Creating a nursery is part of the “nesting period” of pregnancy. Unlike repainting the bathroom or scrubbing down kitchen cabinets, working on creating a sleeping space for your baby is a calming and exciting process. Part of the parenting instinct to protect and nurture our children includes ensuring the space they sleep in is calm, happy and safe.
Before you fill the room you need to decide upon the color scheme. Whites and pastel colors are ideal for creating a calm space and by keeping the walls simple you can add as much extra decoration as you’d like. Wall stickers are becoming increasingly popular as they can be easily removed or changed as your child grows. Babies are drawn to geometric shapes and black and white contrasts, so pictures or stickers with these patterns will capture their attention. You don`t want these to dominate however as it`s not a room you want your baby to be over stimulated in.
Next you need to think about furniture, in particular how much you really need. A crib, a chest of drawers perhaps with a changing station on top, a bookshelf and rocking chair is all you`ll need for now. Natural wood materials are ideal for a nursery, but if you don`t like the natural shade of wood then white painted wood looks great. Painting and distressing old wooden furniture is a clever way of refurbishing it and giving the nursery a shabby chic look.
Furnishing the room with toys and books and all things nice is the really fun part. To start off with your baby won`t need much in the way of toys and books so a few carefully chosen baby books, perhaps ones from your own childhood, will look charming on a bookshelf. As they grow older kids love anything which they feel is unique to them so if they receive any personalized gifts these are a great choice to store in the nursery so your baby grows to understand that this is his or her own special space.
Anyone with young babies knows that sleep comes at a premium to new parents. This means that creating a harmonious room which helps induce sleep is vitally important. The kind of things that help are making sure you keep it tidy and clear and not to fill it with too many stimulating toys. A baby`s nursery should be a place they associate with warmth and sleepiness rather than noisy toys. Soft lighting will help with this and a well-chosen nightlight, perhaps with soft music will help drift them off to sleep each night.
When decorating the crib prior to baby’s arrival, you’ll be tempted to add bumper pads and the comforter that may come as a bedding set. Make sure that once baby starts to use the crib, the bumper pads, comforter and any stuffed animals are removed. The only thing that should be in the crib is a baby safe mattress, a tightly fitted sheet and baby, either swaddled or in a wearable blanket or sleep sack.
Creating a warm, safe and calm haven for a baby is an enjoyable part of the nesting process. Once decorated and filled with furniture you can adorn your baby`s new room with a few well-chosen books, toys or personalized baby presents you might have.
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