Published on January 10th, 2024
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From spending hours choosing curtains to tracking down the love-mussed stuffed animal you’ve carried since preschool, it’s easy for the primary purpose of nursery design to get lost in the overwhelm of preparation. One of the things to do before a baby arrives often includes creating a nurturing and organized space for your little one. Amidst the flurry of selecting decor items, don’t forget to prioritize practical elements that contribute to a functional and baby-friendly environment. As you contemplate, “Am I ready for a baby?” consider incorporating essential tasks into your pre-baby checklist.
Nurseries are all about cultivating a calm environment for you and your baby. While there may be a deadline in the picture, you can get it all done before their arrival. You just need a solid action plan to launch—or reboot—the interior design process.
Whether you’re just starting out or rethinking every decision you’ve made thus far, designing the perfect nursery starts with a clear picture of the space you’re working with, a thorough understanding of newborns’ needs, and trust in your ability to dive into motherhood. Below, we’ll outline 6 steps for tackling your nursery room set up with confidence.
#1 Assess the Space You Have
Before diving into nursery design elements, your first step is to evaluate the space you have available for your nursery. While it’s important to take spatial measurements, thereby ensuring you have room for the basics (crib, changing table, etc.), it’s equally important to account for traits like:
- The amount and quality of light in the room
- The amount and quality of sound
- The temperature and climate of the space
- Architectural quirks, obstacles, and potential child hazards
Bear in mind that attributes like light and noise will likely change throughout a 24-hour period. Before planning any renovations or investing in any major furniture, try to visit your space at different times of the day and various seasonal points to ensure you make it as supportive of your newborn’s needs as possible.
#2 Create a Budget
Unless you have an unlimited budget, ironing out your financial limits is a useful way of simplifying the interior design process.
You might start with a brainstorming session to list everything you’d want in a dream nursery nook or room. Then, narrow down your list by categorizing items into:
- Needs
- Wants
- Nice-to-haves
Most new parents would agree that the following list constitutes the major nursery essentials:
- Bedding – Your centerpiece will be either a crib, cradle, or bassinet. Additionally, you might budget for:
- Crib mattress, mattress covers, and washable mattress pads
- Fitted crib linens
- Baby monitor
- Dressing and diapering – This requires a changing table and diaper receptacle.
- Storage – You’ll want at least one area to store baby clothes, essentials, and playthings. Depending on your needs, you might choose a dresser, bookshelf, toy bins, or soft baskets.
- Play – Since your newborn won’t be able to walk for a while, much of your nursery playtime will probably take place on a nursery rug or play mat. You can let your budget and preferences dictate other furnishings (some options include a crib mobile, baby bouncer, stuffed animals, soft books, and other toys).
- Getting cozy – One of the most important breastfeeding tips for new moms is creating a comfortable and dedicated space for nursing. Choose one comfy accent for sitting and nursing. This could be a nursery chair, rocker, glider, or cozy armchair.
Newborn babies sleep between 11 and 19 hours each day. If your nursery space isn’t the perfect oasis of calm (and few are), know that blackout curtains can help mitigate rooms with excess noise or ambient street light. Sound machines can also help mask outside noise or indoor sounds (particularly if you’ve got other little ones in your household).
Lastly, don’t underestimate the value of gently used or borrowed items! Plenty of new parents cherish the sentimental value of hand-me-downs, and there’s something special about getting more mileage out of a previously adored stuffed tiger or beloved play mat. You’d be surprised by how many friends and family members are willing to lend or gift items they no longer need.
#3 Create a Timeline
Regardless of where you are in your pregnancy journey, creating a timeline for completing your nursery room set up can help you break down the process and make it feel significantly more manageable.
Depending on how you plan to furnish the space, you’ll first want to account for any changes you’ll make that will require outside help. This includes:
- Wallpaper application or wall painting
- Renovations
- Installations
- Furniture delivery
With your remaining to-do list, try organizing your agenda into tasks ranging from large and time-consuming to small and detail-oriented.
Big, daunting to-do’s like “childproofing” become much easier to tackle when they’re time-bound and dispersed around different areas of your home (or even a single room). The more itemized you can make each item on your to-do list, the more conveniently you can disperse them over a multi-month period—and the easier it will be to delegate to partners, family members, and friends.
