When a baby is on the way, there are many things parents need to get in place; setting up a nursery is the biggest of them. Planning and buying stuff for a baby’s nursery can be time-consuming.
You have to pick the right furniture, choose a cute color for your walls, nursery decor, and whatnot. After all, you want it to be perfect for your baby.
To reduce your stress and help you choose the right things for you and your baby, this guide has been put together. Let it help you at every point of setting up a nursery so you can focus more on taking care of yourself and your baby. So let’s start with the things you need to know before setting up a nursery.
What to keep in mind beforehand before setting up a nursery?
Your baby’s nursery will be all the child knows about home for the first few years of their life. That’s why the nursery must be made with care.
It doesn’t matter if space or cost prohibits you from buying a lot of stuff; you don’t need to worry. The nursery essentials and your care will keep the baby happy. Now that we have cleared that, let’s move on ahead.
There are four main pieces you’ll need to have in your nursery, all consisting of furniture.
- Crib
- Changing table
- Dresser
- Chair
They vary in detailing, finish, quality, and design. Before buying them, you need to determine how long you are going to use them.
It is advised that you choose a piece that can look good with various other elements and serve a purpose after leaving a child’s nursery. Overall you want to keep these things in mind while shopping for an expensive piece for a nursery to set up a nursery:
- The article should be able to adapt from a nursery to a child’s room.
- The piece should have a simple design that goes with new elements and different varieties.
- It has a simple design that makes it multipurpose.
- It should serve the child and can be changed if there comes a need.
- It should serve at least a few years.
When you choose such designs, you’ll make sure you extend the life of the piece. You can get the most out of them while you make memories.
Tip: When it comes to cribs, don’t worry, they can be adjusted too. You can use convertible cribs for babies, toddlers and turn them into beds also!
The best tips for setting up a baby’s nursery
- How to choose the right lighting for a baby’s nursery?
Most of the rooms have a light in the center of the ceiling or focused through the corners if you think about it. You should customize the lighting in your baby’s nursery for you and your baby’s needs. You’ll need to change the baby’s diaper and take care of the essential caregiver tasks your baby needs in that room.
Keep the lights dim
It is always a great choice to make a bright and airy room your kid’s nursery. It looks good, it allows you to do caregiving activities better, and it is suitable for your baby to get a little natural light.
But if the room is as bright during the night or even during evenings, it can disturb your baby’s sleep or won’t let them sleep in the first place.
A baby needs to have daily naps during the day and a good night’s sleep every single night for the first year. To ensure that the nursery has the perfect amount of light, you can do these things:
- Get thick curtains that block most of the light when they’re shut.
- Install block out blinds to regulate the light coming through the window.
- Get a dimmer on the overhead light for the baby. This will help you during diaper changes at night, feeding the baby, or any activity at night without turning the bright light on and waking the baby up.
- Strategically place task lighting near the changing table or the crib. Table lamps, nightlights, or any lights with brightness control are good for this.
These steps will help your baby nap anytime during the day and have great sleep at night without you stumbling to find your way when it’s dark.
Get a night light
A nightlight is a light that you can see and read without it being too bright to disturb anyone. But you need to know just any dim light won’t work because it only offers a diffused glow in which you can’t see much, let alone change a diaper or read.
You can get stylish and efficient night lights in the market that are specifically designed for baby nurseries. It’ll also help you read any instructions on medicines and navigate yourself across the room. You can also read stories for your toddler and get some baby mother bonding time too!
- How to choose the right things for a baby nursery?
The right crib, chair, and all over the furniture of a baby nursery are the soul of the nursery. So they should be comfortable and suit the baby well. If you’re a new parent trying to figure out how to choose the right things for your baby’s nursery with this New York times reference, and below is more advice you can follow.
Get the right crib
Your baby’s crib forms most of their life for a year or so. So while setting up a nursery, it is necessary to buy a safe, comfortable crib and in the right dimension. But you don’t need to be confused about it; here are some tips you, as a parent, need to know while choosing a crib for the baby.
