How to create a peaceful baby nursery

There is a lot that goes into preparing to welcome a baby into your life and home. From the logistics of baby proofing a house to setting up a nursery that is all you hoped it would be, there are a lot of decisions that need to be made leading up to the baby’s arrival. This guide looks at how you can prepare a room in your home to be a peaceful nursery for you and your baby.

Once you have selected a room in your home to be the nursery, you are ready to prepare the space to incorporate the following 4 steps.

#1 Choose a theme that you like

A theme involves a colour scheme, a pattern or an overall ‘look of a room’. The aim here is to create a cohesive theme that you, yourself enjoy; because as much as you think you are creating this space for the baby, you will be the one to spend a lot of time in here as well.

Choosing a colour scheme is more exciting than choosing between blue and pink depending on the gender of your baby. There is an array of colours and shades to choose from. Pick a colour that you like, preferably a subtle, soft tone that is easy on the eyes. If you want to choose a bright colour, consider making a feature wall to incorporate that bright colour without overpowering the entire room. A professional house painter can help you select a colour or give you pointers on how to create a feature wall that compliments the rest of the room.

Once you have selected a colour, you can buy a sample pot from a local paint store to test the colour and look at it in different lights. It is important to choose a low toxicity paint, to reduce the likelihood of harmful fumes around your little one.

Baby’s spend a big portion of the time on their backs, looking up at the ceiling. Consider painting the ceiling or adding a feature such as glow in the dark stars or a pattern of animals or shapes that you can put on the ceiling.

Once your paint choices as made, select a theme that you can incorporate throughout the room in the décor, furnishings such as nursing chairs and curtains.

#2 Ability to make the room dark

Once feature to consider is how dark your room is during the day and night. Remember that your baby will sleep throughout the day, therefore selecting a room without a skylight is important. You can purchase or make black out curtains for your room, which will help to create a sleep-inducing environment for your baby.

You can buy nightlights for the room so that you can safely get around the nursery when it is dark.

#3 Ability to control the temperature of the room

Temperature control is an important feature in your house. Depending on the climate of where you live, heating or cooling will be imperative to a baby friendly environment. Many homes have central heating and cooling these days, consider have a ceiling fan installed that will help circulate the air.

Having double glazed windows in colder climates or ensuring the seal around the windows is adequate will save you a lot of money in the long run.

#4 Space for all the essential furniture

The main items of furniture that are essential to a nursery are:

• A crib
• Change table
• A nursing chair
• A wardrobe for baby’s clothes and things

As long as you have those 4 items, you nursery has the essentials to welcome baby home. A crib is usually the central feature of the room, it will likely take up most of the space, you may start with a basinet and as the baby grows, so will the space they require.

A change table is essential in the nursery as you will needing to change your baby often before, after and even during the night. Invest in a change table that is a good height for you, to ensure that you aren’t bending over too much that will lead to back injuries in the future.

A nursing chair is an item that you choose for yourself. Invest in a nursing chair that is comfortable for you, easy to get in an out of, not too low to the ground and easy to clean. You can choose a simple, plain chair and decorate it with pillows and blankets that you like and suit the theme of the nursery.

With a baby comes many items that you will thank yourself for having a system of which to keep things organised and easily accessible. Clothing, bibs, nappies, skin care products such as nappy rash cream, a pacifier and much more including an array of toys. Many of these items will be given to you as gifts, however you are free to choose the items that you want to keep, having in mind that less things will mean less things to keep tidy.

Conclusion

With a peaceful theme throughout your nursery through your choice of colours and patterns, an ability to control the ambient temperature and the darkness of the room, comfortable furniture, and the essential items of a crib, changing table, nursing chair and wardrobe will result in a beautiful, peaceful nursery, perfect for your baby.

Keep in mind that the nursery is as much for the baby as it is for you, therefore choose colours and patterns that you like, choose furniture that is easy to use for your height and needs as you will be spending a lot of time in the nursery over the years too.