chores quick and manageable. We’ve asked Puracy parents how they find time to keep their homes clean.

Split the Workload

Enlist every member of the family to help keep the home clean. Big brothers and sisters can help by picking up their clothes, washing baby bottles, and wiping down surfaces with eco-friendly cleaning products. Chores should always be a team sport, which is why we’ve created a printable chore chart for children of all ages.

Get the best tips from the cleaning obsessed.

Puracy crafts cleaning & care items that work really well. Our obsession with natural cleaning performance is our profession, and we’re here to share it with you.

Make a Cleaning Caddy

Instead of storing all of your products and supplies in various spots throughout your home, a portable “cleaning caddy” will help you tackle every room. Include microfiber cleaning cloths, multi-surface cleaner, stain remover, and carpet and upholstery shampoo to make quick work of every mess imaginable.

Create a Schedule

Tackling your to-do list by room (or by task) makes cleaning much more manageable. Make a list of all of the cleaning jobs you do each week or month, or consider downloading our printable chore chart.

Choose Natural Multi-Purpose Cleaning Products

Hire a Professional

If you still can’t seem to get all of your household chores completed, consider enlisting a professional. Bringing in a house cleaner – even just once a month – can free up a few hours of your time. For parents with newborns, those few hours can be crucial. If it’s not in your budget, why not add semi-regular house cleaning to your baby registry?

Simplify Your Routine (and Spend More Time with Your Baby)

Here are a few more ways to make more time for your family’s newest addition:

Meal Delivery

Meal delivery services are a great way to ensure your family is getting the fresh and nutritious meals they need – without having to spend time cooking. Today’s services offer plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free menus. Here in Austin, Texas, our favorite is Snap Kitchen, thanks to their healthy options, high-quality ingredients, and sustainable packaging.

Puracy Cleaning Product Subscriptions

Cutting down on shopping trips is a priority once a baby arrives. To make sure you never run out of household cleaners and baby supplies, consider signing up for a subscription to Puracy care boxes to get all of your favorites delivered to your door at 25% off our regular prices. You won’t have to think about restocking and you’ll never run out.

Online Grocery Shopping

Choose Plant-Based Cleaning Products for Your Home and Family

As a family-focused brand, Puracy only creates products we feel confident using in our own homes. Plant-based, non-toxic, and full of naturally-sourced ingredients, our home and body products are safe for your family, pets, and the environment.

For more tips on saving time and money with safe, plant-based cleaners, check out these previous posts:

Pets Are Family

Until you found out about your pregnancy, the furry four-legged “people” in your house were your babies. You snuggled on the couch, went for walks, played games, and they were the apple of your eye. Move over Fido. Baby has come to town.

I promised myself that I would not neglect my animals when we brought our new baby home. I have only half kept that promise. It took me two weeks to shore up the courage to take Stanley (our 5-year-old chocolate lab) on a walk with the baby. Why? Well, Stanley goes berserk when seeing squirrels and his neighborhood buddies. Oh, and I completely failed in my attempt to train him to heel. His faults are directly related to my incompetence. Though it took me two weeks to find courage, it took Stanley about two seconds to accept the new baby in his life.

Our baby arrived 17 days early. We had talked about how we were going to introduce him to the animals, but had not formulated a plan. We also had no one in town who could help us care for our animals while we were at the hospital. After all, if you’re not used to it, caring for two dogs (we also have a black lab mix, Little Ann) and two cats (geriatrics Taz and Reggie) can be very overwhelming. Did I mention Little Ann is still a puppy? We got her from a local rescue a week before we found out we were pregnant. My severe morning sickness during the first four months of the pregnancy contributed to my failure in doing proper training with Little Ann in her formative months.

With our history, how on earth were we supposed to introduce our baby to our babies?

