Decorating Babys Room

One of the best things about having a baby is decorating the nursery. If you found what you are having, you can colour co-ordinate, or simply choose a gorgeous theme and stick with that. And no matter whether your little bundle of joy is having their own room or just a designated corner in someone else’s, chances are you will need to allocate some space for all those bits and pieces that are essential for a newborn, no matter how little they are!

SAHM has a few pointers to save you some time, money and stress when it comes to decorating your little ones room.

The Basics

OK, so there a few items you will absolutely need in your baby’s room/area.

• A cot/crib/bassinet – whether you opt for a full-on wooden cot with mattress, a portacot with an insert, or a hippie-style sleeping pod/hammock thingy, your baby will need somewhere to sleep in their room. Make sure any cots you buy or are given are not on any recall sites or have any real damage (ie, missing rails, dodgy latches, flimsy legs).
• A changing station – Most custom built changing tables are quite expensive so a lot of people choose to have a changing mat on top of a chest of drawers. This saves space, money and is easily removed when bubs gets to big to be lifting up to be changed.
• Storage – Even though you baby is teeny, they still have a serious amount of stuff! You will need some kind of storage, usually in the form of a chest of drawers or a bureau to store all their clothes, blankets, toys, nappies, hats/shoes/socks etc.

Keep To Your Theme

If you have decided on a colour scheme or a specific theme for your baby’s new ‘pad’, make sure you don’t get sidetracked with the huge amount of gorgeous stuff available. If you have decided on pink for your little girl, there is nothing wrong with a couple of splashes of different colours, but try and keep the large pieces of furniture in a neutral colour (ie cream, white etc) and colour co-ordinate all your blankets, pillows, curtains small toys in pink. If you have opted for the ever-popular owls theme for a little baby of sex unknown, try to stick with a certain ‘type’ of owl, usually from the same brand, so as not to create a menagerie of different wide eyed friends for your little one.

Always Accept Second Hand If You Can

Baby stuff is expensive, and most people only use it for such a short time and then have to store it for the next baby or get rid of it if they have finished their family. Ask around for the bigger ticket items, like cots, and have a look online on second hand websites like Ebay and Gumtree for items that’ll set you back but you definitely need, such as dressers and storage units. Never knock back an offer of second hand stuff, you can go through it and decide what you’d like to keep and then either hand back or recycle the rest.

Get The Light Right

Your baby will (hopefully) sleep ALOT during the first few months, and even though they need to get used to, and usually can, sleep amongst the household chaos, you need to have an area that is dark and quiet for them to nap, especially as they get older. Too much stimulus will keep them awake and there’s nothing worse than an overtired baby that wont sleep! Invest in some good quality, heavy backed curtains and/or a block-out blind for the nursery. This will keep sunlight out during the daytime sleeps, and can always keep the room a bit cooler in the warmer months.

Make sure you also have some form of light you can have on during the evening to prevent any accidents walking around in the dark. A dimmer light, a nightlight, or a lamp that has different light settings are perfect to just provide enough light so you can see where you are going, and can see your baby without having to turn on a bright overhead light.

A Comfy Chair

If you plan on doing a significant amount of feeding, napping and cuddling in the nursery, then a good quality armchair or rocking chair is essential, however most Mum’s I know prefer to be out in the lounge room when feeding their babies, especially during night feeds, as this is usually where the TV is to keep them awake whilst they feed. There are a huge range of ‘feeding’ chairs on the market, whether or not you choose to use your comfy couch or a specially bought chair is totally up to you.

Keep in mind that there are no rules when it comes to decorating your baby’s room. Whatever you choose will not be noticed by bubs for quite some time after they are born so have fun and decorate til your heart’s content and budget allows!