The arrival of a baby is a blessing for any parent. But, before the baby arrives, one of the things you need to do is prepare the nursery. This is where your baby will spend the first few years of his or her life, so you should do this well. Aside from being a beautiful nursery, it should also be comfortable and practical as you will be spending a lot of time in there caring for your baby, feeding him or her, changing diapers, and putting them to sleep. So, to help you set up your nursery, here are some tips you can do:
The Basics
What’s inside is just as important as the outside, so make sure you check your nursery inside and out. That means you have to ensure the room is clean, gets plenty or light and ventilation, and there are no molds or fungi building up in the corners of the room. If you’re paranoid about lead in paint, you may want to consider stripping down any old paint (especially if it’s more than 10 years old) and putting up new wallpaper or lead-free, baby-safe paint on the walls.
Furniture
At the very least, you’ll need a good crib. What’s “good”? Well that depends on you and your budget. There are a lot of cribs out there with a lot of bells and whistles, but if you can find one that can “grow” with your baby, than that’s really the most important feature you need so you can keep your crib and not have to replace it every year. Whatever crib you choose, make sure it’s safe for babies, has no small parts he or she can swallow and not being recalled for defects.
Aside from the crib, you may want to get a changing table. As you’ll find out, babies will need their diapers changed a lot during the first year, and having a comfortable place where you can change diapers can be a godsend. You’ll also want a comfortable chair where you can sit if you have to feed or put the baby to sleep.
Other Items
There may be some other items you want to consider adding to your nursery to make it better. You can get shelving to keep your baby’s things organized. You can have a CD player so you can play some music for the baby (and yourself) and a nice area rug to brighten up your room (and keep the temperature warm for your baby.) Though these items aren’t necessary, they can make you and your baby more comfortable.