Pets Should Learn the Scent of the Baby Before They See Him

I was placed on bed rest at week 32 of the pregnancy. Once a day I would go into the nursery and sit on a footstool that was at dog level. In my arms I cradled a teddy bear in a diaper and swaddled in a blanket. I invited the dogs into the room and repeated the word “baby” over and over. We wanted “baby” to be our key term for the dogs to understand to be gentle and quiet (somewhat). Little Ann did well, only sniffing the bear and walking away. Stanley, on the other hand, was so excited to be in the nursery and around all the new smells that he tended to nudge the bear too hard. As a 75 pound dog, he has never realized his strength. Also, we trained the dogs to be invited into the nursery. They both already knew the “stay” command fairly well, so they stay in the hallway outside of the room until invited inside. We never let them in unattended, though Stanley has tried to enter if he hears interesting baby noises.

Because we had no one to help care for our animals while we were in the hospital, my husband was going home to care for them three times a day. Each time he went home he brought an item that had the baby’s scent on it with him. We thought it would be important for the dogs to be familiar with the new scent of their “brother”. Hats, blankets, burp cloths, and sleep sacks all entered the house days before the baby did. He left the items placed sporadically about the house so the dogs smelled the baby in every room. Our dogs (like most) love new scents and were always very interested in the new smells. The interest didn’t bother us because we felt it was the way to get them used to new smells. We want them to be interested in the baby, not afraid of him or view him as a threat.

What To Do The First Day Home From The Hospital

This is where the tricky maneuvering would occur. On the drive home we pondered about what to do and kicked ourselves for not figuring this out sooner. We ultimately decided on a strategy based upon what we know of our dogs and their characteristics. Stanley has a mild dominant streak, so we needed to make sure he knew who is boss. While my husband let the dogs into the backyard I stayed in the car with the baby. While they were outside we unloaded the baby into my arms and I went inside and sat on the couch (a little above dog level). Our thought with this was that we were inviting the dogs into the baby’s environment, not theirs, therefore making the baby the boss. My husband let the dogs in and they bounded toward me. I repeated “baby” over and over and asked the dogs to sit. They sat and stared at him for a few moments, Stanley nudged his arm, and then they walked away.

It has been this way since we have been home. The dogs are interested in the baby, but not overly so. We would never let them be with him unsupervised and the same rule applies to the cats. The cats really couldn’t care less about the baby. They do like to sit on the couch with us, but we are sure to keep all pet noses and paws away from the baby’s face. You never know what your pets have been into, especially those that use a litter box!

Check With Your Veterinarian

This strategy worked for my family. It may not work for yours. All families are different and all pets are different. What my dogs tolerate, yours may not, and vise versa. I suggest paying attention to your dog’s personality when formulating a plan. Seeking the advice of your veterinarian is always highly suggested.

Once your baby arrives, cleaning as you know it will forever change. You’ll quickly come to know that it’s not just finding time to clean that changes, but also how it must be done. Having the big, new responsibility that is parenthood resting on your shoulders means exercising extra caution and extra care. As with many of the adjustments you’ll be making, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But, with a few new baby care tips for cleaning—and a little bit of time—you’ll be the best mom in the business, ensuring that your little one is as safe in your home as can be:

Have a basket in each room

Save space and clean fast with a basket to hold your baby’s things. Getting things off of the floor and into a place where you can easily find them will allow you to clean any room that the baby and their toys are in, at a moment’s notice. This also allows you to be efficient when doing a full home clean-up.

Keep household cleaning products handy

Make sure that all adults at home knows where the disinfectant and sanitizing spray are to wipe down a dirty spot as soon as they see one.

Get on their level

From our lofty vantage points, it’s pretty easy for us adults to look at decently clean floor and judge it to be clean enough. However, your little tyke is going to be spending quite a bit of its time on those floors, and you’re going to want them to be spotless in order to help keep your baby safe from bacteria and viruses that get tracked underfoot. Turn to Lysol ® Pourable Multi-Surface All-Purpose Cleaner to keep your floor safe and sparkling, without leaving behind any harsh or harmful residues.

Small goals are better than big endeavors

One of the most important things to learn is when you have a newborn, nothing else matters so learn to not be so uptight about having an immaculate home because the time you lose in making your habitat perfect, you gain in moments making your life perfect, thanks to your newborn.

