Congratulations on your little bundle of joy! Preparing for your baby, especially the nursery doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. The following six tips can help you create a nurturing nursery that’s both safe and stylish.
Your entire world is about to shift as you make room for the newest member of the family. Learn everything you can about caring for a newborn and prepare to enter parenthood, forever. It’s no piece of cake, especially when it comes time to design the nursery. It doesn’t have to be a stressful experience though. The following six tips can help you create a nurturing nursery that’s both safe and stylish.
Glider or Rocker
The transition into motherhood can be tough. Being responsible for this miniature human being is one thing. But then baby bottles replace wine glasses. Weekend play dates replace Sunday brunches with girlfriends. And you can say goodbye to the swanky velvet hot pink armchair you’ve had your eyes on. It’s all about the nursery now, and a glider chair is essential for comfortably nursing and rocking your babe to sleep. A rocker may not be as chic as a plush statement piece, but it’s necessary for more peaceful nights with your hungry or fussing baby. Also, remember to never fall asleep while holding your baby in the chair. If you’re feeling sleepy, make sure to place the little one in his or her crib or bassinet.
Color Palette
Color dictates the energy of your nursery and can even influence the development of your little bambino. Don’t be afraid to skip the traditional blue, pink or pastels and make an aesthetic punch with a bold hue. HomeDit describes orange as an stimulating color that supports communication and social interaction. Bright canary yellow stimulates memory and energizes the room with cheer and happiness. Complement the yellow with a smokey gray to neutralize the color scheme or robins egg blue for contrast. For a calming and nurturing environment, go for green, the symbolic color of nature, health and well-being. Green has soothing effects and has even been shown to boost reading abilities.
Safe Sleeping Space
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a newborn sleeps in the same room as the mother. Sharing a close space with mom promotes bonding and connection and makes breastfeeding easier. Your little one should be within arm’s reach and in his or her own crib, cradle or bassinet. Make sure your baby sleeps on a firm surface without soft toys, pillows or loose bedding. Your baby’s also the safest while sleeping on a fitted sheet. Be sure to avoid fluffy surfaces, quilts and sheepskin material.
Changing Station
During the first few months of your newborn’s life, diaper changing will seem constant. You’ll spend a lot of time standing over a changing table changing diapers and dressing the little one in the morning, before bed and after feedings. Accent your nursery with a dresser and detachable changing top, rather than buying an all-in-one changing table set. Dresser drawers will store all of the diaper changing essentials, infant clothing and cotton flannel swaddle blankets. Designer Shannon Wollack is a big fan of painting a dresser to match a changing top. It creates a seamless look that doesn’t scream “diaper station.” Once your little one outgrows the diaper years, the dresser can still be used as the nursery transitions into a toddler’s bedroom.
Diaper Pail
The diaper pail isn’t the most glamorous accessory for the nursery, but it’s necessary for minimizing the unpleasant smell of all those stinky diapers. The Diaper Genie Essentials by Playtex won the Editors’ Choice award by BabyGearLab. The pail’s design is easy to use, and its clam-shell insertion flap and proprietary refill bag system controls odors on an unmatched level. If a white diaper pail is too much of a bland eye sore, complement your nursery with a Dekor Kolor diaper pail in soft pink, sage, gray, black or soft blue.
Cordless Darkening Shades
Darkening shades designed to completely black out the room can help you restore a couple hours of rest. Newborns can’t tell the difference between night and day, but as the little one grows, morning sunlight creeping in can awaken the babe (and you). And what about longer and more restorative napping in the afternoon? Room-darkening curtains can help your baby take better naps during the daylight hours. Make sure to hang cordless drapes to avoid an accident. Infants in a crib can grab onto a dangling cord and accidentally become entangled.
Identity Magazine is all about empowering women to get all A’s in the game of life — Accept. Appreciate. Achieve.TM Every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. As a team, we hope to inspire and motivate ourselves and inspire you to get all A’s.
What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? What are you still working on accepting?
Living in Maui and paddle boarding every day is just a fantasy, sigh. Actually, I’ve accepted that I’ll never be a girl who loves to wear heels and look glamorous. I’m a low-maintenance sneakers girl with a beachy carefree style who would rather stay in, than go out.
What have you learn to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? What are you still working on to appreciate?
My honesty, loyalty and my family and health.
What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? What makes YOU most proud? What goals and dreams do you still have?
Writing something that entertains or deeply resonates with a reader and still a goal is to write a memoir of short stories.
We all have imperfections, so we think. The truth–we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? What imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
I stumble socially around new people and make bewildering sarcastic remarks to make up for my social shortcomings. I can be optimistically challenged with a cynical sense of humor, but can always count on the positivity of my loved ones to create a harmonic balance. I drink too much wine, say the wrong thing and go to work with toothpaste in my hair. Life is a comedy.
“I Love My…” is an outlet for you to express and appreciate all the positive traits that make you…well… YOU! Sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (we assure you!)
Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”
I love my family and friends who complete my universe…and my CrossFit gym.
