It is difficult to imagine a more significant change in a woman’s life than the birth of a child. And few of the “pregnant mothers” escape the passion for improving the “nest” in which the long-awaited and desired chick will appear, the desire to provide their child with all the best, beautiful, high-quality and healthy.

But, faced with an abundance of construction and finishing materials, it doesn’t take long to become confused and, headlong, rush to storm your own apartment. Meanwhile, the baby’s due date is getting closer and closer and there is no end in sight for construction.

Catch up...

The most important thing in repair is self-determination.

Even before the start of “combat operations,” you need to decide how much work you have to do and how much money you can spend on it (and don’t forget to add 15-20% to the construction estimate for alterations and additions).

So:

If you are planning a comprehensive redevelopment or major renovation of your apartment, we assure you that if the house is not in disrepair, then there is no need for such global transformations before the birth of your child. No matter how much you would like there to be sterile cleanliness everywhere, absolute noise and heat insulation, and so on and so forth.

Because It’s impossible to cope with such a volume of work on your own in 9, let alone 5, months. And even if you hire a team of craftsmen, you also need to think about the pregnant mother, for whom constant noise, dust and inevitable hassle will become a difficult ordeal.

If you decide to equip a separate children's room for your only newborn child, then this is also clearly excessive trouble. Now the vast majority of literature on motherhood and the WHO recommend breastfeeding on demand and the constant stay of the newborn child with the mother. The psychophysical development of the baby directly depends on how often the mother will take him in her arms, whether she will respond to his every squeak and whether she can provide him with optimal food - breast milk. So judge for yourself how peacefully a child sleeps alone in a room, and how well does a young mother feel if she runs to him 10-15 times a day and 5-6 times a night? In general, such a carefully furnished children's room will remain empty for at least a year.

And finally, the best option. Cosmetic renovation of the room where mother and baby will live. Renew, refresh the walls, floor and ceiling. If desired and possible, install an air purification and humidification system and plastic windows. It is much more rational to spend money on creating a favorable microclimate and high-quality insulation from street noise and dust, because for the room in which a baby who has just been born will live, the main criteria are:

• firstly, health safety
• secondly, simplicity and ease of cleaning
• thirdly, functionality
• and fourthly, beauty, style and other aesthetic components

Choosing building materials

For walls, the optimal materials are paper wallpaper or wallpaper that can be painted with water-based paint. Firstly, this wallpaper and paint do not emit harmful substances, allow the walls to “breathe”, have minimal electrostatic properties and, finally, are easy to change.

It is also better to paint the ceiling with water-based paint, and if the height of the ceiling allows, then cover it with plasterboard boards. This will add sound insulation and eliminate the tedious work of leveling and preparing for painting.

For flooring, parquet and cork remain the ideal materials. They are environmentally friendly, resistant to wear and deformation, easy to clean, pleasant to the touch and safe for walking and falling. Of course, these materials are not cheap, but when buying a more economical laminate, you must remember that it is quite slippery for a child starting to walk, “noisy” (and the child will drop and throw things on the floor very, very often), and requires immediate wiping of puddles water and “children's surprises”. If we turn to high-quality varieties of laminate flooring, practically free of disadvantages, then the difference in their cost and the price of natural parquet is extremely small. As for carpeting, with good thermal insulation, this covering retains dirt, dust, water in the pile, often has electrostatic properties and can cause allergies due to the glue with which the base of the covering is impregnated. You can’t remove it and blow it out, you can’t wash the floor underneath it, and cheap types of carpeting with liquid pile allow dust to pass through, it accumulates under the covering and can be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.

Choosing children's furniture

Furniture for a children's room is subject to the same rules of safety and functionality. It should be made from natural materials with minimal processing with varnishes, paints and polishes. A minimal number of corners and sharp edges will protect your child from injury, and drawers that can be locked with a key or latches will not pinch curious little fingers. Changing tables are very convenient, but you will only need this thing for 7-8 months, because... By this time, the child has already begun to crawl, and changing him on a high table becomes dangerous. It is enough to acquire a changing board or adapt any of the tables available in the house for changing. But chests of drawers for children’s things are very convenient; they help keep the “dowry” in order, since the number of children’s things tends to grow exponentially. It’s worth holding off on buying a crib, although you really want to designate the children’s area in your apartment in advance. Even if you do not sleep with the child, at first it is much easier and more convenient to put the child to sleep in a stroller and roll it out onto the balcony or move it around the apartment, while the mother has a couple of hours to go about her business. Well, when you tune in to your baby’s biological clock and decide where he will sleep, then decide whether it’s worth cluttering the room with a crib.

