New parents go through a lot of changes in their home life. Sleep schedules change, daily care changes, and a baby takes up a lot of energy. With so much focus on a baby, it's easy to forget about everyday needs and cares like your home's plumbing. Plumbing is essential for new parents and you should understand the plumbing problems and issues that can occur.

Along with several other new parenting guides, check out this plumbing guide to learn what to do, what not to do, and when you should call a plumber for help. Mistakes happen, but quick repairs will help prevent a plumbing mistake from becoming a major disaster for your home.

Guests and Visitors

It takes a village to raise a new child and this is why many new parents will bring extra help into the home during a baby's first few months. You may have hired help or family members like grandparents visit the home regularly. One of the main concerns with family visits is the excessive use of plumbing.

Extra toilet use, shower use, and kitchen use can all make a big difference with your plumbing. One installation you may want to consider is a backflow preventer. The pipe installation prevents dirty water from flowing back into the home and creating an issue with your plumbing and access to clean water.

Extra water use could also cause a back-up in the drain pipes of the home. A plumber may need to clear out the pipes and run pumps to clear your drain lines and prevent floods within the home. If your family has traveled to visit you, consider booking a hotel just for everyday needs like showers and sink use. You will take a lot of pressure off your plumbing system and reduce water use.

Baby Cleaning Supplies

As a general rule, do not consider flushing anything from the baby down the toilet until they are starting to potty train. A majority of baby products are not safe for plumbing and area quick way to cause a clog. One of the more common products parents will flush down the toilet is baby wipes. Even if the package reads as "flushable", the thick wipes can jam and clog a toilet.

A plumber would need to run a pipe snake down to release the clog as water deterioration would take way too long to break through the material. There are some items you should never flush down the toilet. Diapers are one of them. The diapers will quickly absorb water, expand in size, and clog up pipes.

Ideally, you should place a small covered garbage can next to every toilet in the house. This way, you have areas to throw out baby waste without spreading scents through the home. You should also clarify with any visitors about the house rules so no one else flushes those items down the toilet.

Extra Laundry

With spit-up, accidents, and everyday messes, chances are the amount of laundry you do on a daily basis will increase. Try to limit your washer use until you have a full load, but sometimes you need to do laundry right away. If your home has hard water, then you should be aware of sediment build-up that can occur on the inlet pipes that contain water.

The more you use your washer, the more sediment will form and could eventually block pipes. The installation of a hard water treatment device will help eliminate the excess sediment and provide your home with clean and filtered water.

Excess laundry use will also create a lot of suds and debris in the drain pipes. Detergent and lint could create blockages in your drain pipes. A plumbing inspection will determine the condition of your pipes and prevent any major clogs.

For all of your plumbing needs, contact us at Complete Plumbing. We will help prepare your home for a new baby's arrival and can provide emergency services if any problems occur in the future.