Sweet Dreams Precious Baby - Getting A Nursery Ready

Pottery Barn Kids

Children are our greatest treasure and welcoming a new baby is an exciting joyous time and I can't think of a better way to welcome this new family member or members home than with a room put together with love.

With so much to think about, where to start can boggle the mind, the best advice is to first take a deep breath then tackle this one step at a time. Initially your focus will more than likely be on furniture and accessories however, before you get to caught up with what I call the fun stuff take some time to look at the room where this new family addition is going to sleep.

For example, how big is the room - taking measurements is a good idea - this will be important when deciding on how much furniture and how big the pieces can be, also what type of wall treatment - if any - would you like - paint, wallpaper etc. - also the floor, if it's wood will you add a rug. 

Nursery Ideas - Decoist

If you have a room to use just for the new baby chances are your starting from scratch and essentially have a blank canvas to work with. What to do with the walls, well paint is an easy way to bring color into the room however wallpaper is another option or a combination of both.

Colors for nurseries today are no longer limited to the tradition Blue or Pink in fact from what I've seen parents today - though still using those colors - are turning to more of a modern twist. The use of grey has become quite popular, combining various tones for the walls and ceiling then adding pops of yellow, red or even aqua in the accessories.

Nursery Ideas - Decoist

Choosing Furniture: Any where you look there are so many items geared for babies, probably more than you'll ever need but in the beginning a crib, dresser and changing table are essential. Deciding on what type of crib is a big decision - after all your little one is going to be sleeping in it for quite awhile - so here is where taking some time and doing some research pays off.
If you were to look up crib types the five most common are: Standard - Convertible, also know as 3-in-1 - Round - Portable and Multi-purpose, this type typically has a small changing table with storage that attaches to the side. Deciding on a type, style and finish is of course a personal choice, however as I mentioned earlier you'll want to take into consideration the size of the room when deciding on a crib size.

As far as style and finish you may want to use a style that is similar to what you currently have in your home, of course you might be feeling adventurous and want something totally different that really sets the room apart from other areas of your home.  I'm including a link to Consumer Report.org, here you'll find a very  useful crib buying guide plus ratings of cribs.

Crib Styles: Standard  Round  Multi-purpose  3-in -1

Babies require a lot of things - clothes, socks, shoes, diapers, blankets, sheets and toys - and your going to need somewhere to put it all, so some type of dresser and possibly a changing table is important, again the size of the room will determine how many pieces to purchase.

If the room is on the small size and to help keep it from feeling over crowded one option would be a short wide dresser with a changing topper. Of course if there is ample room by all means use a changing table. One thing is certain you'll need plenty of storage options, many changing tables, hutches and dressers now are made to house baskets or have extra drawers or shelves.

If there is a closet in the room here is another opportunity to create additional storage - trust me your going to need it - starting from scratch with a closet organizing system is an option or just adding additional shelves for baskets and clear containers might be all that's needed for now. The Container Store has some very helpful tips on making the most of a baby's closet.

Pottery Barn - Baby Gear

Last but certainly not least - and personally what I think is the most fun - is adding personality to the room with accessories. Choosing bedding for the crib is a really good place to start when thinking about how to decorate the room - if you have not already chosen a color scheme for the room try picking a color from the bedding you like - your going to find a wide variety of solid colors, prints and stripes or maybe a theme is the direction you'd like to take. 

Choosing a theme might be the hardest part simply because there are so many adorable bed sets available. One solution is to pick something you like, after all in the beginning your baby is really not going to care if the room is filled with flowers, frogs or boats. Once you've picked a theme then you'll need to decide if your going to use all the matching accessories or pick colors from the bedding for things like window treatments, lamp shades, rugs etc.

One last area of the room just as with the rest of the home are the walls, so don't forget art work, here again there is an endless array of pictures, canvas prints, posters, wall murals even clocks to pick from.

Add Personality With Accessories

Get creative but most of all have fun putting together a room for the very special addition that is getting ready to join your family.