How to Plan the Perfect Nursery
Every new parent has a dream for decorating a nursery and a well-organised nursery removes some of the stress and your life as a new parent will run smoother.
19/01/2022
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Setting up a nursery for a new addition to the family is not just about painting the walls and adding furniture; it should focus on designing a well-organised nursery where everything you need is close at hand and removes the stress of a new baby. No one will tell you that being first-time parents is easy and many will tell you that it comes naturally, but at the end of the day creating a soothing space for your new baby and being able to handle anything comes from being organised.
A muted or neutral colour palette is perfect for a nursery and will provide a relaxing environment for your new baby.
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Create a Soothing Space
There might not be anything you can do about the life-changing event of having a baby but putting a lot of thought into designing a nursery gives you something on which to focus your attention. Attention to detail, even small details, will ease the transition into being parents a less stressful experience and one that you can enjoy.
Before the stress and strain of being a new parent overtakes everything else, plan for everything you need in a nursery to ensure a smooth process. Think of things like nursery furniture, window treatments, a comfortable chair for feeding, and leave the cosmetic details for the end.
A neutral colour palette for a nursery creates a calm and soothing environment for the new parents and baby.
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Calming Colours
When baby is small, and even until he surpasses the toddler stage, soothing neutrals and pastel shades are the perfect canvas on which to build. As the baby grows more active you can incorporate bold primary colours to attract attention and invite interest.
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Calming colours have a soothing effect on both parents and baby and, when you consider that, while young babies cannot differentiate colours other than black and white, choosing calming colours works well for both parents and child. For a contrast to neutrals consider the addition of white or black accents to make the room pop.
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If you plan on regularly feeding baby in the nursery, choosing a chair with a matching ottoman will make for comfortable seating.
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Comfortable Furniture
After birth, the most important piece of furniture is the cot or crib. A new baby spends a lot of time sleeping in the first few weeks and this will give you a bit of extra time to find other pieces that you need such as a changing station, storage, and most definitely a comfortable chair to sit on when feeding. Comfort is the number one priority for a chair, and you will need one that has armrests that allows you to rest your arms as you feed. A rocking motion is an option and not absolutely necessary although some mothers swear by the calming effect that it has on a baby.
An affordable alternative to purchasing a compactum or changing station is to choose a narrow chest of drawers on which you can create your own changing station and reduce the amount of floor space used for this piece of furniture.
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Other furniture might include a compactum or changing station that allows for easy changing and cleaning as well as plenty of storage is there is none already in the room. Select a compactum or changing station that is the perfect height to prevent back strain.
The last items you need to select for the room are finishing off the room with accessories and toys. While baby may not be ready for play immediately, you will still love spending time and a few interesting playthings will engage his senses.
Only select furniture for a nursery that is essential or that has a dual purpose and this will give you and baby more space to move around the room.
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Light Up Right
How you light up or reduce light is an important factor when planning for a nursery. Take into consideration that for the first few months of life, your baby will spend most of the time sleeping or feeding. For this reason, you need to be able to control the level of light throughout the day or night. Venetian blinds in addition to curtains, or on their own, are an effective way to control light into the room but do make sure that these are child-safe if you plan to keep them in the room later on. Many Venetian blinds have long cords, and you need to be able to fasten these out of the way and high on a wall for safety.
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A layered window treatment that includes curtain and roller or Roman blinds allows you to control the amount of light in the room and provides a soft and soothing atmosphere.
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Another option to consider is Roman blinds. These offer a softer effect for a nursery and be colour-coordinated to match the room decor. Plus, many curtain and window treatment suppliers offer a custom service where you can select the design, colour, and fabric of the blind.
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In addition to a central light fitting for general lighting, consider lamps for where you will sit to feed baby and where the changing station will be set up.
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Artificial lighting is also important if you are spending a lot of time in the nursery feeding and changing baby. Adding a dimmer switch for light fixtures allows you to control the level of light for whatever activity is taking place. You will also need a nightlight or lamp for when you need more light for changing and cleaning. The goal is to have a low level of light that can be controlled both during the day and night.
Select a central light fitting that complements the decor of the nursery and have it installed with a dimmer switch to control the level of light.
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