Creating the Perfect Baby Nursery
If you haven’t had the pleasure of welcoming a little baby into a new home before then creating a baby nursery may seem overwhelming. Whether this is your first baby, first baby in a while, second, third or fourth baby, choosing nursery décor should be fun, exciting and something to look forward to when you first find out you’re expecting a new family member. Let us answer all those niggly questions about how to design a baby nursery, what to put in it, what is necessary and what is not, and when to start preparing for your new arrival and together we can make sure you’re prepared for all that is to come.
Where should a newborn baby sleep?
In the UK the NHS recommend that all newborn babies sleep in a cot, bassinet, next to me cot or bedside crib in your room with you so that you are there to feed and cuddle your little one on demand. Research has shown that this can reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) as you are more in tune with your baby when they are in a safe space, close to you. A newborn baby will ideally sleep in the same room as you, day or night, for at least the first 6 months of their life.
Whilst this is the official advice for newborn baby sleep, some parents choose to have their baby sleep in their own room earlier than 6 months or choose to co-sleep with baby where your baby sleeps in bed with you and or your partner.
You can find lots of useful baby sleep information on the NHS website or on the Lullaby Trust charity website.
In terms of when your baby might need their brand new nursery, in actual fact they might not sleep in there for the first 6-12 months of their life. However, having a dedicated baby bedroom, where you can store their clothes, changing materials, toys and toiletries will help baby get used to this space in preparation for when they start to sleep here.
How much does a baby nursery cost?
Your baby nursery can cost whatever you have to spend. If you are on a shoestring budget then raid local charity shops, check out Facebook Marketplace, Vinted and eBay. If you start thinking about your nursery early on during your pregnancy you should have plenty of time to stock up on all the second hand essential items for baby that you’ll need.
If you have money to spare and want to conjure up a fairytale nursery, then go for it. You’ll find plenty of baby shops on the high street in larger cities or look for online baby stores that deliver.
Planning your perfect baby nursery can cost a little or a lot and it doesn’t matter what you spend so long as you pour a little love into baby’s new room, she is sure to love it!
What do you need in a baby nursery?
Below is a list of all the baby stuff you’ll need for when they move into their very own baby nursery.
Cot and mattress
Your first purchase should probably be a cot for baby as he’ll need somewhere to sleep! There are lots of different types of baby cot bed from ones with drop down sides, adjustable height cots, cots that change into toddler beds, wooden cots and more compact cots. Something that will grow with baby will futureproof their baby bed ensuring you can get maximum use out of it.
You’ll also need a cot mattress for your cot. Many cots will come with a mattress but sometimes you might have to buy it separately.
Make sure you choose the right size, that it has a removeable washable mattress cover and that it is firm and flat. Babies don’t need bedding such as loose pillows and duvets as these can smother them whilst they are sleeping. Baby sleeping bags of the correct tog for the time of year or layered cellular baby blankets firmly tucked under the mattress should be fine for young babies.
Historically, official advice suggested that a new baby should always have a new cot mattress but realising how wasteful this is, advice has been amended to recommend that so long as a cot mattress is clean, firm and flat, has had a waterproof cover over it and has no damage, rips or tears then using a good quality secondhand baby mattress is fine.
Changing station
Secondary to the bed, you’ll need somewhere to change your baby. This essential bit of nursery furniture can come in the form of a changing table with storage, a changing platform that sits over the baby cot or an area on the floor with a changing mat and changing materials close by.
Newborn babies need their nappies changing between 8-12 times a day so having a dedicated space for this, with a waterproof, wipeable changing mat, nappies, wipes, cotton wool and nappy cream close by will be invaluable! This is also a great place to keep your baby balm.
Nursing chair
A nursing chair is a hardworking piece of nursery furniture. A nursing chair or a feeding chair is a comfortable chair, sometimes with a footstool, that sits in your baby nursery, and you feed in it, as the name suggests.
Having somewhere comfortable to feed your baby is really important as you’ll spend a LOT of time in this chair in the first few years of your baby’s life. Even after they are not bottle fed anymore, a nursing chair can be used for storytelling at bedtime, for your baby to sit in by themselves or as somewhere to console your child if they wake during the night.
The best nursing chair can be a glider chair, or a nursery rocking chair, as the motion will help soothe babies and toddlers, helping you get them to sleep. Make sure you try out a feeding chair before you buy it as it must be comfortable. Pockets, pouches or a storage rack is a very useful feature to have on your nursing chair as they can hold books, bottles, muslins and toys to help settle unsettled babies.
