Easy Home Organization with a Newborn
When I brought my daughter home, I expected to be overwhelmed by sleepless nights and countless feedings, but being stressed out about my house was definitely not what I had in mind. Babies come with a lot of stuff and go through SO many clothes, it’s actually crazy. It did not take long for my house to get cluttered with piles of laundry, baby gear, diapers, etc. With tackling every new hurdle of motherhood, it felt impossible to maintain any sense of order or cleanliness in my home. But over time, I learned that having even a little bit of organization made a huge difference in my mood. A tidy home became my refuge, helping me create a more peaceful environment not just for myself, but also for my baby.
In this post, I want to share some quick and easy tips that helped me maintain a clean and organized home while caring for my newborn. These tips are not about perfection—they’re about finding a balance that works for you during one of the most exhausting (but beautiful) times in your life.
Easy Tips to Organize Your Home (with a newborn)
- Focus on Key Areas
- Declutter Regularly: Less is More
- Clean Smarter, Not Harder
- Accept Help
- Embrace Imperfection
1. Focus on Key Areas
When balancing life with a newborn, you won’t have time (or energy) to keep every corner of your house spotless the way it once was before. So instead, choose 2 rooms in your house and make them your key areas – areas that you can focus on keeping maintained. For me, this was the kitchen and nursery as they were used the most in my day-to-day life. Having a clean kitchen made it easier to prepare meals and cook quickly, while having a neat nursery meant I could easily find anything for my baby without having to think too hard about it.
The Kitchen:
After having a baby, time is of the essence, and it becomes crucial to be able to do things quickly and effectively. That being said, set your kitchen up for success. One thing that helped me tremendously was to keep only essentials on the counter. This included my Nespresso coffee machine, bottle rack, small dish rack and a paper towel roll. Everything else went into drawers and cabinets to help reduce visual clutter, therefore making the space more inviting and open. Cleaning as you go can also save time. After a feeding or nap, if you find yourself with a few spare minutes, then quickly wipe down surfaces and rinse any dishes. This prevents major pile-ups later on in the day that can be very overwhelming to tackle in those first few weeks.
The Nursery:
An organized nursery is so helpful in being quick and effective as a mother. For my daughter’s nursery, I created specific areas for different tasks: a changing station with diapers, wipes, creams and extra pairs of onesies; a feeding zone with burp cloths, bibs, nursing pillow and breast pump; and a closet organized with month markers so I knew exactly where premie, NB and 0-3 mos clothes were (they literally all look the same). Everything had its place, making it easier to maintain order, even in the chaos of those first few months.
2. Declutter Regularly: Less is More
When you have a newborn, it’s easy for baby stuff to take over your home. From baby swings to pack n plays to blankets, things can quickly pile up and make your space feel cluttered and messy. I found that regularly decluttering not only helped my home clean but also helped to maintain my sanity.
Start Small:
Please do not try to completely gut your house in one day. Start with one area, like the living room or nursery, and go through the items there. Anything that is not used daily can be moved to a basement/storage room to help reduce clutter and free up space. Also this is a good time to see if any of your baby items need to be donated if not being used.
Rotate Baby Gear:
Another tip is to rotate baby gear, especially things that are bulkier in size. If your baby isn’t using a certain swing or bouncer anymore, store it away to reduce clutter. This is not to say that your baby won’t use that item ever again – you can always bring it back out when needed. However, in the meantime, your home will feel a lot more spacious and manageable.
3. Clean Smarter, Not Harder
Daily Reset
Do NOT wait for your home to reach a breaking point of mess and clutter before doing something about it. It is so much easier to maintain a somewhat clean home rather than having to clean a dirty one. We want to spend a little time daily helping to maintain our home rather than having to do very time consuming deep cleans. For me, this looked like a morning refresh and a closing shift.