Don’t allow yourself to be so overcome by the joyous anticipation of bringing home baby that you straight up forget to prepare said home for said baby. Baby-fying your place might mean picking out a nursery space, deep cleaning your house for the first time in longer than you ought to admit, or moving to a new place altogether. Read up and start preparing ASAP, because if you think your wife hates cleaning up after you now, wait until she’s a few months pregnant.

How To Get Ride of Toxins and Chemicals

It turns out the average American home is one hell of a chemical shitstorm. Of the 80,000 chemicals approved for human use, zero have been tested for child safety; a child’s room can be 300 times more toxic than the rest of the house. Fortunately, there are some simple, effective changes you can make that will limit your kid’s exposure to noxious fumes or chemical clouds. Here’s how to rid your house of toxins and chemicals:

• Institute a strict no-shoes policy. No problem.
• Ditch synthetic air fresheners and fragrances. See ya phthalate-r.
• For mold removal, clove oil is better than bleach. Bleach in general is a no-no.
• Make sure your vacuum has a HEPA filter.
• Houseplants. Everywhere.
• At least try to avoid the produce with the most pesticides. Because yeah, going all-organic is expensive AF.
• Eliminate toxic cleaning products. DIY yourself some Lemon Pledge … with actual lemon peels.
• Switch to beeswax candles. All the romance, none of the benzene.
• Use essential oils. Chemical-free, and you’ll smell all festive and cinnamony.

Doing all that will go a long way to ensure the cleanest air your kid breathes is at home. If you’re still paranoid, you might find your answer in that health and wellness gray area between “Doctor recommended despite little substantial evidence” and “My cat lady great aunt swears by it:” the air purifier. A New York Times reporter put 6 popular models through the paces, if you’re buying what great-aunt Irma’s selling.

At this point, the air in your house should be fresher than fresh. Once they leave the front door, they’re screwed, but at least you did your part.

How To Clean The Carpet (But Not How You Think)

That fresh, new smell you get from a professional deep carpet cleaning? Totally toxic. But you still need to get all the crap out of your carpets before bringing the kid home, so consider using a green cleaning service. Both Zoots and ChemDry are national chains with good reputations, but if you need to go local, ask these two questions: Are their cleaning solutions plant or chemical based? How do they dispose of their wastewater? If they can’t clearly answer these questions, keep looking.

How To Keep The Carpet Clean

Even if you’ve followed all that to the letter and pride yourself on weekly deep cleans of your home as a matter of principle, you can throw that out the window (along with the rest of your principles) once you come home with the kid. What little time you have left will be spent sleeping, not cleaning, so it’s a good thing that a new crop of online services have popped up that provide maids on demand in most major cities. Handy is just one example that will help make your place cleaner than you ever could, even before you had a baby sleeping and screaming and pooping all over it.

Just don’t forget to tip.

Where To Put The Nursery

Regardless of how much space you have (or wish you had), it has to fit somewhere in your house, and there are many factors to consider. Before you get into the real work, here are the things you need to consider when choosing a place for the nursery:

• Light: Natural sunlight enhances any room’s mood, and you know what they say: happy baby, happy life. They don’t say that? Whatever, your wife will understand.
• Noise: Doesn’t make a sleepy baby happy. See above.
• Temperature: They don’t deal too well with cold, either.
• Electricity: There’s a shocking number of baby gizmos and gadgets that are as useless as a Frogger high score without an outlet.
• Space: For tiny humans, babies require So. Much. Crap. And all of it has to fit somewhere. Where can you fit it, and what do you have to give up to do so?

How to Prepare A New House For a Baby

If you’re moving to a bigger house before the baby arrives, don’t stress. Do aim to move during the second trimester, when morning sickness should have abated and beached-whale-ness hasn’t begun. Here are helpful tips for your pregnant wife in the new house:

• Don’t let her climb any ladders. That should be more obvious than helpful.
• She should also avoid all paints. But you already knew that.
• Lifting is actually doctor-approved. Only up to about 25 pounds, but hey, if she insists on throwing out a bunch of your crap, at least you can ask her to haul it to the curb herself

Michelle Maffei

You know how people are always saying that once you have a baby, your life will never be the same? What they really mean is once you have a baby, your house will never be the same — because you’ll never have time to clean it.

