Creating a serene space for you and your baby is something that we hope to do. When nesting truly kicks in, you might find yourself telling your partner or friends and family where to move things. Wanting a different color on the walls and wondering how often you will really be in there.
Here are some tips to help you get the nursery you are looking for. Both practical and pretty.
Photo by Ashley Schulze on Unsplash
Nesting
Millions of women talk about their nesting instinct kicking in somewhere are week 30. But for many, it doesn’t kick in until days before the baby arrives. It might feel like you aren’t ever going to care about the nursery, and that is fine too. But you will feel better if you get a jump start on it. It is much more challenging to get done when the baby arrives.
Themes
If you know the gender of your baby, you might already have some big ideas about the theme you want. Or maybe, you have something like a teddy or a mobile that makes you happy to look at – and you want to extend the theme. If you pick a theme early, you can pick up small items, and paint over the space of a few weeks. Some themes don’t have the lifespan you might be hoping for though. While the newborn days might feel like they are lasting forever, your baby will be 4 and have a whole new interest.
Light And Dark
You shouldn’t be scared to have the room light and bright. And have a blackout blind too. You will be trying to get your little one into a routine, or you might be going with what works for the baby. However you have chosen to parent, the room should still have both options. Babies settle much better in the dark. Afterall think about where they have just arrived from! Little ones will eventually know that dark means sleep, and light means awake. So to set some good nap time hours, invest money in a blackout blind. They will block out the brightest of days.
Comfort
It won’t matter if you are breastfeeding or bottle-feeding when the baby’s crib moves from your room to the nursery, you’ll be spending some nights in there for those night feeds. And while night feeds can be lonely, they can also be very peaceful and cozy. Not only night feeds, but babies with colds and other illnesses can impact their sleep. Having a chair that you can sit in comfortably, for what might be a few hours will really help.
Arms Length
Before the baby arrives, check that you can reach diapers, wipes and clothing from the where the baby lays on the changing into. There will be messy moments, more than once, and picking up a naked messy baby to walk across the room to get something isn’t fun.
So ensure that you can reach everything with ease. It sounds logical, but the temptation to store diapers and wipes in a drawer rather than next to the changing unit can be pretty high.
Crib
The typical advice is to keep the crib free of toys and bumper bars. But that doesn’t mean you can have beautiful well-fitting sheets to match your nursery theme. You can also make sure that you have the most comfortable mattress possible too. A baby crib pad is an ideal choice. Remember that when you are buying sheets, always buy ones that are designed for the mattress you choose. Loose sheets or sheets that are at risk of slipped because they are too tight can pose a risk to your baby. So always pay close attention to what you are buying.
Gifts
In the run-up to the baby’s arrival, you will probably get a lot of gifts, and then when the baby is here too. Think about putting shelves up, or cabinets to display some of them. The people that love you and your baby will be thrilled to see any keepsake gifts on display. Of course, there will be things you don’t like enough to have on display, and things that don’t match your room – so pick and choose what it is you want to show.
White…
While it looks clean and bright, to begin with, white chairs and rugs get messy surprisingly quickly. And unless your covers are washable, (and you have the time to wash it), you’re going to regret the white within a couple of months. Light grey totally has your back, though. And purchasing materials that are easier to wipe off. And consider laminate flooring too.
Storage
As your baby gets a bit bigger, you might find the nursery a calming place to play with them during the day. BUT in the evening if you haven’t packed those toys away, you won’t enjoy standing on the coner of a toy – and having to be silent about it too. Wicker baskets are great looking – they go with any decor and are easy to put things into.
Just Do It
Don’t let other people’s opinions of what a nursery should look like deter you from what you want. Your baby is small for such a short time, so if you feel like you want to indulge in fluffy clouds and bouncy sheep then do it. Cow motifs? Go for it. They don’t care what their room looks like in the early years, and it won’t be long before they are asking for Disney characters and pokemon. You’ll be spending so much time in there it should really be something that makes you happy, and that you enjoy being in.
Size
The great thing about a nursery is it can be any size that you like or have room for. As parents, we are the ones who furnish their rooms and put giant teddies in the corner. They, themselves don’t need much room. A mini crib is still a crib, and diapers can go almost anywhere.
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