Your own Nursery Room
A guide to everything you need to consider for your nursery. Style, themes, furniture, storage, going green and having fun.
So, for me this was one of the things I had been looking forward to most, pre-birth obviously. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I started a Pinterest board full of cute and beautiful ideas for my baby's room. In reality they won't even be in sleeping in their nursery for the first 6-9 months, but there is something so exciting about preparing the room for their arrival and I'm sure I'm not alone here.
A nursery needs to have some practical elements, somewhere for baby to sleep, somewhere to change baby, potentially a nursing chair as well as a place to store clothes but apart from that, you really can let your creative juices flow and design a beautiful sanctuary for your gorgeous baby.
Style / Theme
It is a good idea to choose a style or theme for your baby's nursery so you have a focus and something to help you decide what should and shouldn't go in there. You may choose to go gender neutral and pick a cute theme or choose a nice calming palette or you may decide to go very gender typical, the choice is completely yours. One thing that may be worth considering first is the fabrics, so curtains, blinds and any bedding as the choice of paint colour is vast and easier to match your chosen fabrics then the other way around.
Furniture
It can be so tempting to choose furniture to suit baby when they are small, but your baby will soon grow, and their needs will change. When choosing a cot it may be worth considering a cot bed so it can grow as they do. Also, when buying their wardrobe, a smaller version is cute and fine while their clothes are tiny, but you may not want to keep replacing their furniture as they get bigger, so opting for a full-size wardrobe may be better long term. Also consider the changing station, rather than choosing a dedicated changing table it may be worth looking at the changing table toppers which can fit onto a chest of drawers or over your baby's cot for more flexibility.
Go Green
When deciding on what to include in your nursery it is worth considering not only the environmental impacts of your design, but also the impact on your baby. When choosing paint, opt for toxin free brands which don't contain chemicals known as VOC's and also check your cleaning products too.
Storage
There is so much choice to suit every colour scheme and budget from toy boxes and shelves to drawers and baskets.
Other things to consider
The way you light your baby's room is important; you will probably have a bright central light but also think about night lighting as you don't want to turn the main light on when changing baby's nappy in the night. It is also worth considering decorating the ceiling as your baby will spend a lot of time on their back looking up and so having some interest on the ceiling can keep their focus or help them calm down.
Have fun creating the perfect room for your baby.