Getting the baby’s nursery ready in advance of their arrival may not seem strictly necessary as chances are you will be sharing a room with your newborn for the first few months. That said, the last thing you will be wanting to do or think about when you have not long given birth and have a new baby is planning and preparing their bedroom. Save yourself the stress and get the nursery ready before the baby arrives, here are some top tips with where and how to start.
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The right environment
The nursery will only really be used as a place for your baby to sleep so you want to ensure that it is adequately set up to promote sleep. Your baby’s room should be kept at just ‘the right temperature’, i.e. not too hot and not too cold. It is recommended that the room be between 20 and 22 degrees, so having a room thermometer is the best way to ensure the room is kept at the optimum temperature. It should also be a calm and serene place with low-level lighting – avoid big bright lights.
The furniture
It can be tempting to fill your baby’s room with lots of beautiful baby furniture but the reality is there are only a few items you will really need in the early days.
- A cot. If ever there is an item worth spending a little more money on it is the cot. Buying a safety complaint and comfortable cot for your little one will give you peace of mind and your baby a better nights sleep. Don’t be tempted to fill your baby’s cot with toys or mobiles as the reality is it simply is not needed for such young babies and can provide more risk than benefit.
- Wardrobe and draws. You will, of course, need somewhere to keep your little one’s clothes. You may opt for a smaller sized ‘baby/toddler wardrobe’ to perfectly fit their clothing, however, these items often come with a greater price tag. There is nothing wrong with purchasing a full-sized wardrobe that your baby can grow into when they no longer fit their tiny baby boy clothes. What is more, the extra space may give you more storage space that you will benefit from.
- Nursing chair. A nursing chair is a comfortable high backed chair that you will use when nursing and feeding your baby. They can be costly but it is a chair that you will get a lot of use out of.
- Changing table. Now, these are not strictly necessary and generally have a short shelf life but they may make your life easier when it comes to changing nappies, especially in the middle of the night. You can have all the bits and bobs you need to hand to expedite the changing process and get you and the little one back into bed as quickly as possible.
A bin or diaper genie. One thing you definitely need but commonly overlook is a bin. You will need somewhere to throw those dirty nappies and diaper genies are a great option as they store dirty nappies and simultaneously mask the smell.