Baby clothes
Another piece of nursery furniture that you’ll need is somewhere to store baby clothes. You can buy children’s wardrobes which are smaller than standard wardrobes, children’s chest of drawers or storage units that come in a wide range of colours.
The difference between drawers and wardrobes for baby is that with a wardrobe you will have to have small hangers to hang baby clothes, and with drawers if you have a lot of clothes, you might need a fairly big chest of drawers for a baby nursery as babies grow surprisingly quickly so you might have multiple sized clothes.
Whichever baby storage solution you choose, make sure it can be baby-proofed for when your baby is a toddler to ensure they can’t pull anything down on themselves, trap small fingers or bang their heads on sharp corners.
Baby toys
Newborn babies sleep a lot but when they are awake, sensory toys that move, toys that are black and white or make noise are all useful for distracting a baby whilst changing their nappy or soothing them when they are unsettled.
In your baby’s nursery, think about where you want to store items, whether a storage unit or tubs, drawers or baskets. Being able to access toys quickly is handy if you have a baby that needs distracting pronto!
Baby monitor
Once baby is in their own room and sleeping separately from you, a baby monitor will ensure you can hear them, wherever they and you are in the house. There are SO many different kinds of baby monitor to choose from, from baby monitor with camera options to smart baby monitors and baby monitors with apps.
You can also get a baby monitor with breathing mat version which has a baby breathing monitor feature to measure baby’s sleep patterns. This would be particularly useful if your baby was premature or born with a medical condition.
Baby monitors can come as mains plug in monitors, battery powered monitors or WiFi enabled monitors that you can use with your phone so wherever you are you can keep an eye on your sleeping baby.
The ability to hear, see or speak with your baby whilst they are in their room is invaluable to new parents.
Baby skincare products
The last thing on our list of essentials for babies is baby toiletries. Something we know lots about! Your nursery will likely need gentle baby soap, nappy cream, soft natural baby sponges, baby lotion and baby oil, suited for newborn skin care.
Newborn and baby skin is so delicate. Their skin has been kept moist while in the womb and can take time to adjust to life outside of mum. For the first few weeks of baby’s life, they won’t want anything stronger than warm water and cotton wool on their very new skin, however babies can be prone to dry and irritated skin. The organic baby skincare products we make are perfectly suited to babies of all ages and can help care for sensitive skin ever so gently. Our natural ingredients include calming calendula, helpful hemp, sweet orange and jojoba, all of which have healing properties. Stocking your baby nursery with organic skincare products will ensure you baby is clean, happy and healthy.
How to decorate a baby nursery?
This is entirely down to you and your taste! Traditional baby bedroom décor could be pink for a girl or blue for a boy. More modern nursery décor might lean towards colour schemes with more gender neutral colours including greens, yellows, greys and pastels.
You could choose a neutral colour for the walls and paint a mural on one wall or choose a nursery wallpaper with fun patterns that will attract baby’s attention. When baby is small, they will spend a lot of time looking at the ceiling so don’t forget to make it interesting. Consider glow in the dark stars, hanging decorations or ceiling stickers.
Planning décor for a nursery is a fun task and you can really let your imagination run wild. If you’re fond of the outdoors you could opt for a forest or mountains theme; nature-lovers might prefer animal-themed decorations or decorate baby’s room in bold colours for their newborn eyes to absorb.
There are endless nursery ideas you can go for. Check out Pinterest for inspiration or choose a nursery bedroom set you like and decorate baby’s room around that. As your little one gets older, they’ll have likes and dislikes and opinions of their own, so this might be the only chance you get to decorate a room for baby that you like!
When to decorate a baby nursery?
You might be super organised and want to get baby’s room sorted as soon as you’ve had your first scan. You might be a bit more relaxed and want to wait until the 30 week mark before starting to think about nursery décor. You may not even have a room to spare, therefore don’t have to worry about it at all!
Whichever you are, if you are planning on having baby sleep in your room for the first 6 months plus, you don’t really need to worry about the nursery too much until your little one arrives.
A word of advice though, after your newborn baby comes home you might find yourself having less sleep than before they arrive, so it could be a good idea during pregnancy to get your baby nursery sorted so you can enjoy those first few fuzzy months getting to know your new baby.
What temperature should baby nursery be?
Ideally, your baby nursery should be set to a consistent temperature as babies cannot regulate their body temperature well until after 6 months or so. The suggested temperature will be between 16-20 degrees Celsius. This ensures that your baby is warm enough but doesn’t overheat.
You should not use baby bedding until your baby is at least 12-18 months old as loose covers have the potential to smother baby. Use baby sleeping bags which envelope baby nicely or stack cellular blankets, firmly tucked under the mattress to keep your baby warm at night.