We kid, we kid, but obviously we don’t have to tell you that keeping up with the chores and housework is a little more, um, challenging once you welcome a new baby into your home. Not only that, but cleaning the house also begins to slide down on your list of priorities when you’re busy caring for a tiny human. But that doesn’t mean keeping your space from looking like a tornado hit it is impossible — it just takes a little strategy.

Image: Terese Condella/SheKnows

From making use of a baby carrier to letting the vacuum lull the baby off to dreamland, these tips on how to get housework done with a newborn baby will help you tackle the household chores without becoming overwhelmed.

1. Use a baby carrier

When there are chores to do, make use of your baby carrier or baby sling and get in some cuddle time while pulling off some light housework. Just be sure to avoid spraying chemicals around your newborn and engaging in any movements that will put your little one in harm’s way. It’s also a good trick when getting a baby to sleep is challenging, too!

2. Work smart, not hard

Use your time wisely. Instead of cleaning all day long, designate a basket to put everything in its proper place at end of day. And, leave sweeping or mopping until the end of the day so you won’t have to do this chore more than once.

3. Enlist your kids’ help

Older kids can pitch in with housework when your newborn arrives. Slip a clean sock onto her hand and let her battle some dust bunnies or other age-appropriate chore. It will help reassure your kiddos that they are still an important part of the newly expanded family.

4. Chip away at chores

There’s no rule that says you have to clean your house from top to bottom in a single swoop. Complete a few cleaning tasks each day to get housework done while still leaving you plenty of time for bonding with your newborn.

5. Embrace the beauty of white noise

Getting baby to sleep can be easier when your vacuum pulls double-duty. Strap your newborn into a bouncer seat or swing and let the sounds of the vacuum send him to the land of nod. He’ll get a good rest while within eyesight while you accomplish some household chores!

6. Let others lend a hand

It’s said that it takes a village to raise a child, so when friends and family offer to fold laundry or whip up a meal, accept with open arms! “As a mom, you and your newborn have been united as one for the past nine months – don’t curtail this precious connection too soon,” advises Connie Hammer, MSW & Certified Parent Coach. “Allowing others to help with household chores makes it possible for you to focus your energy on using this special bond to help your newborn make a healthy adjustment to his or her new life.”

7. Hire help — you’ve earned it

For new moms who aren’t comfortable accepting help from friends and family, consider hiring help. Paying a cleaning service to take care of household chores will let you focus on bonding with your newborn without the guilt of letting friends and family pitch in when there are chores to do.

When your bun in the oven makes his appearance, accepting that your priorities will be reorganized will help cut down on stress when worrying about how to get housework done with a newborn baby. So, cuddle up with your newborn, take a deep breath and know that the housework will get done — eventually!

Originally published November 2015. Updated October 2017.

As a mother of two, I know cleaning is the last thing on your mind when you’ve had three hours of sleep every night for a week straight. But once the fog of the first few days wears off, you’ll start to notice things around the house are a little amiss. You might wonder how you’ll ever catch up with the new messes that accompany a baby. There’s no magic trick to making it all disappear, but there are some simple steps you can take to make keeping a clean home easier when you’re a new parent.

Cleaning Safely

Once you have a baby, it’s more important than ever to ensure you clean your house safely. Many products contain chemicals that are considered harmful, and you’ll quickly discover, if you haven’t already, that babies will put anything in their mouths. It’s important to keep things clean but also free from unsafe chemicals, and switching to natural, sustainable cleaning products helps accomplish both. The key to safe, stress-free cleaning is to keep things simple. Try to find one all-purpose cleanser made with natural ingredients for cleanups. If you don’t have the time to research products and read ingredient lists, you can always make a simple cleaner with supplies you probably already have at home.

Get Your Priorities In Order

In the pre-baby era, you had the luxury of spending an entire day cleaning the house. Now you’re lucky to have a few free minutes throughout your day. Priorities are key to keeping a clean home with a baby. Whether it’s doing laundry, taking out the trash, washing dishes, or cleaning your most-used surfaces, focus on the essentials to keep your family safe and clean.

