Struggling to Design a Serene and Functional Nursery - Key Essentials to Include in the Process ~

Are you currently counting down the months, weeks, and days before your bundle of joy arrives? If so then you are probably running around trying to get as much done and organized before you have the baby, as life will change dramatically with a newborn. One of the biggest tasks for parents-to-be is to set up the nursery and ensure it not only acts as a functional place for baby to sleep and play but that it is also serene and a place that your little one enjoys being in.

Putting together a nursery always has challenges, especially for new parents to be who have never had to go through the steps before. Rather than get flustered, or worse yet not have the nursery ready in time for the arrival of your baby, here are some key essentials to include in the process. We’ll take a look at must-have items, décor tips, and how to best make use of the space.

Start with a Theme

When it comes to the décor of the nursery, a good place to start is to pick a theme. Once you have a theme, then a color palette can start to come to life which will make it easier to pick the furniture, bedding, curtains, paint color, and décor pieces. There are all kinds of popular themes for nurseries, but much will depend on the sex of the baby. If you’ve decided to learn the sex of your little one, then you can be a bit more gender-specific in your theme selection. If you’ve chosen to leave the sex as a surprise, then it’s best to pick a more universally pleasing theme.

Some of the more popular themes include animals, sea creatures, sports, space, floral, starry-nights, or a character from a popular children’s movie. Sometimes the theme can actually just be a particular color palette. The key is to pick one thing and then let it carry over into all other aspects of the nursery.

Don’t forget to also add personality to the room. You want the room to be fun and engaging for your little one, so that means lots of different colors, textures, and shapes.

What Furniture Pieces Are a Must?

The next step should be to do some furniture shopping. Typically the size of the room will have a big part in just what pieces you pick out, but with that said there are a few key pieces you’ll need to have. The crib is, of course, the most important furniture item in their room.

If you’re looking to really get your money’s worth, then it’s a good idea to look into the convertible style of cribs. What these do is transform as your baby grows and gets bigger so that you can convert it into a toddler bed, then the frame of a single or double bed. These convertible cribs tend to be more money in terms of the initial investment, but it will save you from having to replace each bed type as your little one requires.

Another item you’ll want in terms of furniture is a dresser of some sort. You’ll need a spot to keep all their clothing and baby essentials. What’s great is that you can find multi-purpose dressers that feature a change table on the top, while still housing a number of drawers. You’ll get double the functionality without taking up extra space.

Last but certainly not least you will want to buy a chair that is ideal for holding your little one, giving cuddles, and those late night feeds. Gliders tend to be an extremely popular option with parents as that gliding motion can help soothe your little one and lull them to sleep.

If you’re looking for the best nursery glider out there, then you’ll want to check out the list that Return of the Stork put together that examines the top seven gliders of 2019. You can check out all the pros and cons of each model, along with a picture and the price.

A much smaller item that isn’t exactly furniture, but kind of goes hand-in-hand with it is a small lamp. If you have a dresser, it can rest on there or you can get a desk lamp, otherwise, you may want to consider a standing lamp. This will be ideal when you don’t want to turn on the bright overhead light in the bedroom.

Plenty of Storage Solutions

We alluded to storage in the furniture section, stating that a dresser is needed to help keep everything organized, but typically one dresser isn’t near enough. Even though your baby is very small, they are notorious for needing lots of “stuff”. In a typical day, you can expect to go through a number of sleepers, onesies, outfits, and bibs, which mean you’ll need plenty of back-ups on hand.

Besides a dresser, you can look at closet organizer systems that will maximize your space and make it more functional. You may find that a combination of racks, shelves, and drawers are what works best for you. Many of these systems can also be customized, which will give you complete flexibility.

A Place for Toys and Books

Then there are the fun things that you will start to acquire for your baby, which are the toys and books. When you first bring your little one home, odds are you won’t have a ton of either of these, but within that first year, you’ll be shocked at just how much you accumulate. So as you think about the best storage solution for these items, be sure to include extra space for all the items you’ll collect along the way.

Shelves are obviously an excellent option, as are toy bins and storage boxes that can slide into a shelving unit.