- The crib’s raised sides should be at least 26 inches above the lowest mattress support point. You can extend the walls as the child grows taller. And avoid cribs with drop rails; they are not safe.
- The bars on your should be at the right distance. It is advised that they should be no more than 23/8th inches apart. It allows your baby to peek through the crib and still don’t slip out through the bars.
- Cribs usually come with soft mattresses. But while selecting the crib you like, you should check its firmness. Yes, it should be soft, but it shouldn’t wholly sag under the baby’s weight. Also, there shouldn’t be any space between the mattress and the crib’s walls.
- Though the cribs with shapes and cuttings on the headboard and footboard look cute, many parents suggest not going for them. Choose cribs with solid headboards and footboards so that your kid doesn’t get their hands, feet, or any body parts stuck in cutouts. It’ll avoid any potential injuries.
- Crib bumpers are famous for avoiding injuries, but they pose a threat of suffocation and strangulation. Also, kids often use them to climb out of the crib.
Get the right chair for you to keep in the nursery.
Another major furniture piece every mother needs in a nursery is a comfortable chair. It is important because a mother is always in a nursery spending time with the baby, late-night feeding, diapering the baby, and many more things.
Here are some things to take care of while buying a chair for your baby’s nursery:
- Chairs with padded armrests are the best options when you know you’ll be reading or breastfeeding a baby. It’ll help your tired arms and keep them comfortable.
- Always go for a chair with a wider seat. It’ll help your back, and even if you want to sit for a longer duration, you’ll be comfortable. Also, it’ll help you accommodate a simple cushion or a nursing pillow.
- If you’re looking to spend more time in the nursing room with the baby, you should also consider buying an ottoman. It’ll give your legs rest during long nights, and you can sneak a nap.
Tip: If you’re going out to shop or getting your chair delivered, you should do a quick test to check if it squeaks. If it does, it will disrupt your kid’s sleep at night. So take care of that.
How to choose a changing table?
Diapering a baby is one of the most frequent tasks you have to do for the first couple of years of a baby’s life. Since a baby stays in the nursery most of the time, you need a changing table in the nursery.
There are a variety of options for changing tables you can get in the market. They come in different shapes, colors, designs, and price ranges to compliment the nursery’s decor.
But it’s not an absolute necessity. If you can’t buy a changing table due to space or cost, you can always have a baby mat and change it on the floor or your bed.
But if you are looking for a changing table, here are three things you need to take care of.
- Size: No matter how good of a changing table you find, the ultimate decision depends on the table’s size. It should fit into your nursery and still leave a little space for easy movement. To be sure that this is the right fit for the nursery, think if you need another storage space other than a changing table with drawers. Will it compliment the other furniture, or will it allow room for growth and renovation.
- Functionality: As mentioned earlier, changing tables are not a necessity, but they make the experience easy and comfortable. So you must check if the table is comfy, large enough to last as the baby grows, and will you be able to keep diapers and lotion in it for changing? Another tip is to check if the changing table is at a comfortable height for you, it will avoid backaches.
- Stability: While buying a changing table or getting it delivered to you, check if it is sturdy. Please give it a fair shake and apply some pressure on it to ensure it is safe. If it has fasteners on it, make sure it fastens securely.
- How to create storage space in a nursery?
Babies are so small when they arrive, but their stuff isn’t. It starts with a few clothes to diapers, accessories, sheets, toys, pillows, and whatnot. And as they grow old, the stuff only keeps on increasing till you get confused about where to keep it all.
Getting a storage solution for your baby is the best option to handle the mess like a pro. Here are some of the best storage solutions you can install in your baby’s nursery.
The baby’s changing table
If you want to save some space in the nursery and save some money, you can hit two stones with one stone by buying a baby’s changing table with storage. If you are planning on buying a baby’s changing table, you can always go for some extra space.