When my second child was born, I started using a weekly schedule to stay organized. I picked seven cleaning essentials and assigned one task to each day of the week. Cleaning felt much more manageable once it was spread out rather than packed into few hours, and the schedule helped me keep track of what still needed to be done.

Take It One Baby Stage at a Time

From sleep schedules to tricks that stop the tears, you’ll adapt constantly to keep up with your baby’s changing needs. The same ability to change applies to keeping a clean home. Once your little one starts crawling, for example, your floors will be constantly under the cleaning spotlight. When your baby starts grabbing everything in sight, it’s time to focus on keeping counters and tables cleared.

A whole new cleaning phase begins when your baby starts eating solid food, but there are plenty of ways to prepare. Invest in a plastic or washable tablecloth that you can place on the floor under the high chair for easy cleanup. A rubber bib that can be easily removed and rinsed is a great way to spare yourself from extra laundry.

It’s important to keep in mind that babies aren’t babies forever. As they grow and become more independent, you’ll have more time and energy to clean. Do the best you can until then, and don’t be too hard on yourself if things aren’t always perfect.

What are some methods you use to keep a clean house with a little one? Share your tips with us on Twitter!

Image sources: Pixnio | Sher Warkentin

This article was brought to you by Tom’s of Maine. The views and opinions expressed by the author do not reflect the position of Tom’s of Maine.

Why It’s Good

Transitioning to life with a new baby is hard enough, and keeping a clean house with kids in the mix is overwhelming. Simplifying things and focusing on safety and basics will make cleaning easier and less stressful so that you can enjoy time with your little one.
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When you have a new baby, your house might seem a lot dirtier than it did before. The first time your little one stuffs a dust bunny or a desiccated housefly in her mouth is often a low point in parenting.

Before you start scrubbing every surface in sight, consider that obsessive cleaning with caustic household cleaners has its own drawbacks. Harsh household cleaners can affect a baby’s eyes, airways, skin, and more.

“Parents need to know that there can be a trade-off between a sterilized kitchen and their baby’s health,” says Sonya Lunder, MPH, a senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group in Washington, D.C.

There is good news. By making simple changes and practicing child-safe cleaning, you can keep your home clean without exposing your baby to unnecessary risks. For an exhausted mom, it’s a win-win: a healthier baby without loads of extra housework.

What’s the Problem With Household Cleaners?

Household cleaners with harsh ingredients don’t only kill germs and get out tough stains. They can affect your baby’s health in a number of ways.

• Eczema. A baby’s skin is sensitive, and studies have found that irritants and allergens in household cleaners and detergents can cause skin irritation.
• Airway irritation. Powerful fumes from household cleaners can irritate your baby’s airways, making allergy or asthma symptoms worse. Some cleaning chemicals in schools have been linked with higher rates of asthma, says Lunder.
• Eye irritation. Household cleaner fumes can also irritate your baby’s eyes, causing redness and watering. If splashed directly into the eyes, some cleaners can cause serious damage.
• Allergies. Some researchers believe that having a home that’s too clean can increase the long-term risk of allergies in a child. It’s called the hygiene hypothesis. Without some exposure to germs, a child’s immune system might not develop normally. Instead, it becomes hypersensitive and begins to overreact to harmless allergens, like pollen or dander.
• Poisoning. Every year, more than a million kids under age 5 swallow poisons like household cleaners, sometimes with devastating effects.
• Unknown health effects. Some household cleaners have fragrances that contain chemicals like phthalates. While we don’t know what their health effects are for sure, some studies have found a possible connection between phthalates and disrupted hormone levels.

“What’s surprising to so many parents is that we don’t have good safety testing for a lot of the chemicals we use every day,” Kenneth Bock, MD, pediatric neurotoxicologist and codirector of the Rhinebeck Health Center in Rhinebeck, N.Y. “We don’t really know what they might be doing to our kids.” To be cautious, many parents try to reduce their use of household cleaners that contain harsh chemicals.

