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Preparing the nursery is a lovely way to start thinking about a new arrival and imagining them becoming part of the family. Whilst babies often don't move into their baby room until they are several months old (or much older if you decide to co-sleep), it can be nice to have the nursery finished before the hectic newborn phase begins.
Having said that we were unable to start preparing the nursery for Oliver (who is now 7 weeks old) before he was born as I had quite a tricky pregnancy. The first few weeks after Oliver was born were really crazy too so it is only now 7 weeks later that we are starting to think about preparing his nursery.
We have started picking out Oliver's nursery furniture and we are really looking forward to setting up the perfect baby room for him. We will be choosing furniture from the fabulous range on offer at www.babios.co.uk.
Babios is a UK based designer furniture company that specialise in children's bedroom furniture. All of the images of furniture in this article are from their baby collection.
Image: Furntiure from the Golf Star collection
Preparing the Baby's Nursery
As mentioned above it is important when preparing the baby's nursery to think practically about what a baby really needs. Don't forget to think ahead beyond the baby stage, as a child grows their needs do too!
In the list below we have included what we believe to be the must have essential items for setting up the baby's room.
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Image: Furniture from the Butterfly Baby collection
Essential Must Have Items for the Baby's Nursery
1. Somewhere for Baby to Sleep
One of the most obvious and important items for the nursery is a cot or crib for your baby. When babies are tiny they will need a small cot or crib that will fit in their parents room (unless they are co-sleeping or your newborn won't sleep unless held). However once they move into the nursery they will need a larger cot. It is also important to make sure that you buy a brand new mattress.
Having a cot that will grow with your baby will save a lot of money in the long run. Cot bed's are a perfect solutions as they will last for years. The cot bed's from Babios actually transform into full sized single beds with a chest of drawers by the side.
Image: Cot bed from the Sailing Baby collection
2. Nursery Bedding
This is quite a fun item to buy as you can spend time choosing colours, designs or themes that you would like to base your baby's nursery around. When babies are really small all they really need is a bed sheet and a baby sleeping bag (or top sheet and blanket).
Don't forget that if you are choosing to use sheets and blankets for your baby it is important to make sure that the baby sleeps at the foot of the cot so that there is no room for them to wriggle under the blanket.
There are some really cute bed sets around and although you won't use them straight away it is a good idea to buy the quilt and pillow cover to match if you can as you might have trouble finding some that match at a later date.
Some people like to buy matching cot bumpers to stop their baby hurting themselves on the cot bars. There are however some concerns that having a cot bumper can increase the risk of SID.
Image: Sleeping set from the Bella Baby collection
3. Black Out Curtains
Whilst you don't have to have black out curtains you will be very glad that you did when your baby doesn't wake up as the sun rises in the summer months.
4. Changing Area
Whether it's a changing unit or just a changing mat you will need an area to change your baby's nappy. Keep a drawer or basket full of all the nappy changing essentials nearby e.g. a supply of nappies, baby wipes, nappy rash cream etc. As your baby gets older a few toys to keep them entertained while they are being changed can be handy too.
5. Storage for Baby Clothes, Toys and Blankets
Even though babies are tiny their things definitely take up a lot of space! Having a wardrobe with lots of different areas to hang and stack clothes will really help. Baby wardrobes are great if you only have a small space, but thinking long term it is better if you can to buy a full sized wardrobe that will grow with your baby.
Image: 3 door wardrobe from the Jasmin Baby collection
As well as a wardrobe having a chest of drawers or some shelves will also be beneficial. It is amazing how quickly babies seem to collect clothes, toys, books, blankets etc!
Make sure any large furniture is anchored to the walls. Whilst it will be a while before your baby is old enough to be playing, it is a good to know that the room is safe and secure ready for when your baby becomes more mobile.
Having a place to sit (for mum and dad, not baby!) is so important. So many hours are spent at night trying to nurse your baby back to sleep, so having comfy chair to sit on really is essential. A few cushions could come handy too!
Judging the temperature of a room can be difficult so having a room thermometer can be useful. Ideally your baby's room should be between 16 C and 20 C.
Having a baby monitor so that you can hear your baby while you are not in the room will reassure you that your baby is ok. There are lots of different baby monitors available including video monitors so that you can see your baby.
As well as buying the must have essentials for your baby's room it's nice to buy little extras to make your baby's nursery a little more individual. I would say choosing all the little extras is the best bit!
Other items you might want to consider are:
So there we have it, a list of must have essential items that you will need when setting up your baby's nursery. Have we forgotten anything? Don't forget that if you are looking for ways to entertain your baby we have a list of baby activities for you to browse through.
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Image: Chest of drawers from the zuzo collection
Make sure any large furniture is anchored to the walls. Whilst it will be a while before your baby is old enough to be playing, it is a good to know that the room is safe and secure ready for when your baby becomes more mobile.
6. Nursing Chair
Having a place to sit (for mum and dad, not baby!) is so important. So many hours are spent at night trying to nurse your baby back to sleep, so having comfy chair to sit on really is essential. A few cushions could come handy too!
7. Room Thermometer
Judging the temperature of a room can be difficult so having a room thermometer can be useful. Ideally your baby's room should be between 16 C and 20 C.
8. Baby Monitor
Having a baby monitor so that you can hear your baby while you are not in the room will reassure you that your baby is ok. There are lots of different baby monitors available including video monitors so that you can see your baby.
As well as buying the must have essentials for your baby's room it's nice to buy little extras to make your baby's nursery a little more individual. I would say choosing all the little extras is the best bit!
Other items you might want to consider are:
- Rug
- Pictures or wall art
- Baby mobile
- Rocking horse
- Toy box
- Lamp
- Nightlight or ceiling projector
- Baskets or boxes
- Personaised items (e.g. name art, blankets, toy boxes etc)
To complete your baby's nursery you might want to have fun looking at decoration ideas too. Painting the room or adding wall paper can really transform the room. Whilst your baby won't notice the decor now, they will as they get older.
Image: Furniture from the Ocean Baby collection
So there we have it, a list of must have essential items that you will need when setting up your baby's nursery. Have we forgotten anything? Don't forget that if you are looking for ways to entertain your baby we have a list of baby activities for you to browse through.
Image: Furniture from the Rose Baby collection
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