In part one, we talked about baby-proofing by starting to prepare your finances for your baby's arrival, and also securing their sleep space. This is the foundation. In case you missed it, you can check out these baby-proofing. tips here.

Clean and Disinfect Everything

Once you’ve got your finances and space for baby to sleep figured out, it’s time to baby-proof the rest of your home. Start with cleanliness and hygiene-- both are non-negotiable aspects of baby-proofing.

You can ensure both by doing the following:

• Identify all surfaces in your home that will come into contact with your baby — changing stations, mats, toys, etc. Focus on these areas being hygienically clean.
• Clean these surfaces frequently. Consider getting a play mat for your baby to play on, which can be easily wiped down and kept as a sanitary play area.
• Finish by disinfecting. Rinse with water afterwards, as disinfectants can be strong for babies.
• Use energy + excitement to motivate you and bring energy for this part of the baby-proofing. In this way, keeping your home hygienically clean won’t feel like a chore at all.

Secure and Baby-Proof Everything

Your baby will be reaching for things and crawling in no time. It is easier to think through what you will need when you aren't busy with a baby. To be safe, make sure to do the following to finish baby-proofing your home:

• Secure any furniture that could tip and fall if your baby reaches for it.
• Keep anything hazardous out of reach, and install safety latches on cabinets and sockets.
• Fix all cords so that they aren't dangling.
• Install play mats as they will help protect your baby if they fall.
• Install baby gates to create a safe play area, and also consider installing a specific top of stairs gate which is the safest to use in order to protect your baby from falling down stairs in the future.

As parents, we must leave no stone unturned when it comes to our babies' safety. For all our preparations for Leslie's homecoming, we didn’t install play mats in our room. We realized it too late, as she fell from our bed when she was just 6 months old. She came out unscathed, but it could've been way worse! Needless to say, we need to cover all our bases. You're already doing this when you're reading this and getting educated about how you can baby-proof everything.

Photo Credit: @keepingupwithemme

Reassign Chores to Baby-Proof your Life

Here's the honest truth: things can get hectic and exhausting once baby comes home. So, it's important that you reassign, even for the mean time, other house chores, like cleaning, grocery shopping, and cooking. You can also automate tasks, such as bill payments, through your bank. Consider scheduling automatic services, like lawn care and medicine delivery. This will alleviate other stressors so that your sole focus can be taking care of your baby.

Full disclosure: I started working from home when Leslie was born last year, as I already knew firsthand the demands of parenting. I'm so thankful to have such a strong support system that I can turn to for help. My husband, for one, has been my Superman, taking charge of as many household chores as humanly possible.

You can handle anything, and your baby will motivate you. It is normal to need help, though. So, don't hesitate to ask for it!

Ready, Set, Baby-Proof!

Bringing home a baby should be one of the highlights of your life — it was for us. Yet it can also be one of the most stressful if you haven’t properly prepared your living expenses or baby-proofed your home. When you follow these tips, you're helping to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. Now you know what to do, you got this! Now you can take action to get everything ready to go. Good luck!