Continued

Tips for Child-Safe Cleaning

There are lots of good ways to practice child-safe cleaning. Keeping your child in good health and your home clean doesn’t mean you need to go crazy scrubbing every doorknob, says Neeta Ogden. Here are a few tips.

• Choose safer household cleaners. Experts say that you should look for household cleaners that are less caustic and friendlier to both the environment and the body. Look for “green” and “nontoxic” cleaners, or products that say, “petroleum-free,” “biodegradable,” “phosphate-free,” “VOC-free,” or “solvent-free.”
• Less is more. Many household cleaners can be diluted with water and clean quite effectively, says Ogden. Diluting a cleaner is an easy way of making it less harsh and better for child-safe cleaning.

People often assume that better household cleaners will cost more. Here’s where diluting a cleaner has another benefit. “If you’re diluting a cleaning product and using less of it each time, you could really save money,” Lunder tells WebMD.

Skip the antibacterial soap. Despite the popularity of antibacterial soaps, plain old soap and water will get the germs off just as well. Antibacterial soap not only contains chemicals you don’t need, but in the long term it may increase the risk of creating tougher, resistant bacteria.

“It’s like dipping your kids’ hands in penicillin constantly,” says Harvey Karp, MD, a pediatrician and author of The Happiest Toddler on the Block. “It’s really not something you need to do.”

Continued

When you first shift to child-safe cleaning, there’s one thing you might miss: that clean smell. Lunder points out that what you used to smell wasn’t really “clean” anyway.

“That smell is just chemically produced,” says Lunder. “Real clean doesn’t have a scent.”

Adopting a child-safe cleaning routine might not keep your house as fresh-smelling as an (artificial) pine forest or lemon grove. It might not keep your bathroom as antiseptic as an operating room. But it could have real health benefits for your kids, both now and in the future.

Sources

Kenneth Bock, MD, pediatric neurotoxicologist; co-founder and co-director, Rhinebeck Health Center, Rhinebeck, N.Y.; author, Healing the New Childhood Epidemics.

Harvey Karp, MD, pediatrician; author, The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block; assistant professor of pediatrics, UCLA School of Medicine.

Sonya Lunder, MPH, senior analyst, Environmental Working Group, Washington, D.C.

Neeta Ogden, MD, allergist, Closter, N.J.

American College of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology.

• Advice from BabyCenter moms
• Advice from BabyCenter dads

Those early days of a baby’s life are a blur of diaper changes, feedings, and sleepless nights, but it’s possible to make them easier with a little preparation. Here’s what experienced BabyCenter moms and dads wish they had known or done before their baby’s arrival.

Advice from BabyCenter moms

“I wish I had cleaned and organized my house before the baby was born. That way, when I came home I wouldn’t have been stressed about cleaning, and I would have known where all the important things were.”

“If people ask you how they can help, ask them to clean your house while you’re in the hospital giving birth. Or schedule a deep clean with a cleaning service. It’s so nice to come home from the hospital to a super clean house and hard to get it done well yourself when you’re about to pop.”

“I wish I’d completed more things on my to-do list, like getting an eye exam or taking the car into the shop to be fixed. These are really difficult to do with a baby in tow.”

“A friend highly recommended having the changing table ready and stocked. I listened, and I can’t imagine what life would have been like in the first weeks without it!”

“I wish I would have pre-cooked more meals that could be frozen. Standing in a kitchen and cooking [as soon as] you get home is a challenge.”

“The Sleepy Sounds app was a lifesaver with my son who screamed for hours. He loved the white noise rain the best. It calmed him down instantly.”

“I wish I’d bought at least four nursing bras.”

“I should have learned to use the breast pump before the baby was born.”

“I wish I hadn’t bought so much newborn-size clothing. My son was almost too big for it when he was born!”

“I wish I’d set up some playdates for our 4-year-old daughter on the days following the birth of our new baby.”

“I wish I’d investigated groups and activities that my baby and I could have participated in during my maternity leave.”

“I recommend reading more books on the baby’s first year, especially about sleeping and nursing.”

“Read books now! When my baby went to sleep, I should have been napping. Instead, I was reading the sleep books that I could have read before he was born.”

