Welcoming a new family member can refer to a baby being born into the family, an infant or child being adopted or even a merged household. When an infant or young child comes into a home, that child may feel displaced and excluded – regardless of the efforts of the rest of the household to welcome them. Here are a few tips on how to welcome a new family member.

Welcoming a new-born

A new-born baby will have no real visual understanding of their environment, so it’s more about lighting, sound, smell, temperature and texture. This beautiful little miracle of creation won’t care if the décor is yellow or brown, or if their curtains match the rug – this is much more appealing to parents, friends and family in a child’s first few months.

A new-born child will be impacted by the room’s smell however, so it is important to ensure that any painting of a new-born’s room is done well before the child’s anticipated arrival so any fresh paint smell will have time to dissipate – typically at least a few days, up to a few weeks. 

Painting should also not be done by the mother, as the fumes she breathes in will also effect the child in-utero.