Designing Your Baby’s Nursery
The first steps may be tedious . . .
I know that we all want to jump right in with buying a crib and deciding on curtains and crib sheets but those are things for much closer to the room’s completion than for the beginning.
Of course by the time you are thinking about how to decorate the nursery, you will already have decided which room will actually be turning into that nursery. Right? You haven’t? All right, there are a few things to consider then, if you have more than one room from which to choose.
Consideration #1: Babies sleep a lot. You will not want the nursery to be next to a room that gets a lot of traffic and noise constantly. (Again, this is for if you actually have a choice of rooms. If there is only one possible choice for a room either don’t fret about it or do some rearranging.)
Consideration #2: Be sure that your own room will be close enough that you will be able to hear the baby during the night. If this is not possible, be sure to invest in one of the better baby monitors to keep near you when you sleep so that you will be able to hear baby sounds from the nursery.
Consideration #3: If the baby will be sharing your bedroom for a little while in the beginning, clear the space for the temporary nursery. Experts agree for the most part that having the baby in your room for the first month or so is acceptable, especially if the nursery is not going to be close to your own room.
More nitty gritty decisions . . .
When you know which room you will be turning into a nursery, it is time to decide some basics. If you already know the gender of the baby and if that will influence your decisions on decorating matters, these are things that will utilize:
1.Choose a color scheme. Don’t worry about the customary colors because “anything goes” these days. Pick up a baby or pregnancy magazine or two for ideas if you need help in deciding. Nurseries should be soft and subdued colors not because of old trends that stuck around for 50 years but because bright colors all over the room may tend to overload the senses of the little one when he or she gets a bit older and is trying to take in the surroundings all in at once. You can go for the brighter colors in your accessories and it will look great.
2.Decide which colors you want on the walls and ceiling. Make sure they complement each other. Is the floor going to have carpeting? If so, that is another color to coordinate with the walls and ceiling. The colors in the nursery should harmonize with each other perfectly. One good reason for that is so that you won’t be deciding you don’t like the color choices any longer after the baby arrives and you end up doing it all over again.
3.Decide on your flooring (wood floor, carpeting, tile, etc.) and the wall treatments. Will you be using paint, wallpaper, paneling?
A few concerns beyond your physical safety . . .
If you will be decorating the nursery without anyone else helping, of course one major concern is for physical safety. Be sure that you have taken the proper precautions if you need to use a step stool or ladder for painting, and there is never a circumstance where heavy lifting should be done. Simply wait and ask someone else to do it for you.
VITAL INFORMATION: Chemicals in paint can be toxic and although there have been no definitive studies on heightened risk in pregnancy, you need to take precautions. Make sure the room is well ventilated even if someone else does the painting. If you are doing the nursery with paint instead of wallpaper, be sure no one removes the old paint in your presence. While the paint chemical study is not complete or proven, the fact that lead contained in paint made before the 1970s is indeed dangerous to children and women who are pregnant has been well established.
And now the fun part!
When your nursery is painted or papered, carpeted or tiled, it is time to start the truly fun part of designing a nursery. This is when you will be buying your accessories, baby furniture, curtains, bedding, and adorable “baby stuff” to sit around the room.
Will you have a theme? There are so many from which to choose! It does not need to be the old “stand-bys” of clowns or balloons, it could be anything at all. That is definitely one of the greatest parts of planning a nursery; deciding what your theme will be! Personally I prefer the “cutesy” themes such as teddy bears. You will be able to find everything from wallpaper borders to crib sheets to lamps with teddy bear designs.
Don’t forget . . .
– A nightlight for those middle of the night changings or feedings
– Things that are sometimes overlooked such as a trash can or diaper pail
– A comfortable chair for Mommy while spending time in the room
– Keep items like furniture and curtains away from things that could become fire hazards. In fact, do a thorough check of the room on all levels to make sure there aren’t any hazards.
– Part of decorating the nursery is stocking it, too. Start buying things the baby will need at least a couple of weeks before your due date. (Unless you know of an upcoming baby shower in which case you may want to wait for the purchase of layette items.)