“I wish I had taken more newborn photos and videos. It’s amazing how quickly babies change in the first couple of weeks after bringing them home!”

“I wish I had known that becoming a new mom wasn’t always a completely happy experience. The baby blues can be tough, especially if you don’t know that many other women experience them.”

“Life can be very difficult with all of those hormones! I wish I had been more willing to take antidepressants instead of judging those who do. Medication can really help with your outlook on daily activities.”

“Don’t be unrealistic or squander precious moments sweating the small stuff. A baby doesn’t know if the nursery isn’t perfect, there’s a pile of laundry to do, or the house is messy. A baby needs a peaceful environment – the rest will figure itself out in time. New life is a miracle. Enjoy the magic.”

Advice from BabyCenter dads

“Read Dude, You’re Gonna Be a Dad! It’s informative and funny. It’s for men who like sarcasm and want to learn how to deal with pregnancy.”

“My Boys Can Swim! is a good read for first-time dads.”

“I like Armin Brott’s books a lot. They address issues and concerns important to dads without being patronizing, and they’re easy to read.”

“I highly recommend the book Dad’s Pregnant Too by Harlan Cohen. It’s a great book that covers pregnancy and after birth. It has humor, facts, and a lot of advice.”

“Look into taking as much time off as is economically possible, such as FMLA and any paid leave or vacation time.”

“Visit some breastfeeding classes or support groups with your [partner] before the birth. Even in the best of circumstances, breastfeeding is challenging for almost all moms I know. Being a supportive husband or partner helps increase the likelihood of breastfeeding success.”

“If your wife has a vaginal birth, search online for ‘padsicles’ and consider prepping some ahead of time to have in the freezer.”

“Newborns need a lot less stuff than what the big stores would like you to believe.”

“If you’re a dad-to-be who hasn’t held a small baby, try to be in situations where you’ll have that opportunity ahead of time.”

“My advice from one dad to another is to stake your time with your baby as early as possible. Make sure that you get to hold and cuddle your newborn. Don’t be afraid of poopy diapers. (Everything can be washed.) Take lots of pictures – you never know when you’ll capture a ‘first.'”

“When people try to tell you what to do, thank them for the advice but say you’ll do it your way. It sets boundaries for people, and eventually the unwanted advice will stop.”

“More than likely, your relationship will change [with your partner]. Small things will become big things [very] quickly, and what used to work to patch over the rough spots may become annoying. Keep the lines of communication open and be open to change, even if it seems unfair.”

“It’s easy to get overwhelmed but just remember you don’t have to learn everything on day one. We have years to grow into being great fathers. Take it one day at a time.”

“I have three pieces of advice:

• Get involved early and often with your child – even if it’s late night feedings. You may wish you were sleeping while doing it, but you’ll look back and miss it.
• Define certain jobs as daddy jobs. For me, it was bath and bedtime. It was great knowing that this was always going to be daddy-daughter time.
• Start a routine for the two of you. I send my wife to the gym on Sunday mornings and, after breakfast, I take my daughter to [a coffee shop]. It’s been a great routine that I hope to continue as she gets older.”

“Before I became a dad, I read tons of books and got active on the forums. I talked to my wife a lot about what kind of parents we wanted to be. In the end, I never really knew what to expect, but I was okay with that. So I wasn’t blindsided by the experience at all. I guess I prepared myself [by] knowing that my life was going to change big time and just expecting the unexpected. And it’s awesome.”

Discover new baby care tips from Dettol to keep your baby as healthy as can be. Get tips on disinfecting, cleaning baby toys, and keeping it virtually germ-free.

Once your baby arrives, cleaning as you know it will change forever. You’ll quickly realize that it’s not just about finding time to clean that changes, but also how it must be done. Having the big, new responsibility called parenthood resting on your shoulders means exercising extra caution and extra care. As with many of the adjustments you’ll be making, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But, with a few new baby care tips for cleaning—and a little bit of time—you’ll be the best mom in the business, ensuring that your little one is as safe in your home as can be:

• Have a basket in each room.