Here’s how you can choose the right changing table that helps storage:
- There are changing tables in the market that are placed on top of a dresser. It is one of the best options for nurseries with less area or if you need a lot of storage space there. It also serves as a standard drawer after the baby doesn’t need a changing table, and it is super sturdy.
- Changing tables come with many storage features. One popular option is changing tables with removable baskets and trays. They offer an open storage option., if you like it, and it can hold all the diapering essentials and a little extra. They won’t be as expensive as the options above and still provide decent storage.
Drawers for nursery
If there’s one thing parents know is that their baby’s clothes keep on increasing. Baby’s grow up fast, and you’ll need to buy clothes frequently. So you need to buy a decent-sized drawer for your baby’s clothes to store cute baby bodysuits, t-shirts, onesies, bibs, and other bazillion things like blankets, sheets, toys, etc.
As baby clothes are tiny, you’d need drawers to fold them instead of hanging them. Drawers make them easier to organize and store while adding to the nursery’s decor.
Shelves for storage
Shelves are another excellent option for storing small baby clothes or accessories. Shelves are suitable for books, toys, socks, bibs, and everything else that may get lost in oversized frames. You can DIY your dresser from bookshelves that you don’t use anymore.
4. How to choose the right colors for the nursery?
One of the most frequently asked questions about a baby’s nursery by new parents is what color they should use in their nursery?
New parents tend to stay confused about painting their child’s nursery for months, and they don’t end up painting their child’s nursery. But being confused is normal and perfectly fine. Here is an idea of which colors should you pick for the nursery of your dreams.
Warm Colors
When you think of warm colors, yellow, orange, and red pop up in your mind. And these colors are often associated with happiness, comfort, and coziness. Psychologists often say that bright shades of warm colors can keep your kids feeling energized.
But the thing is, these colors can be a little overwhelming if they always surround you. When you want your kids to sleep or nap, your kid will be full of energy.
So if you are deciding on using a warm color in your kid’s nursery, be careful to use them in moderation. You can use them as an accent color or paint them over an accent wall. You can also use accessories in this color and maintain a balance of warm colors with cool colors.
Cool Colors
The open skies and waves are good examples of cool colors. These cool colors instill a calming effect on your body and mind and make your room feel bigger.
Cool colors are also in trend these days. But darker cool colors can be gloomy.
You must have heard the phrases “Feeling blue” and “Monday morning blues” because too much cool blue can invoke dread. Cool pastels are very trendy, but if you cover the child’s nursery in calm tones, it can look a little uninviting. These colors are cold, after all.
To make these cool colors work, you can balance them with a pop of warm-colored accessories and spreads. To maintain a color scheme, you can pair these cool tones with creamy neutral colors like purple and pink. It’ll make the place very cute and luxurious too.
Tip: Limit the numbers of colors you use to a single primary shade and a maximum of 2 colors other than that. And repeat these secondary colors to maintain your theme.
5. How to make a nursery safe for the kids?
Now that you know what you need for a nursery and how to choose everything, you need to bring your attention to baby proofing the nursery. The safety of your utilities is essential in your baby’s nursery because anything can go wrong. But you don’t need to worry because here are some tips you can use to make a nursery safe for your kid.
- Although big teddy bears and big chunky blankets look cute in the crib, and your baby may seem to enjoy them, they are ingredients for disaster. It’s easy for your kids to climb out of the crib by stepping on the toys and hurting themselves. On top of that, having them in the crib can smother the little one. So keep them out of the crib well until the child is at least six months old.
- Place the crib away from windows or radiators. They can make your baby uncomfortable and too hot. And kids often get tangled in the strings from blinds or curtains.
- You can go the extra mile and get a changing table with four raised sides and a strap to hold the baby. Additionally, keep all the diapering supplies within arm’s reach, so you don’t turn away from the baby even for a second.
- No matter if your baby can crawl or not, keep your electrical outlets covered with box covers that are available in varying sizes. You need to ensure that you keep any cords away from the baby because there’s a risk of strangulation.
