New moms confront new challenges every day. One of the more difficult challenges a new mom may be confronting is her own preconceived notion about what her baby should have versus what her baby needs. For example, when my daughter was born – we had a crib and a changing table a small set of drawers for her things. But I didn’t want to set her up in the huge bedroom across the hall, so we emptied out our oversized closet and set her up in there. Our clothes went across to the guest room and our baby nursery was a cozy closet that actually had enough space for a rocking chair right next to the crib.
The spacing was ideal – everything was within arm reach of the crib or changing table. She was also insulated against the noises of the house because she was in the closet off the master bedroom. If I wanted to shower or take a few moments to myself in the bathroom, I didn’t need a monitor, she was right around the corner and I could hear her just fine.
The Baby’s Space
With so many products out there for you to set up the ideal nursery whether it’s decorated in the Noah’s Ark theme or Rug rats or Looney Tunes or simply done in differing colors – you can literally spend a small fortune decorating a room that your tiny infant could give two figs about.
My mother-in-law gave me some great suggestions when I started to get caught up in the hoopla – buy what you need not what you want. Now, you may say this is some obvious advice – obviously you should buy what you need. But in this case, when I say buy what you need – I mean what you as a mom need to be a better mom for your baby.
Do you have an answering machine so you don’t have to leap for the phone? Do you have a washer and dryer so you don’t have to carry your laundry elsewhere? Do you have an icemaker? What about some storage containers so you can make up some easy to heat meals for yourself? Do you have extra toiletries for yourself so that you can still pamper yourself as needed?
What About the Nursery?
If you still want to decorate the nursery, be a little more creative in your decorating expenses and save yourself a lot of dollars that you can use on other things. For example, get some small pints of paint and decorate the walls with multi-colored handprints.
Use a blanket from your bed on the crib to help give the baby your scent. Believe it or not, babies know their mother’s scent and at one point, we used to hang my husband’s shirt and one of mine on the sides of her crib when she was little so that she was surrounded by our scent when she went to sleep. It offered her a lot of comfort.
Can you sew? Take some different swatches of fabric and make nine simple nine-patch blocks and build your own baby quilt. You can make the baby’s room into a lovely haven, but it doesn’t have to be a designer one to bring comfort to the baby or to you.
What are some creative decorating ideas you’ve used for your nursery?
*Check us out later this week as I share some baby quilt making ideas that anyone can do!
Related Articles:
Extreme Makeover: Children’s Room Edition
Safety Tips for Baby’s Nursery
Ideas for Decorating the Nursery