Save space and clean fast with a basket to hold your baby’s things. Getting things off of the floor and into a place where you can easily find them later will allow you to clean any room that the baby and their toys are in, at a moment’s notice. This also allows you to be efficient when doing a full home clean-up.

• Keep household cleaning products handy.

Make sure that all adults at home know where the disinfectant and sanitizing spray are kept so that they may wipe down a dirty spot as soon as they see one.

• Get on their level.

From our lofty vantage points, it’s pretty easy for us adults to look at a floor and judge if it is clean enough. However, your little tyke is going to spend quite a bit of time on those floors, and you’re going to want the floor to be spotless in order to help keep your baby safe from bacteria and viruses that get tracked underfoot. Turn to Dettol Power & Pure Pourable Multi-Purpose Cleaner to keep your floor safe and sparkling, without leaving behind any harsh or harmful residues. Do not use this product on marble, wood, brass and acrylic plastic surfaces.

• Small goals are better than big endeavors.

One of the most important things to learn is when you have a newborn, nothing else matters than spending time with your baby. Do not be too finicky about cleaning up and having an immaculate home. The time you lose in cleaning will be better spent in moments that make your life so much more enjoyable with your baby.

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The Complete Guide to Cleaning Your Baby’s Toys

• Published: July 24, 2020 5:53 am Updated: October 30, 2020 7:15 am
• Author Living And Loving Staff

Babies are most vulnerable within the first 28 days after birth and can easily pick up infections. Follow these hygiene rules to make sure your little one stays healthy.

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There are more than 2.5 million children in Africa who won’t reach the age of five largely due to preventable illnesses such as diarrhoea and respiratory disease. Babies are most at risk within the first 28 days after birth, and studies have shown that one in three babies in Africa don’t survive this early stage due to infections such as diarrhoea .

Make sure your newborn stays healthy by implementing these hygiene rules:

1. Wash your hands before handling your newborn

Young babies have not built up a strong immune system and are susceptible to infection. Therefore it’s important to frequently wash your hands, especially before feeding and after nappy changes. Make sure that everyone who handles your baby has clean hands. Was hands particularly:

• Before handling premature babies
• During the baby’s first week while the umbilical cord is still attached
• If you have a cough/cold
• After returning from outside
• After cleaning or touching your baby’s poo
• After using the bathroom.

2. Change your baby’s nappy frequently

Changing your baby’s nappy often and as soon as possible after bowel movements prevents infections and nappy rash. Always remember to wash your hands with soap and running water after handling dirty nappies to stop germs spreading.

3. Be careful with pets around your newborn

Don’t leave your baby alone with pets or near pets. Make sure your pets don’t get into the crib with your baby. When your baby is very young, don’t allow the family dog or cat to lick your baby’s face. This could transmit infectious material (such as faeces) into the baby’s mouth or eyes. Make sure that anyone who has come into contact with your pets washes their hands thoroughly before touching your baby.

4. Don’t expose your baby to large groups of people before he’s six weeks old

The more people your baby is exposed to, the more likely it is that he will come in contact with someone who is sick, especially during flu season and now with the COVID-19 pandemic. Prevent the spread of everyday infections, such as common colds, flu and digestive disorders, by adopting healthy handwashing routines. Keeping yourself healthy is important when you are nursing a newborn.

5. Sanitise all feeding equipment

Sanitising the feeding kit (including breast pump attachments) protects your newborn from microbes that could be ingested during feeding. To avoid contamination, it’s imperative to wash your hands before handling this equipment.

Improve your family’s health and develop a daily healthy handwashing routine

This should already be a routine in your home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but it’s now more important than ever to remind your family to wash their hands. A simple splash under water is not effective in destroying germs, specifically at the five key occasions namely before breakfast, lunch and dinner, after using the bathroom and during bathing.

Our experienced editors work with trained journalists and qualified experts to compile accurate, insightful and helpful information about pregnancy, birth, early childhood development and parenting. Our content is reviewed regularly by our panel of advisors, which include medical doctors and healthcare professionals. Meet the Living & Loving Team and our Online Experts.