#4 Keep a Safety-First Outlook
The most important goal of any nursery room set up is creating a cozy, protected space where your child can grow. For this reason, it’s best to keep childproofing top of mind throughout the nursery design process. To cover all your bases, you’ll want to:
- Cover all electrical outlets
- Order locks and latches for cabinets, drawers, and doors
- Invest in curtains and remove any blinds or drapes with cords or other dangling strings
- Anchor heavy furnishings and pieces of furniture to the wall (or remove them)
- Install window guards or wedges if you plan on opening windows in your baby nursery
- Add sleeves to any wires or cords attached to electronic devices
Remember that other areas of your home may require separate childproofing strategies, like installing gates near stairs or stove guards in the kitchen.
#5 Choose Your Nursery Aesthetic
Plenty of moms have an easy go of organizing their baby nursery layout, but find themselves locked in choice paralysis when they get to the decorative stage.
If you’re feeling stuck, try thinking of it this way: your baby’s room is that sanctuary where both your little one and you can retreat and connect for those first precious weeks and months. Rather than deliberating on competing themes, consider what resources both of you need to thrive and grow.
You might start by considering whatever obstacles or worries you’ve run up against during pregnancy or family planning. For instance:
- If you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed about all the “unknowns” of parenthood, what visual or tactile elements will help you create inner calm and clarity?
- Alternatively, if you struggle to tap into a child-like mindset, what visual themes conjure a sense of play and curiosity that might help encourage your baby’s?
Keep in mind that no nursery nook or room is static. As your child grows and develops their personality, you can always add and subtract furniture and the like to reflect them as well as your needs as a mom. Whether it’s a jungle theme or an all-eggshell-blue color scheme, going with what brings you ease can only serve to nurture your bond.
If you’re stumped on nursery aesthetics, these fun themes can help inspire you as you start curating the space:
- Rainbows
- Dreamland
- Animal menagerie
- Reading room
- Starscape
- Florals
#6 Leave Room for Growth
It’s fairly normal to want to iron out as many details as possible before your little one’s arrival, but just remember that things change quickly with newborns. Everything from your baby’s motor skills to their communications will undergo a major growth spurt within just three months of their birth.
There are many ways to prepare your space for these rapid-fire developments, like investing in adaptable bedding and installing climate controls to ensure their sleeping space stays cool (psst—between 68º and 72ºF is ideal!) in their first year. But equally important is to leave room—whether literal space or with adaptable design approaches—for your baby’s growth, as well as yours as a parent.
For now, you might try spending time in your baby’s room solo and imagining caretaking rituals such as:
- Cuddling, snuggling, and swaddling your baby
- Changing them
- Putting them down for sleep and naps
- Nursing
- Reading and playing
Picturing your time together can be a beautiful way to prepare emotionally for the coming change, but it’s also practically beneficial as you’ll be able to identify those elements you may have missed during the design process.
Each baby is unique, and you can expect your ideal nursery design to be too. As you become better acquainted with your baby—and yourself as a parent—you’ll likewise become more confident in making choices that mirror the tiny, beautiful person they’re becoming.
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This post has been reviewed for accuracy by:
Priscilla Jeng is an accomplished digital marketing expert, currently leading as the Associate Director of Digital Marketing at Gateway Genomics, the parent company of SneakPeek. With over four years at Gateway Genomics, Priscilla has played a pivotal role in amplifying the company's mission to develop innovative genetic tests. Her proficiency in digital marketing and her comprehensive understanding of the genomics industry position her as a key contributor to SneakPeek's marketing endeavors.
Sources:
- The Bump. Your Checklist for the Perfect Nursery. https://www.thebump.com/a/creating-a-nursery
- Verywell Family. Everything You Need for Your Newborn Baby. https://www.verywellfamily.com/bare-necessities-basic-baby-needs-293962
- Verywell Family. Tips for Setting Up Your Baby’s Nursery. https://www.verywellfamily.com/setting-up-the-nursery-284580
- Sleep Foundation. Newborn Sleep Schedule. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/newborn-sleep-schedule
- Cleveland Clinic. Guide To Childproofing Your Home. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/a-guide-to-childproofing-your-home
- Verywell Family. A Step-by-Step Guide to Childproofing Your Home. https://www.verywellfamily.com/childproofing-your-home-2634228
- The Spruce. Baby Room Ideas for Decorating a Nursery That’s Unique. https://www.thespruce.com/baby-room-ideas-5217584
- Mayo Clinic. Infant development: Birth to 3 months. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/infant-development/art-20048012
- Sleep Foundation. What Is the Best Room Temperature for a Sleeping Baby? https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/best-room-temperature-for-sleeping-baby
- Healthline. What Is the Best Room Temperature for Baby? https://www.healthline.com/health/baby/room-temperature-for-baby
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