As an expectant mother, you've by now read a thousand and one articles on how to set up your home for your newborn. You’ve purchased baby bumpers and kid-proof electric plates and you've even gotten your nursery screened off. However, there’s still a bit more you can do to your home to ensure that everything is safe and sound for your new bundle of joy.

First, you should check your water. Hard or soft water may not be a problem for grownups, but it can complicate things for your baby. Not only can the excess calcium and magnesium throw off the mineral balance of your milk, but hard water can leave nasty buildups inside your baby's bottle. The most permanent way to fix your water is to install a softener or filter into your plumbing mainline. However, you can just fix your drinking water by simply purchasing a tap-mounted filter.

Next, you're going to want to rearrange your furniture. When the baby cries in the middle of the night, you want to ensure that you can reach him or her quickly without knocking down a picture or stubbing your toe. So move fragile hangings out of your hallway temporarily and make sure there's nothing jutting out from the wall on your paths from the nursery to the rest of the house. 

You should also have your HVAC system inspected. Our twins were January babies, and I remember the week the furnace died as one of the most miserable of our lives. We had so many electric heaters running that I thought we were going to catch the house on fire. So do yourself a favor and have a certified technician come and check out your HVAC before you bring the baby home.

Finally, as a part of the larger babyproofing process, you should strongly consider fixing the "creaks and squeaks" in your house. You know what I mean - the floorboards that shriek and the doors that whine when you close them. All of these things could disrupt a peaceful nap and send your house in to crying chaos. You can find a guide on how to repair just about any noisy thing in your home over at the DIY Network.

These steps may seem like a lot of work, but when the baby arrives they will be worth it. Trust me. Your home will be safer, warmer and much, much quieter.