When preparing for a new baby, it's common to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on things that will be used for barely a few months (if at all). We tend to spend way more time and energy planning for what material things we think we need than setting up the kind of support that deeply impacts our early parenting experience.

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But what's almost worse (and what I witness often as a postpartum doula) is that the piles of baby clothes, complicated devices, super short-term use tools, and sheer quantity of stuff adds significantly to the overwhelm of the postpartum time.

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I picture modern parenting culture as a massive wave that sucks you in and carries you out to sea - and while you're treading water, people are throwing light-up toys at you instead of life preservers. The default mindset is to acquire more, schedule more, and do more, constantly feeling like we're falling short. Unless you consciously go against this pattern and fight for simplicity, you're suddenly overwhelmed by your life and often blame your children for it.

 

In this guide, I'm motivatived by preparing (or resetting) a home with intention. One that truly welcomes and integrates a new baby in a way that works with biological norms, and makes life simpler for the parents. Some of this might resonate with you and some of it won't, and that's okay! As always, take what serves you and leave the rest.