- Morning Refresh: While the baby naps or plays, spend 5-10 minutes tidying up any scattered toys/blankets/etc and unload the dishwasher
- Closing Shift: After the baby is down for the night, take 10-15 minutes to reset key spaces—for me this looked like wiping down the counters, putting dishes away and brooming my kitchen (focusing on a key area like the kitchen to maximize impact) all while lighting a warm scented candle to further lighten my mood.
These mini cleaning sessions throughout the day will keep things manageable and avoid the stress of needing to deep clean all at once.
Create a Weekly Cleaning Plan
For bigger tasks, like cleaning the bathroom (the worst!) or vacuuming the entire house, create a weekly plan to help you tackle one big chore a day. For example:
- Monday: Vacuum
- Tuesday: Mop
- Wednesday: Clean the Bathroom
- Thursday: Laundry
- Friday: Chill
- Saturday: Wash sheets/towels/play mats/baby gear
- Sunday: Dusting
Bathroom cleaning especially was a struggle for me, so to further simplify it for myself, I would do it throughout the course of Wednesday. For example, in the morning I would clean the bathtub while my baby napped, then in the afternoon I would clean the sink and toilet, because I just could not commit to doing it all at once (but hey, it got cleaned by the end of wednesday!)
Giving yourself a day to do these larger essential tasks helps to keep you on track to having a neat home while still making it manageable, especially with a newborn. Also, make sure to take off one day for yourself, for me this was usually Fridays!
4. Accept Help
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a new mom is that it is okay to ask for help. Whether it’s your partner, family, or friends, allow others to pitch in with household tasks so that you can focus on your baby and yourself while also maintaining a clean home.
Delegate:
I cannot stress enough how important it is to delegate tasks, especially if someone is offering to help. There is no reason to feel guilty about it! Maybe your partner can take over some deep cleaning tasks while you get some self care in, or perhaps a family member can watch baby while you get some laundry done. The key is balance and creating comfort in your home, without it becoming a burden.
Outsource:
If it is within your means, consider hiring a cleaning lady to come once a month to do a deep clean of your home or get groceries delivered to your doorstep instead of having to make the trip out (both make a great gift for new moms!). A lot of delivery services have promotions for free or discounted trials lasting a few weeks, perhaps you could try that for the first month to help yourself out.
By delegating and outsourcing, you can help reduce your mental load significantly and allow others to share the responsibility of maintaining a clean home with a newborn.
5. Embrace Imperfection
Lastly, it’s important to embrace imperfection. Life with a newborn is completely unpredictable, and some days you won’t be able to do any cleaning at all —and that’s okay. Your home doesn’t have to be spotless for it to be a place that gives you comfort and peace
Simplify Your Expectations:
As a recovering perfectionist, I know just how hard it is to let go of the idea that your house needs to look super neat and spotless at all times. Especially when social media constantly bombards us with picture-perfect spaces. Instead, focus on what truly matters: maintaining a functional and comfortable space. It’s okay if there are toys on the floor or a pile of laundry in the corner of your closet. What’s important is that you feel calm and comfortable in your home – do what you need to in order to protect your peace.
Give Yourself Grace:
Finally, remember to give yourself grace. It’s okay if some days don’t go as planned or if the mess feels like too much but you still can’t get yourself to do anything about it. This season of life is all about survival, and doing what you can when you can is enough. Your home is a reflection of your life, and it doesn’t need to be perfect to be beautiful.
By simplifying your expectations and giving yourself grace, you can help foster positivity in your home and embrace the imperfect beauty of it.
You Got This!
Maintaining a clean and organized home with a newborn isn’t about perfection—it’s about finding small ways to create a space that brings you peace and reduces stress. By prioritizing key areas, decluttering, cleaning smarter, accepting help and embracing imperfection, you can create a safe space that uplifts and supports you through the challenges of motherhood. Remember, your home does not have to be picture-perfect in order to be a perfect place for you and your baby – it just has to be one that is filled with love and care.
~ Lubna
