A lot changes once you have a baby – your body, your priorities, your lifestyle, even your home. What was once a reflection of your likes now becomes a junk yard of baby's likes – i.e. toys, toys and more toys. And baby stuff. Bouncer, moses basket, changing table, nappies, wetwipes, more nappies. Here's a gist of the transformation your house will go through in the months following your little one's arrival.
Pre-baby: Home is where the art is (along with the expensive furniture, plush sofa, and crystal vases).
Post-baby: Home is where the heart is (everything goes topsy-turvy to accomodate that precious tiny being)
Pre-baby: Your living room looks exactly like that – a LIVING room. Comfortable, stylish, and how YOU like it.
Post-baby: The living room now looks like a nursery. There's the inevitable ABC-123 foam mat, a bouncer, a toy shelving unit, toy storage boxes, here a toy, there a toy, everywhere a toy toy… Once baby starts to crawl, your beautiful carved coffee table will be pushed to the corner making space for the new-crawler-in-town. All glass and breakable objects will immediately be put away.
Our living room now looks like a nursery
Pre-baby: Your kitchen had glass plates and other beautiful glass crockery.
Post-baby: Your kitchen has been overtaken by colourful plastic. The beautiful glass crockery is on some shelf so high up, you wouldn't even bother getting it down, and rather eat in a Lightning McQueen plastic plate.
The fridge has ABC magnets pasted all over it. Often, you will trip over a magnet or two.
Your kitchen cupboard will be stocked with Rice Krispies, Cheerios, Rice Cakes and Cheese Strings. Toddlers LOVE to snack!
Our New Crockery: Plastic apple-shaped plates and a Lightning McQueen plate
The fridge has become a source of education and nourishment!
Pre-baby: Your bedroom was your private space. With a bed that you retired to for a full night's sleep. Soft, fresh smelling bedsheets.
Post-baby: You now share your bedroom with a moses basket, then a cot. Then you share your bed with a squirming toddler who will kick you through the night. There's interrupted sleep, if any sleep at all. The once-fresh smelling bedsheets now smell like a mix of baby puke and toddler fart and have crumbs of biscuit on them. You don't have a pillow anymore; the toddler wants yours on top of his belly.
Pre-baby: Your bathroom isn't spared either. Scented candles and moisturising oils that once sat pretty on your bathtub are now replaced by yellow rubber ducks and other floating bath toys. And a bubble maker.
Post-baby: In two years, a conspicuous potty will sit pretty in your bathroom (overshadowing the classy tiles that were part of the £500 makeover you had done) and your toilet seat will be adorned with a baby toilet seat. So every time you pee, you'll see Mickey Mouse or Peppa Pig or Thomas the Train. Again.
Pre-baby: You used to be proud of your guest room. It was warm and inviting and classy, all at the same time. There wasn't much more than a bed, a wardrobe, a side-table and that expensive painting on the wall. Simple and elegant..
Post-baby: Now, it's a room where you dump all your toddler's extra/ forgotten/ stored-for-baby-number-2 toys. Alongside the once-well-made bed is his cot that he's too big for now. The wardrobe throws out baby stuff. There's more stored in a vacuum bag under the bed. Nobody notices that expensive painting any more because the rocking horse takes centre stage.
If you have any extra space in your house – a passage, a store room, the attic – it WILL get filled up with some baby-related object. And needless to say, there will be toys strewn around too. There WILL be toys. EVERYWHERE.
Yup, Little Man's the Boss, as his T-shirt says!
Walls could become colouring boards for your artistic toddler.
Every cupboard, cabinet and drawer in your house will have a child-lock.
Your house will look a perpetual mess. Sometimes more like a war-zone.
And, last but not the least…
ALL the walls in every room will be adorned with pictures of your baby.
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Tina Shroff
Hahaha. I loved this post and laughed at everything knowing each point was true.
As always enjoyed reading this post too!!!
Naimah Ra'idah
Haha, so so true!! Most true perhaps for me is the absence of real dishes replaced by many colorful ones. My silverware drawer often has more ️️kids spoons ?
Sharin
This is just like my house, the only difference is, mine is even worse…
mummyfever
I love this – laughing and nodding along all the way, so very true! Thanks for linking to #sharewithme do join in again
Nicole
Thank you and thanks for hosting! Will def join in again:)
bigandpinkytoes
Yessss! All of it is so true.
islandliving365
Hahaha, very true, especially the guest room! Ours has really become a dumping ground! *sigh* Thanks for linking up with us at #FridayFrolics
Nicole
The house truly becomes 'theirs' , doesn't it?!
Life Love and Dirty Dishes
The husband and I used to have fun with the fridge magnets leaving swear on the fridge door. Can't do it now the big one can read! Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics
Nicole
Lol. That's hilarious!!!
Silly Mummy
Haha! So true! Yes, everything is plastic post children!
Thank you so much for joining us on #FridayFrolics. Hope to see you next time.
Louis Brashaw
Interesante dato !!!
Dear Guest in my house… |
[…] Among the gazillion things that undergo a change after having a baby (your body, your sleep patterns, your social life) is your home. What was once NEAT and PRETTY is now a dumpyard of toys, nappies, plastic plates, plastic spoons, plastic cups, more toys and loads of other baby-related paraphenalia. (You can read a room-by-room analysis on how your house will undergo a change post-baby here). […]
Emma
All of our walls are also adorned with grubby handprints. I prefer to think of it as our take on modern art 😉 #FridayFrolics
Nicole
Hahaha, love how you're seeing the bright side of the situation…
Claire - Life, Love and Dirty Dishes
My house has been taken over by plastic! And I don't bother with a bath nowadays, it's too much effort to remove all the toys! Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics
Nicole
Yeah, same here. Our bathtub is now converted into a garage for more miniature cars!!!
Helen
My house if FULL! Full. Brimming with toys, plastic, clothes, walkers, bouncers, bottles no space is sacred. You would think I had 4 or 5 kids but no, all this for one little being! Aaahhh! #fridayfrolics
Nicole
I can relate Helen… our house is also brimming, and all for one child:) You hit the nail on the head – no space is sacred post-kids! Not even your own bed:(
Coffee Mounds & Lipstick Clouds
Bahahah! I have baby-proofed everything in my house. There are pencil grippers on the legs of my coffee table. Oh well. It's kinda fashionable I guess? For like a DayCare or something? Funny post! Thanks for sharing. You should come link up with us at #ShowMeYours http://coffeemoundslipstickclouds.blogspot.com/2017/02/show-me-yours-linky-2.html
We'd love to have you!
#FridayFrolics
Nicole
Thank you! And yes, would love to link up with you.. I'll see you there:)