Once you bring your baby into the house, the first few months will be filled with chaos and sleep deprivation. Setting up a nursery can be challenging and overwhelming but with the correct guide you can be prepared.
When you are in a constant loop of feeding, changing diapers, cleaning your baby and sleeping you won’t have much time to move your furniture around and organize the nursery better. So, it is better if you plan the nursery and organize everything your baby might need in the coming months ahead of time.
What do you need to have in the nursery?
Before anything, remember that if you don’t have an extra room to spare for it, the nursery doesn’t need to be a separate room. All your baby needs is a place to sleep, eat and change. You can just empty some space in your room and your small baby can fit right in. You can set aside space in your wardrobe to fit in your baby’s stuff and they will not complain.
Here are a list of things that you need to shop for a nursery for your baby:
Place to sleep
The main thing that you need to think about for your nursery is a bed for your baby i.e. the crib. As your baby will spend almost all of its time sleeping, this is something that you need to plan the most carefully for. Consider the following points when your buying a bed for your baby:
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Position
When placing your baby’s crib, the position of the crib should be decided very carefully so as to ensure that:
- The crib is safely placed away from the window.
- The crib is away from any hanging cords, strings or shelves.
- The crib is close to the changing table.
- It doesn’t get direct sunlight or cold draught that affects the quality of your baby’s sleep.
- The room or the space is dark and the temperature is consistent i.e. between 18-20 degree celsius.
- Cover any electrical outlet in the wall.
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Type of crib
There are many types of cribs that you can opt for that range in quality, price, shapes and size. You can also opt for a convertible crib which will be useful for a longer period of time as you can even change it into a bed. Decide one that fits your room, your baby and most importantly your budget.
Baby furniture is most of the time only used for a short period of time until the baby grows out of it. So, when you are making a nursery for your baby, think of buying second hand furniture or investing in a convertible crib.
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Mattress/ bedding
Another essential guideline to follow for a nursery is the mattress or the bedding. Ensure that the mattress is soft and no stray threats are coming out of the bedding. In addition to that, make sure to not leave any toys or loose pillows inside the crib when your baby is asleep as there is a chance of choking.
Place to feed the baby
Apart from sleeping, your baby will want to eat every 2 to 4 hours for months. So, it is better if you dedicate a feeding station in your nursery with the following in mind:
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Arm chair or rocker chair
Of Course you can carry your baby anywhere in the house to feed them but it is best if you keep an armchair right beside the crib. That way when it’s time to feed your baby, you don’t have to travel around your house trying to find a comfortable position or place to sit. Try to get a rocker chair with wide arms. The wide arms will allow you to fit the baby while you fit them and the rocking movement can soothe you as well as the baby.
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Nursing pillow
To accompany you in the chair, get a nursing pillow that will keep you from getting your arms or shoulders tired. As you will be constantly feeding your baby every few hours, having a nursing pillow in your nursery will make your life much easier.
Changing Station
Along with feeding the baby every few hours, you have to change their diapers and clean them every few hours too. So, the best thing to do is set up a dedicated changing station in the nursery for ease.
You can decide to opt for a changing table or a combination of table and dresser. However, if you want this can be done on the floor with a mat. Make sure that you set a storage of diapers, wipes, creams and a place to dispose of the dirty napkins in the designated station.
Closet or dresser
Your baby might not take a lot of space but their stuff will. So, it is better if you designate and allocate spaces for each of their items in a dresser or shelves.
- Arranging them in various baskets or drawers will allow you to keep a track of where the items are.
- You can set up different baskets or boxes each for clothes, toys, socks and shoes, books, medicines and ointments and cleaning supplies.
References:
- Space-Saving Tips for Baby’s Nursery: https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/space-saving-tips-for-the-nursery.aspx
- Setting up a nursery for your baby: https://www.littleones.co/blog/setting-up-a-nursery-for-your-baby
- Setting Up a Safe Nursery: https://www.webmd.com/baby/setting-up-nursery
- Tips for Setting Up Your Baby’s Nursery: https://www.verywellfamily.com/setting-up-the-nursery-284580
