The nursery is your baby’s first home in the outside world. It should be happy and fun, it must be ultra-safe, and it has to have all the supplies needed to take care of your baby right at hand and organized. That’s a lot to ask of a room. Use our tips to determine how to set up your baby’s nursery for success.
Organize the Changing Table
- Buy 3-6 baskets that will fit in and on the changing table and use them to organize your changing station supplies. For example, you could have a diaper basket, a lotion and creams basket, and a toy basket. (You’ll find when they get older they move around more, making changing the diaper more difficult. Having toys for distraction comes in handy.) Having everything in its own distinct place helps you navigate to the item much faster and gets the diaper changing done quicker.
- Buy a changing pad and place it on top of changing table. Most of these changing pads are the same, so just buy the one that you like the most and think would be most comfortable for your child. You can also get cute changing pad sheets to add a little color for your baby to wonder at and explore.
Things you will need at a diaper changing table:
- Blankets, burp cloths, baby cloths
- Lotion, rash cream
- Diapers
- Petroleum jelly
- Special bandages for bellybutton and circumcision care
- Baby wipes
- Thermometer
- Nasal aspirator
- Grooming kit
- Extra set of changing table sheets
Caution: Never leave a child unattended while using the changing table. Take the child with you if you have to go into another room. The child could roll off and get injured.
Organize the Dresser
Save space in a dresser by rolling the baby clothes instead of folding them. This method also allows you to better see what outfit you are grabbing. You can also use cloth baskets that will fit in your dresser drawers to organize the clothes into categories such as shirts, pants, and onesies.
What Mattress is Safe for a Baby?
The National Institute of Child Health & Human Development states that using a hard mattress is much better than using a soft one. Mattress firmness is one of the factors that helps prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Your infant needs a firm mattress.
Foam mattresses have for some time been considered inferior to innerspring mattresses. However, that was due to foam from the 1980’s or earlier that was brittle and crumbly. That is not the case anymore. Quality foam mattresses are now fine and firm enough for a baby to use. Look for a dense heavy foam (but not so heavy that you can’t easily and frequently lift it).
Quality is also an important factor with innerspring mattresses. Most people assume that the more coils, the denser the mattress, and the better the mattress is. This is only somewhat true. The best way to measure quality is not by the number of springs, but the amount of steel in the springs. Look for a spring coil count from 135 to 150 and a steel gauge of 15.5 or below. Consumer Reports has more information on crib mattresses.
What Kind of Crib to Get?
It all depends on your liking. A good tip is to shop in-person, not online. In-person shopping helps you get a feel for a crib and find one that’s not too high or wide. Make sure you can comfortably lean over the crib like you will be doing when lifting the baby in and out.
Nesting with Nursery Organization
These are basic tips to get your nursery set up. There’s so much more, but these tips will get you started. As you continue getting your home ready for its newest inhabitant, relax and don’t forget to enjoy yourself.