Urban Planning
I love the analogy of urban planning because that’s really what is going to have to happen; it’s a technical and political process regarding the development and design of land, specifically areas with high traffic or use. In particular, urban planners take time to consider how to improve transportation, communication and distribution.
As it relates to the postpartum period, the idea is that we do whatever we can to make your life easier. Try your best to think like an urban planner and begin to plan out your most frequent routes, stops and how to incorporate baby into the fold.
The two reasons why urban planning is so important is a. of course, ease. It’s just easy when things are easy, and b. recovery. Whether baby is born vaginally or not, if the birther is the primary care provider then things need to be recovery-friendly, aka close and central and streamlined. If someone needs to go up and down the stairs to put the baby to where it will sleep in the first couple weeks, I recommend rethinking either where things are.
So, first off, the goal is that baby will be sleeping in their crib during the day ASAP, even in the first week of life. A lot of people think that baby needs to sleep in the bassinet in the parent’s room for the first six months, but that is only overnight. Overnight, when we aren’t consciously caring for baby, we need them to be in the same room as them but if we have eyes on them with a baby camera, then they’re totally cool to be in their crib for every nap in the day.
So hypothetically, let’s say that the crib is someone’s planned place for naps, everything else should orbit around there. Where would feeding take place? Where would changing take place? Where would be do tummy time? There’s no right or wrong answers, rather likely answers that would provide more ease and answers that may not make a lot of sense or simply complicate the operations.
Now, let’s say that in the first few weeks you are not comfortable with baby sleeping in their crib because you want to have your eyeballs on them at all times. Let’s say you set up the bassinet in the living room during the day, for example – how would your urban planning change? Where would make sense to feed? Where would make sense to change? Same questions if you are planning on using the bassinet in the bedroom.
For changing, any surface is totally fine. I would recommend that it’s wipeable, I see you with your fabric change tables, so sometimes the kitchen counter with one of those travel change mats is actually the best place to change because it’s easy to clean, at the right height, and central. If you’d like to have a couple changing stations, that is totally cool, just another thing to plan or coordinate before babe’s here.
Another big part of urban planning is feeding. Ideally there are two or three spots in your home where you feel comfortable to feed and you have everything within reach. Cell phone charger, bottle of water, energy bar, pillows. Everywhere. One-handed snacks are absolutely key and if they’re there, you’ll eat them (and you’re probably not eating much even if people are cooking for you so please snack when you can). Pillows are also clutch so have a few of those around anywhere you might be. Feeding happens frequently and I like families I work with to be able to have both a private place to feed and somewhere that is in the hustle bustle of the home so they don’t feel isolated or alone. Even if baby is formula fed, you’ll be there for 20-40 minutes so it’s imperative that you’re somewhere comfortable and somewhere that has everything you need.
It’s great if the urban planners know where everything is, but it is absolutely imperative that so do the other members of the home. Emotional labour is a real thing and anytime you’re asking, “Where are there more diapers?” or “I can’t find the socks” or “How do I use this sterilizing machine?” then you are doing double time. Take the time before the baby is born, even in early labour, to make sure that your partner, your mom, your nanny, your doula, whoever knows where everything is and knows how things work. That’s a big part of the communication piece for urban planning and will make the general flow of life significantly easier for everyone. Everyone should know which laundry detergent to use, where extra diapers and wipes are, which drawer of onesies is the right size, how to assemble and disassemble the breast pump, how to use the bottle sterilizer machine, and other things that are specifically important and relevant to you and your family.
It can be really great to also have a dirty laundry hamper on the first floor as well as the second floor if you live in a multilevel home so you’re not carting things up and down and up and down, or thinking... “I found this on the couch.. I wonder if it’s clean or dirty?” It’s easy to also get a box to put things in that will eventually need to go back upstairs or downstairs that your partner or family member can carry for you.
It’s important to urban plan your fridge too! Make sure there’s room for thawing casseroles, pots of soup from friends, leftovers or food from Skip the Dishes. Toss or store away things that take up room in the fridge, or just Marie Kondo the heck out of it to make sure that you’ve got lots of room for food. More food in your fridge, more chance of you eating it. But, and this is a pro-tip, big pots of pans of things are harder to eat. Have your partner make you a plate or two ready to go in the fridge so all you have to do is heat and eat.
Of course your home, your family, your partnership will have its own synchronicities and needs but hopefully you can put some of these tips in place or adapt them to fit you and yours.
Down below is a short checklist that goes over everything I mentioned in the video so that you can quickly double check that everything has been taken care of before baby’s arrival. It’s helpful to share this checklist with your partner so they are in on it all too.