Date of publication: 02/20/2012

Before the birth of a child, future parents have a lot to do, including arranging a children's room. Moreover, in connection with the joyful event, you can even start a general renovation of the apartment. One way or another, many families prepare their home in anticipation of the baby’s arrival. The minimum program includes additional pieces of furniture: a crib, a changing table, a high chair, etc. But you can also carry out cosmetic repairs or undertake large-scale redevelopment. However, in the latter case, this must be done before the planned pregnancy.

It’s good if the renovation is completed at the moment when the couple finds out that their family will soon become larger. Pregnancy should take place in a clean and fresh room, and not in a dusty house that smells of paint. In this case, the woman should move to another house for a while, but at the same time actively participate in the selection of materials, think through the design and participate in every possible way in the discussion of repairs. Of course, you can devote yourself to other activities, for example, try to win a demo Forex competition, but do not forget that comfort and convenience are very important for a woman to master a new role.

Pre-planning is important. This will save time, effort and nerves of a pregnant woman. That is why you can only undertake renovations with the demolition of walls if you are absolutely confident in your stable financial situation. That is, at this time, you need to make a Forex forecast with special care. In addition, you should not engage in a global transformation of your home in the last month of pregnancy - there is a high chance of not being on time.

To understand which rooms need renovation, you need to do a thorough cleaning. It will immediately become clear that the old parquet requires replacement for the reason that it cannot be washed from stains, but a child will crawl on it. New wallpaper and textiles will help refresh the atmosphere. It is advisable to purchase a set of upholstered furniture, because the old one has accumulated enough dust. In addition, it is worth getting a large and comfortable chair, whose purpose is to ensure comfortable feeding of an infant at night. The bathroom most often requires major renovations - this is what the future father should focus on.

In the nursery you will need to replace the window, improve the floor, walls and ceiling, arrange the furniture and be sure to decorate it with bright elements that attract children's attention. The selection of all components is quite simple: you should first evaluate the quality of the materials. This should be environmentally friendly and natural wallpaper, floor coverings, textiles and other elements. Parents always have a choice: create a nursery for the baby, and then change the decorations according to the child’s age and hobbies, or immediately turn to the design in which the baby can feel comfortable for several years.

Maria Sokolova

Reading time: 17 minutes

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The instinct to “build a nest” is inherent in every woman. And, as soon as the woman understands that there are nine months of waiting ahead and a happy addition to the family, she begins to storm children's, furniture and construction stores. Under the supervision of a vigilant and no less picky future dad, she chooses headsets for the children's room, new wallpaper with cartoon animals and bottles with sliders.

There are, of course, exceptions, but most women are actively involved in arranging the nest.

Nesting instinct

What motivates the expectant mother, who covers the whole family with a wave of her inexhaustible energy?

Apartment renovation before the birth of a child

Of course, a major overhaul a couple of weeks before giving birth is unnecessary. But it’s still worth paying attention to certain corners of the apartment.

What is the best way to prepare a nursery for the birth of a child?

A child, of course, needs personal space. Firstly, he will need somewhere to crawl and play, and secondly, somewhere he will need to put mountains of toys, clothes and other baby things. If there is a separate room where after a year and a half to two years dad’s screwdrivers and mom’s cosmetics will disappear, then you should approach its arrangement with all seriousness.

If such a room does not exist, a specially designated area of ​​the common room becomes it.

What should you consider in a children's room?

All small things that can get into the respiratory tract (stationery, jewelry, sewing items, etc.), as well as important documents, should be moved higher.

Cleaning and disinfection of the apartment

Cleaning the apartment and carrying out the necessary disinfection before the birth of the baby is a mandatory and responsible process. But it is better to entrust it to the future father and relatives, because the future mother will not have time to deal with these matters - she will be in the maternity hospital.

What should dad take care of so that the apartment is clean when mom and baby arrive?

It is important to remember that all disinfectants should be hypoallergenic and as gentle as possible, and the floors should not be slippery (special decorative protective coatings can be applied - they will protect the floors from the child’s future art and prevent accidental falls).

What do you need to buy before leaving the hospital?

Despite all the prejudices and signs, expectant mothers, for the most part, still try to buy the necessary things in advance. After the birth of the child, this will be difficult to do. Not to mention the fact that the baby needs clothes, a crib and various small things from the first days. What should you buy first?