- If you plan to install a baby cam in the baby’s nursery, place it at least 3 feet away from the crib. If you install it near the crib, the baby can reach out and pull them.
- Yes, accessorized curtains look cute but refrain from buying curtains with beads, chains, and such embellishments. They pose a significant strangulation and choking hazard. Also, make sure that you choose short curtains or tie them to pose a threat to the baby.
- Use the popular bumpers or covers for edges of the furniture when the baby starts to crawl. It’ll protect your baby’s head from bumping on a sharp and pointy edge.
6. How to keep the nursery mom-friendly?
Taking care of the baby shouldn’t be uncomfortable for you. After delivering the baby, you need some more rest too.
As suggested, you need to buy a good chair and an ottoman because you need to put your feet up. Here is some more insight into how to make your kid’s nursery mom-friendly.
Prevent back issues: After taking care of the baby all day long, you need rest. Otherwise, it’s a recipe for a bad back. To take care of your back, you need to think of your back every time you make a new purchase. Here the questions you need to ask these questions while buying furniture for the baby’s nursery.
- Is the chair you’re planning to buy contoured for back support? Is it a comfortable size for you and not small or big? Is the armrest padded for comfort?
- Always buy an ottoman after you buy the chair. It should complement your chair’s elevation so you can keep your feet up for a long time.
- Make sure the crib is at the right height for you. Does your back hurt after being bent over the crib? Or do you think the crib is too high for your child? If the crib is at a lower height, your back will hurt because you’re constantly bending. If the crib is a little too high, it isn’t a good idea in the long term. When a baby starts to move, there is a good chance of tumbles.
- Is your changing table at the right height? Your baby needs a diaper change 8-10 times a day that means if your changing table isn’t at the right size, you are in for back issues.
Put the furniture in the right place: Now let’s suppose you bought all the furniture, but where do you put it? Here are simple places to put your furniture in the nursery all parents swear by.
- The crib: Keep the crib away from the door. It’ll be easy for you to peek at your baby without disturbing them.
- The changing table: Place it near the dress if it doesn’t have storage and if it does, place it near the crib.
- The chair and ottoman: It would be beat to keep them closer to the crib so you can keep an eye on the little one.
- The nightlight: Have a nightlight by your chair and another dimmer above the crib.
Take a deep breath: Setting up a nursery, buying furniture, and making sure you do your best for your child can be overwhelming. But know that you are doing a great job, so take a deep breath. Take a break and stay calm. Settle the nursery with care and enjoy the process of arranging the room that will be a part of your little one’s life.
More tips and tricks for having the perfect nursery for your baby:
- Pick a theme for your nursery
If you want to have a theme dependent on the kid’s gender, it’s a good idea, but you don’t need to have a gender reveal party before setting up the nursery. But these days gender neutral baby accessories are also available. So it totally depends on you what you want to choose.
Many parents also keep the decoration simple initially, so they can add bits and pieces based on your child’s interest as they grow. You can try this too!
But if you can’t decide anything, bright colors, simple patents, and cartoons are always a favorite for kids.
- If you want to go cute, do it!
Many parents refrain from going all out on their nursery decor because they don’t want to seem too overwhelmed. But there’s nothing wrong with that if you want to go cutesy, do it! Babies look cute in everything, and if you are excited to incorporate trends and cute stuff in your baby’s nursery, don’t hesitate; you’ll be glad you did it.
- Don’t beat yourself up
Parenting and a new baby bring a lot of fun along. But the road is filled with responsibilities too. Nursery decor may seem fun, but don’t beat yourself up. It doesn’t need to look perfect, and everything doesn’t need to be in theme.
Do what you can, and your child will be happy to have you there anyway.
Hope this article helps you with setting up your baby’s nursery correctly before the baby comes. All you need to take care of is the right furniture, some storage, and a little more here and there, and you’ll be good to go. But most importantly, your care and affection will make your memories with your baby beautiful, safe, and happy.
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