Your bundle of joy is coming home soon! You’ve pretty much covered everything – from swaddle blankets to tiny PJs. Well... almost everything. If you’re still staring at an empty room, wondering where to begin in setting up your little one’s nursery, we’ve got your back! Here are 6 things to keep in mind in preparing your nursery for your newborn baby’s arrival.
1. Pick a theme that you love.
It’s a lot easier to start setting up your nursery with a specific theme in mind. You don’t necessarily have to choose a highly specific theme (although you can if you have already thought of something). You can just choose a color combination such as pink and white or blue and grey.
With a theme in mind, you can now begin to select the things that will go into your nursery room.
2. Choose a safe crib that fits your nursery.
- If a large-size crib fits into your nursery room just fine, then by all means, go for it. However, if space is limited, you can always go for smaller cribs. What’s important is to choose something that fulfills the current safety requirements:
- Avoid drop-side rail cribs
- Slates should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart
- No decorative cut-outs on all four sides
- Crib mattress should not be too high
- Fitted sheets should be fully elasticized
- There should be no loose joints and missing parts
3. Organize a complete changing station.
Your changing table is akin to a command center. It should have everything you will possibly need within your reach. It is important that when changing your baby, you shouldn’t need to leave the table to fetch diapers, wet wipes, changing pad covers, and other supplies. Because of this, you need to choose a changing table with enough compartments to store all of your essentials.
4. Consider adding things to aid their sleep.
Newborn babies sleep a lot – except, seemingly, when it’s time for you to sleep. To encourage your little one to stay asleep at night, it’s helpful to keep the bedroom dim by using only a lampshade or a night light. Aside from this, you may also add either a white noise machine or a musical mobile to lull your baby to sleep.
It is also helpful to put up heavy drapes or window shades to prevent the sunlight from streaming into the room when they’re sleeping during the day.
5. Put enough storage for your and your baby’s essentials.
You would want a sturdy dresser to store your newborn child’s clothing and bedding. This dresser will ideally grow with your baby and will later on store their big boy or big girl clothes. Shelves and organizers are also a vital part of your nursery. This will store plush toys, some books, and a bit of décor.
It is important to minimize clutter – not everything needs to stay inside the nursery room. Some toys, especially those that are electronic and not fit for a newborn baby, can stay inside your closet for now. You wouldn’t want things scattered on the floor while you’re barely awake, trying to put your baby back to sleep!
6. Extras go last, but they are still as important.
If space is not an issue, you can now add other key pieces to your nursery room such as a rocking chair, wall decoration like artwork and garlands, and a play mat. It is also nice to add pieces that reflect your family’s interests and traditions.
Remember to sanitize everything before your bundle of joy arrives home! Don’t forget to share your nurseries and adventures with us to join our monthly giveaways. Tag our account, @livingtextilesco, on Instagram! ☺