Next to the bathroom and kitchen, a nursery is among the top contenders for the most important room in your home, and it’s with good reason.

Your precious, loveable newborn will spend a long time in here.

You too, will spend along time in here as well due to said baby that needs around-the-clock surveillance and diaper checks. 

And, it has the capability to serve as future toddler, maybe even a future child’s room if the cards are played right. That’s a long-run game that’s pretty easy to win under the right circumstances.

 

Since we could all use a little bit of help every now and then, I wanted to make it easier on you, what with the impending newborn and mountain of questions weighing looming over the horizon and all. I've decided to come up with a good list of tips on how to make sure that you have a smooth nursery setup and the perfect place to let your child live in, so down below are 10 easy steps to set up your baby nursery!

1. Safety First

There's nothing that'll send that special shiver down your spine quicker than seeing your baby in danger. That's why safety should be one of, if not the most important, factors you take into consideration when it comes to planning out the room.

Your child is going to spend the majority of their most dependent life period inside of this very room. There will be times when you're not able to keep an eye on your baby twenty-four seven, so it's best to at least have a sound mind knowing that your baby's room is as safe and baby-proof as it could possibly be.

Some ways to keep the room safe include:

• Being mindful of where you arrange the furniture. Anything that the baby sleeps in should never be placed by a window.
• Keep it simple in the crib. Sure, it'll be adorable to see all of the cute stuffed animals lining the crib, but that's a potential suffocation risk waiting to happen.
• Paying attention to where you place the baby's supplies. The last thing you want is your baby crawling out of their crib and downing as much baby powder as possible because they were curious. Keep anything not safe for consumption out of reach from the future reacher.

Remember, a safe, baby proof room means more peace of mind for you, and a warm environment for the child to grow up in.

2. The Essentials 

In order to have an easy time in your baby nursery setup, you’d find it in your best interests to make sure you have at least the following items:

• Changing table
• Crib/ Bassinet 
• Good bedding

Among the many other things that fall into the essential category as well, these three could definitely be considered true necessities.

Your baby will definitely be running through as many diapers as it can, regardless of where it is and what time it is, so keeping a changing table in the room where the baby will be based in is a smart idea.

And bedding, a major factor to take into consideration considering that the baby will spend a good amount of time laying on it. Quality bedding is key!

3. Organization: How To Set Up Your Baby’s Nursery 

You’ve sat down.

You’ve planned it out.

You’ve written it down.

You’ve pictured it time and time again.

Now you can actually bring it into fruition! 

While planning the layout of your nursery, be sure to keep in mind a few of the following: 

• When placing the furniture, never place the crib anywhere near windows. 
• Nurseries are at their best when they’re designed for efficiency and ease of access. 
• Be mindful of the space of the room. The same space that you have available with a crib may not be there once the baby outgrows the crib and graduates to beds.

4. Plan For You As Well

As we’ve previously stated before, your baby will be the main owner of the nursery.

You’re the roommate who’s paying rent, and if you want to make it easier on yourself, you might as well make yourself at home.

Maybe you’d like to place a rocking chair near the crib…

Maybe you’re more partial to a couch in the room to give yourself a space to lay down in and catch a quick power nap…

… Maybe you’re just fine with having a nice, soft rug area with a blanket and a few pillows.

I know I would be.

The point is, don’t forget to account for yourself when planning out the room as well. With all of the time that you’re going to be in and out, hanging around, and occupying the room, you need to create a space in there where you can somewhat relax yet still be able to get to the baby with ease.

5. Cribs, Cribs, Cribs

The crib is one of the key ingredients to a nursery.

Without a good crib, it’s a lot easier for problems to arise with your infant.

But what is a good crib to look for? 

A good crib to be on the lookout for is a safe crib. Yes, I know, it’s so exciting to coordinate color schemes and pick all of the cute decorative pieces for the room, but safety is the number one priority since it is for the newborn.

Some things to keep in mind when searching for the perfect crib: 

• The bars in the crib should be no more than 2 ⅜ inches apart.
• Decorative headboards sounds fun when it’s time to decorate, but it could cause an accident in case your child gets snagged. It's best to stick to solid headboards.
• Be mindful of the paint used if the crib is being painted. If the paint contains lead, repeated exposure poses a serious risk to your child's health. 

6. Changing Table

The changing table, another cornerstone of taking care of a newborn. 

As you’re searching around for a good changing table, keep some of these tips in the back of your head when making your decision:

• Keep in mind that your nursery has limited space. The size of the changing table shouldn’t make things harder to get to once it’s in the room.
• Changing tables that can double function as dressers are a godsend if you’re playing the long con and want to be even more conscious of the space being used.
• Make sure that you can organize your table to have everything comfortably in reach.

7. Nursery Bedding

Since the baby is going to be constantly laying on something, it's imperative to make sure that that something is as comfortable as possible and as safe as possible!

With the bedding, you can't go wrong if you use these tips below to make your selection:

• Out of everything, a fitted sheet is perhaps the most important part of the bedding. Remember to always make sure that it fits snugly instead of loosely to avoid any safety concerns.
• When buying everything that ties in with bedding, keep in mind that the more they're machine-washable, the less headaches you will have.
• Keeping multiples of everything (sheets, mattress pads, etc) is better preparation than having an inevitable accident and fretting over getting replacements.

8. Decorations!

The fun part you've been waiting for. 

You’ve gotten all of the bare necessities down, and the only thing left now…

Is to liven up the room!

With these tips to help you spruce up the room, you and your baby will be enjoying the look of the nursery in no time:

• When picking a color scheme, it’s good to note that colors do in fact have psychological effects on humans! 
• If trying to come up with a design or a vision for how you want everything to look is proving to be a bit too difficult, it’s okay to step back and breathe. Go do something else to take your mind off of it, your best ideas come when you’re not even thinking about it!
• Make sure to avoid lead-based paints to avoid any health risks with your baby.

9. Lighting Is Important 

The lighting in your baby’s room is a small yet vastly overlooked component of the nursery.

Here are a few tips on making sure that you have the best lighting you possibly can for your little one:

• Avoid harsh lighting! Babies aren’t as developed as us grownups are, so bright, exposed bulbs aren’t the best choices to illuminate the young one’s room.
• Using a light dimmer would be a good investment. With repeated use, the baby will eventually get used to the cues that dimmed lights means that it's time to go night night.
• Be ready to introduce night lights to the mix once your baby gets a little older. It's going to help once that fear of the dark kicks all the way in.

10. Enjoy The Memories

You've gone through and set everything up.

The crib is in place, the changing table is in order, all of the colorful toys and cute outfits are ready for your little one to arrive. 

Now what,’s left to do? 

Relax! Enjoy the excitement of welcoming a life into this world and be ready to make a lot of memories. 

The adorable moments…

The gross food moments and accidents…

And the diaper war stories!