I love the analogy of urban planning because that’s really what is going to have to happen; it’s a technical and political process regarding the development and design of land, specifically areas with high traffic or use. In particular, urban planners take time to consider how to improve transportation, communication and distribution.
As it relates to the postpartum period, the idea is that we do whatever we can to make your life easier. Try your best to think like an urban planner and begin to plan out your most frequent routes, stops and how to incorporate baby into the fold.
The two reasons why urban planning is so important is a. of course, ease. It’s just easy when things are easy, and b. recovery. Whether baby is born vaginally or not, if the birther is the primary care provider then things need to be recovery-friendly, aka close and central and streamlined. If someone needs to go up and down the stairs to put the baby to where it will sleep in the first couple weeks, I recommend rethinking either where things are.
So, first off, the goal is that baby will be sleeping in their crib during the day ASAP, even in the first week of life. A lot of people think that baby needs to sleep in the bassinet in the parent’s room for the first six months, but that is only overnight. Overnight, when we aren’t consciously caring for baby, we need them to be in the same room as them but if we have eyes on them with a baby camera, then they’re totally cool to be in their crib for every nap in the day.
So hypothetically, let’s say that the crib is someone’s planned place for naps, everything else should orbit around there. Where would feeding take place? Where would changing take place? Where would be do tummy time? There’s no right or wrong answers, rather likely answers that would provide more ease and answers that may not make a lot of sense or simply complicate the operations.
Now, let’s say that in the first few weeks you are not comfortable with baby sleeping in their crib because you want to have your eyeballs on them at all times. Let’s say you set up the bassinet in the living room during the day, for example – how would your urban planning change? Where would make sense to feed? Where would make sense to change? Same questions if you are planning on using the bassinet in the bedroom.
For changing, any surface is totally fine. I would recommend that it’s wipeable, I see you with your fabric change tables, so sometimes the kitchen counter with one of those travel change mats is actually the best place to change because it’s easy to clean, at the right height, and central. If you’d like to have a couple changing stations, that is totally cool, just another thing to plan or coordinate before babe’s here.
Another big part of urban planning is feeding. Ideally there are two or three spots in your home where you feel comfortable to feed and you have everything within reach. Cell phone charger, bottle of water, energy bar, pillows. Everywhere. One-handed snacks are absolutely key and if they’re there, you’ll eat them (and you’re probably not eating much even if people are cooking for you so please snack when you can). Pillows are also clutch so have a few of those around anywhere you might be. Feeding happens frequently and I like families I work with to be able to have both a private place to feed and somewhere that is in the hustle bustle of the home so they don’t feel isolated or alone. Even if baby is formula fed, you’ll be there for 20-40 minutes so it’s imperative that you’re somewhere comfortable and somewhere that has everything you need.
It’s great if the urban planners know where everything is, but it is absolutely imperative that so do the other members of the home. Emotional labour is a real thing and anytime you’re asking, “Where are there more diapers?” or “I can’t find the socks” or “How do I use this sterilizing machine?” then you are doing double time. Take the time before the baby is born, even in early labour, to make sure that your partner, your mom, your nanny, your doula, whoever knows where everything is and knows how things work. That’s a big part of the communication piece for urban planning and will make the general flow of life significantly easier for everyone. Everyone should know which laundry detergent to use, where extra diapers and wipes are, which drawer of onesies is the right size, how to assemble and disassemble the breast pump, how to use the bottle sterilizer machine, and other things that are specifically important and relevant to you and your family.
It can be really great to also have a dirty laundry hamper on the first floor as well as the second floor if you live in a multilevel home so you’re not carting things up and down and up and down, or thinking... “I found this on the couch.. I wonder if it’s clean or dirty?” It’s easy to also get a box to put things in that will eventually need to go back upstairs or downstairs that your partner or family member can carry for you.
It’s important to urban plan your fridge too! Make sure there’s room for thawing casseroles, pots of soup from friends, leftovers or food from Skip the Dishes. Toss or store away things that take up room in the fridge, or just Marie Kondo the heck out of it to make sure that you’ve got lots of room for food. More food in your fridge, more chance of you eating it. But, and this is a pro-tip, big pots of pans of things are harder to eat. Have your partner make you a plate or two ready to go in the fridge so all you have to do is heat and eat.
Of course your home, your family, your partnership will have its own synchronicities and needs but hopefully you can put some of these tips in place or adapt them to fit you and yours.
Down below is a short checklist that goes over everything I mentioned in the video so that you can quickly double check that everything has been taken care of before baby’s arrival. It’s helpful to share this checklist with your partner so they are in on it all too.