Main areas of your home to make room for baby and baby's stuff

If you're anything like me you appreciate planning ahead and an organized home. We also know surprises happen, and we wish we would have planned a little more ahead of time.

One thing that has helped me and many of the families I know is organized rooms that have been set up for ease of caring of a new little human in the house.

Note: There will be things your family tries that won't work as you imagined it would, so keep an open mind and know that you'll probably need to move things around until you get it in a spot that works best for your home and your family.

Over the years living in two different homes and an apartment when our second child was an infant we've experienced living with infants and small children in different types of homes. Remember, these will vary for different homes.

Have you ever noticed at a doctor's office that every patient room has all the supplies the doctors and nurses will need? Each room has the same supplies so the doctors don't have to carry all their supplies to each room every time they go to a different room. We want to set up our home the same way. For example: The parent's room will need a 'changing station' similar to the baby's room. All you'll need is to have a small container/basket with a changing pad to put under baby while changing him (or a bath towel that is much easier to clean than a changing pad), diapers, wipes, tissue box, and diaper cream.

1. Parent's room

2. Parent's bathroom

3. Baby's room

4. Baby's bathroom

5. Kitchen

6. Laundry room

7. Car

I want to leave you with a story about what happened to us when I had my third child. My husband and I decided to "update" our kids' rooms while I was pregnant with my third child. ... nesting is a real thing ;) ... When I left for the hospital to deliver my third child all three of our kids room were COMPLETELY bare. Granted I didn't realize I was going to have to deliver my third baby 3 weeks early.

Yes! Nothing on the walls and nothing on the floor! NOTHING! Completely empty!!

What in the world were you thinking!?!?, you ask. Well, my husband and I had decided to switch two of the kids' room, pull out the carpet to put hardwood floors and repaint the walls in ALL three of their rooms.

There goes planning ahead. Straight out the window.

Well, need less to say, my 2 older kids and my husband got to work and were able to pull their three rooms together to be cute and livable all while I delivered and stayed in the hospital for 4 days beginning my recovery of my emergency c-section. They were super heroes!

All this to say, no matter how much you plan and think things might be on track or maybe even ahead of schedule, remember to give yourself grace when it doesn't turn out how you planned it would go or expected. Know that there's help out there no matter what you're going through! Seek support and you'll find it!