Choosing a stroller:

Today it is very extensive: colors, additional functions, dimensions, etc. But in addition to its attractive appearance, the stroller should be characterized by maximum comfort for the child. What to look for when buying a stroller:

• Protection from rain, snow, sun, mosquitoes (presence of a visor, awning, foot cover, raincoat, mosquito net);
• Presence of a child's footrest;
• The ability to flip the handle in the desired direction;
• Possibility of transforming the stroller (“sitting-lying-half-sitting”);
• Match the width of the stroller to the width of the elevator passage in the house;
• Lightness of the stroller (the ability to lower and lift it independently, without the help of dad);
• Additional accessories (carrying bag, basket for things, table, mattress, bag for mom on the handle, pockets, etc.).

The birth of which is expected in winter is more preferable. It protects best from wind and frost. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to move such a stroller. Considering these nuances, it will be more convenient to have a transforming stroller that can be easily folded and disassembled, and also includes a cradle that protects the baby from the wind from all sides.

Choosing a crib:

It is the crib that immediately creates an atmosphere of comfort, serenity and fairy tale in the children's room. Especially, emphasized by an unobtrusive light canopy, a musical carousel and delicate shades of the bedspread. Of course, bedding for a child must be new and made only from natural fabric. What to look for when buying a crib?

• Crib for 3-5 years - the most ideal option. A cradle is a pleasure for six months, but a child will not need a large bed soon. The bed must have removable sides and the ability to be assembled and disassembled. It’s good if the wheels of the crib can be replaced with a “pendulum” - there are many such models today. This will allow you to rock your baby right in the crib.
• Sides cribs must adjustable in height . While the baby is small, it is more convenient to transfer him to a crib with a low side. And when he grows up, it is better to raise the side higher so that the child does not fall out.
• Ideal multifunctional option – a crib with a changing table and drawers for the baby’s clothes.
• need to buy with environmentally friendly natural filler . Preferably, orthopedic, and with the ability to change (and wash) the cover.
• Soft sides Today they are sold in every children's store. To avoid baby bumps, who will inevitably fall in bed while trying to learn to walk.
• Canopy – an attractive thing for a mother. The child, by and large, has no need for it. If you absolutely cannot do without it, then you will need to wash it constantly so that dust does not accumulate over the child’s head. Again, the installed bracket should be carefully checked for strength. A child, having learned to stand up, can pull it towards himself by pulling the canopy.

Bed linen for the crib:

This list depends on the capabilities of the parents, but the baby, of course, should have the most necessary things. Namely:

Baby furniture:

• Chest of drawers (wardrobe) for storing children's clothes and belongings;
• High chair;
• Toy basket.

Clothes and things for the baby

The rest is individual. Depending on the capabilities and desires of the parents.

Necessary little things:

Everything an expectant mother needs to know. Getting ready for the birth of the baby Oksana Mikhailovna Sergeeva

I'm afraid we won't have time to complete the repairs.

When starting a renovation, weigh all the pros and cons, calculate everything in advance, plan it so that it is completed on time. After all, the comfort and well-being of your unborn child depends on how comfortable you are.

“It so happened that we started renovating the apartment before the birth of our first child. The idea was noble - I wanted to put the house in order before the baby was born, because then there would simply be no time. But as a result, the repairs were delayed and led me to deep depression. I began to worry that we would not have time to complete the repairs. Although I understood that I shouldn’t be nervous in the last few months, I couldn’t get rid of the thought of what would happen if I gave birth and the repairs weren’t completed. Will the baby really begin her life among construction rubbish and rubbish? I really didn't want this. I urged my husband on all the time. And now the birth is near, and the renovation is in full swing. As a result, in the last weeks of my term, we completed the repairs with grief, and the baby was delayed in being born for 5 days. Then they told me that it was because we were not ready for his appearance.”

Zoya, 24 years old.

Let us remind you once again that if you are an overly impressionable and nervous person, then you should not undertake any adventures on the eve of your birth - trips, moves and repairs. After all, your excitement can negatively affect your baby. But if the repairs have begun, the due date is approaching, and the end is not yet soon, then here’s what you should do. Gather your last strength - try to complete the repairs so that you can live in the apartment; you don’t have to go into details for now, but only complete the most basic and capital ones. The main thing is that all dirty work is completed in advance - ideally a month before the appointed time, at most, 2 weeks. This is the time during which you can get used to the new environment and calm down, letting your baby know that you are ready for his arrival.

If you still cannot complete the renovation on time, then you should not panic - you need to finish at least one room so that you can put the baby’s crib there. And then your task is to calm down and tune in to the arrival of the baby.

Remember that your participation in repairs should be minimal. If your apartment is constantly being painted and whitewashed, then you should spend time somewhere else - it’s simply harmful for you to breathe in all these fumes. You are not allowed to carry heavy objects, help your husband glue wallpaper, or climb on a stepladder, even if it seems to you that you can easily handle it.