Baby’s nursery is their first private space, which is why it’s important to arrange it in such a way so they'd feel safe and cosy, like in mum's belly. For a child, the nursery will be the heart of your home. This is where they will start and end their day, it is also where the mother will carry out most of the babycare routines.
At the same time, you want to make sure that this lovely, inviting space will remain functional, a nursery is not an ordinary room, it is a room for special tasks as this is where babycare, nursing and changing takes place most of the time.
The right design can help you achieve both comfort and functionality.
If you have been wondering about where to begin when it comes to designing your baby’s nursery, finding some inspiration such as watching Home Edit on Netflix or browsing through Pinterest is always a good starting point. Just remember to keep a record of what you actually like. It's also healthy to put a deadline on the inspiration phase, as binge-watching Home Edit and going through Pinterest until all hours of the night is a real threat at this stage.
Before we start with nursery ideas we’d like to answer some of the frequently asked questions
related to health and wellbeing aspects of the baby’s bedroom.
What temperature should a baby’s bedroom be?
Your baby needs to be in a room that’s at a comfortable temperature. It should neither be too hot or too cold. Go between 16-20 °C, then combine that temperature with lightweight beddings and comfortable sleepwear. At the end of the day this is just the indication, use your own judgement and check their temperature and comfort during the night.
Can your baby sleep in your bedroom?
For the newborn, the best place to sleep is in your bedroom. They should sleep in their own crib or bassinet, it should be at the level of your bed to make night feeding safe and easy and always within arm’s reach. Babies can relocate to their own rooms between the ages of 6 to 12 months.
How important is the air humidity in the baby’s bedroom and how can you improve it?
That question that is often overlooked but it has a massive impact on the baby’s health.
First of all, you should check how humid the air is, too much moisture may lead to the formation of mold, the air too dry will cause skin problems and makes it easier to catch a cold.
The optimal air moisture indoor should be kept between 30% and 50%. Achieving this in a country where the air humidity average between 70% and 80% could be a real challenge.
Start with buying a hygrometer, even the cheapest 10€ model should do the job.
If the air is too humid your number one job would be improving the air circulation, don’t be afraid to open doors and windows, also consider solutions such as ventilation fans. If necessary, consider consulting your builder as sometimes minor improvements in house structure could solve the problem for good. If the problem still exists get a dehumidifier. In case of too dry air improving the ventilation should be a starting point again. Then check if the heating is not too excessive if the problem still exists get an air humidifier.
Moving on to the nursery design tips:
Start with the colours!
Colours are more important than we think and choosing the right one can be quite a task alone.
There’s still much debate over what impact colours have on things like stimulation, sleep quality or sense of security, the answers to these questions are yet to come.
Having said that, our advice is to go with soothing colours.
Colours regarded as soothing would be cold and subdued, brighter colours will also expand the sense of space. Shades of Subdued Blues, Pastel Pinks or Soft Whites are a perfect example.
Whatever you choose keep the big picture in mind, think how will it work with the style of the furniture and accessories you have chosen and if you feel that everything makes a good match.
Find furniture that suits your needs
Start with a tape measure and check how much space you have and check what will fit in. Plan the spaces between different pieces of furniture that will allow freedom of movement both for you and for a child.
Think long term, whatever you will choose it will be a foundation of rooms design and must work well not only now but in years to come. Ask yourself what items you will have and where do you want to store them, using a checklist here is helpful.
Since this will probably be the most expensive piece of nursery equipment you'll buy make sure to get good value for your money. Each piece needs to be durable, functional and coated with non-toxic paints. There are some decisions to be made as well, will you go for a cot and replace it when the child grows out of it, or maybe go for a cot bed and use it a little longer?
Do you want to keep the same style and go for the furniture set or maybe you are trying to match something you need with something you already have?
Questions like that will arise in the process, aim for the balance between functionality and style.
Organise the changing area
A most popular way to tackle this is to go for a chest of drawers with changer on top.
That way allows you to keep everything at hand in the drawers below.
The more baby care products you have, the more important it gets to have them organised as each product should have its own place. A great accessory for this would be a good quality diaper organizer. Whatever way you decide to organise it accept that there will be adjustments along the way.
Organise the toys
That’s the game against the clock as your little one’s toy collection will expand rapidly over the next few months and you’re going to need a dedicated storage area for them.
We have a few ideas.
For the bigger items storage box on wheels will make tidying up easier as you move the storage around the room, if you need a more spacious option you can consider toy storage bin or a laundry bag.
Avoid the drama of searching through piles of toys just to find that lost Elsa's shoe which made her cry and arrange a solution for organising smaller toys as well. Combination of the bookcase and small toy boxes normally works well. The better the room is organised, the easier it will be to teach a child to maintain good order in years to come.
Add a personal touch
Once you've decided about the room’s colours, furniture and system of organisation, try to make it personal.
This is usually the most enjoyable part of furnishing the Nursery as you have a chance to express the desired style and manifest the individual character of the room. This is when you can go a little crazy looking for a set of accessories to outline the style you are looking for. Perhaps you’ve decided to go for the dinosaur theme and will not rest until you’ll find a decent T-Rex wallclock or maybe everything needs to be in champagne pink and now you’re looking for the just-right bed canopy. As time goes by, let the walls fill up with photos of some happy faces and let that be the final finisher.
