When your baby is born, you want to give them the best possible start in life. To make sure that happens, parenthood requires lots of adjustments. Your priorities will change, your living space will shrink and your finances may take a hit. In all the craziness of having a new baby, you might be wondering how best to set up their nursery so it’s positive for them from day one. It’s not exactly something that you can plan for nine months ahead of time, but thankfully there are still some things you can do early on in order to make the transition as smooth as possible. Having a nursery ready from birth makes their first few weeks much more comfortable and gives you peace of mind knowing they have everything they need at their fingertips without having to dig through piles of boxes.
Decide on a budget and plan how you’re going to use the space.
The first step to setting up your baby’s nursery is deciding how much you have to spend and planning where to put everything so that you make the most of the space you have available. You don’t want to create a nursery that is too small or overcrowded, but you also don’t want to spend so much on it that you put yourself under too much financial stress and put the health of your baby at risk. Experts recommend spending between 10%-20% of your take-home pay on your child, including insurance, childcare and household expenses. You should also factor in spending on things like diapers, wipes and other supplies as well as savings for future needs, like education. Plants for trade
Choose a colour scheme and get paint samples.
Once you know how much you’re going to spend, you can start thinking about the colour scheme for the nursery. If your baby is a boy, you might want to go for something more neutral, like a light blue or soft grey, while if they’re a girl you may want to go for a bit more of a bolder colour, like pink or purple. If you don’t know whether you want something bold or muted, why not put a few paint samples up on the walls to see what you like best? This will give you an idea of the colour and tone that works best in the room. You can also think about other colour schemes and decorations, like fabric or toys, that will help give your baby’s room a consistent look and feel.
Get soft furnishings and buy what you can now.
Once you have a colour scheme in mind, the next thing you’ll want to think about is soft furnishings. This includes the crib, changing table, sofa and anything else that is likely to be used a lot in the first few months of your baby’s life. It’s best to buy these things sooner rather than later to make sure you get what you want and don’t have to make too many unnecessary trips to the store. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find some things like the crib second-hand and knock a few dollars off the cost, but for the most part you’re going to have to buy brand new if you want to get the best quality.
Make any necessary repairs or improvements.
Once you’ve got a colour scheme and soft furnishings in mind, you’ll want to start thinking about the rest of the items in the room. Are there any repairs that need to be made? Do you have any fixtures or equipment that need to be added? If there are things you can’t get around to doing right away, you should at least make a mental note of them so you can work them into your daily routine. For example, if you need to paint the walls and you’ll be six months pregnant when your baby is due, you’re going to want someone to help you with that job, so don’t take on more than you can handle and make sure people know that you’ll need assistance in the very near future.
Install a baby monitor, if you’re using one.
Another thing you’ll want to do is install a baby monitor if you’re planning on using one. You’re going to want to be able to hear your baby crying or sleeping in another room, but you also don’t want to have to sit next to their crib all night long. It’s best to find a monitor with sound activation, so it only comes on when it needs to. This will make it less likely that you’ll be woken up by the sound of static and an empty room.
Add in any necessary equipment.
Another thing you’ll want to get ready for your baby is anything necessary for their health. If you’re planning on breastfeeding, you’ll want to make sure you have a comfortable chair and table, a support network and all the appropriate supplies. If you’re planning on bottle-feeding, you’ll need to make sure you have a sterilizer, bottles and a suitable water source. If you’re planning on cloth nappying, you’ll need to have a way to clean diapers and have a suitable place to store them. If your baby is going to be exposed to sunlight, you’ll want to get them a suitable hat and protect their skin with sunscreen.
Add in anything else that will make life easier for you and your baby
Finally, you’ll want to do a last-minute check of the nursery to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. Is there anything you can add in that will make life easier for you and your baby? If there is, now is the time to do it. It can be hard to keep track of everything you need when you’re expecting a baby, so take a few minutes now to make a list of all the things you need to do to get the nursery ready and tick them off one by one. That way, you can be sure that you’re ready for your new arrival and you won’t forget anything important.
This article is provided by https://www.provendernurseries.co.uk/
