Planning Your First Nursery

A nursery is a very special place, particularly if it’s for your first baby. Planning the décor of your nursery together is a great way for your partner to be involved in your pregnancy; it can be a fun, magical experience as you pull together all your ideas to create your new baby’s room.

Nursery wall shelf with teddy bear

It’s important to remember that the nursery is for Mum just as much as for Baby, if there’s room for a bed it would be well worth adding one as the first few months will include a lot of lost sleep due to interrupted nights, having somewhere comfortable to lie or sit quietly as needed will be beneficial.

If a bed can’t be used, purchase a comfy chair or sofa, anything that allows you to feed in comfort.

Think Ahead

Baby won’t stay a baby for very long, so when thinking about décor try to plan ahead. Soft colours in pastels or shades of white are a great way to create a neutral palette to work from, but bold colours can be used in an otherwise white room if you like splashes of colour on the walls.

Nursery colour scheme
A calming, neutral colour scheme idea from Dulux

Calming and harmonious doesn’t have to mean pure white, but try not to go overboard on baby decorations that will mean your nursery requires complete redecoration as they get older. As lovely as the teddy bear wallpaper is, your child will grow out of it faster than you think.

Nursery Storage

Storage is a big necessity with a new baby; make sure you have plenty of drawers as clothing will be too small to hang up in a wardrobe. That doesn’t mean you can’t hang the cutest outfits you’ve got on the walls of the nursery as a display that you can switch up whenever you feel like a change.

Nursery toy storage box
This ottoman style toy chest and storage bench will solve a host of storage problems

Ensure the changing area has everything you need within easy reach. A chest of drawers makes as good a changing table as any, and can be used for its original purpose once baby’s a little older.

Try to future proof your furniture choices, simple, classic pieces should last around ten years or so and your child can grow into them. A modular storage system will allow you to add more units as the need for storage increases through the years.

Lighting

Install the lights for your nursery on a dimmer circuit, your baby’s eyes are very sensitive to light, particularly newborns, and being able to control the lighting levels will help soothe them, and you during those late night/early morning feeds.

Lampshade with elephant prints

Make sure that the room can be completely blacked out for the night to allow your baby to sleep in absolute darkness, any light will just help keep them awake.

Hanging Mobiles

Don’t forget about the ceiling! Your baby will be spending an awful lot of time looking at it, so hang something to make it more interesting.

Nursery mobile

Mobiles are great for stimulating their senses and babies love them, so hang some interesting things above any place they spend time lying. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the experience.

Your nursery will evolve as your child grows, try to think beyond the now to the future and purchase items that can be used over the years.

See Also
Oak finish 3-piece nursery set
Nursery Furniture Sets Under £500
Nursery wardrobe
Is it worth buying nursery furniture?