Setting up your nursery is one of the most exciting things when it comes to nesting. Deciding its overall style and feel, what colours will compliment your theme and what will make it a fun room for your little one and a calm oasis for you. There are so many things to consider, and of course the most important, what things are essential if you want to keep them just to the necessities.
When purchasing items for our nursery, I knew I wanted to keep it minimalist, and only wanted to purchase items I would use daily. Here are my nursery must-haves of absolute non-negotiables to make your motherhood transition seamless.
A Change Mat You Can Wipe Down and a Diaper Bum Spatula (yes, really!)
You will change a lot of diapers in your first year of motherhood and I mean ALOT. I knew I wanted a functional change mat, one that I could wipe down after each change without having to worry about stripping it back and having to do a load of laundry each time my son had an accident (wees happen mid-change!) For this reason, I purchased the Leander Matty. Made from PUR foam, this practical and comfortable change mat makes diaper changing an absolute game changer. A lifesaver for time management, all it needs is a simple wipe-down after each change!
“Do you really need a brush to wipe cream on your baby’s bum?” If you are asking me, then YES! My husband thought this was a silly purchase, but after the first few diaper changes with our son, he was converted. These amazing little spatulas allow you to put diaper cream on your baby’s bum, all while keeping your hands clean! I purchased a double back from Bumco.
Find a Lounger for Baby
In your arms is where you want to have your baby in the beginning stages. It is pure bliss. However, carrying your baby all the time isn’t realistic, which makes a baby lounger a must-have! We had the Snuggle Me Organic Lounger and absolutely loved it, and so did our son. It was great for naps and lounging, and since it was portable, made for a great item to pack on day trips. It also doubled up as a great trainer for tummy time!
Create a Soothing Environment with a Sound Spa
White noise machines help create a sleep environment similar to what babies are used to in the womb. We had the My Baby Sound Spa and had it on the ocean setting until our son was close to two years old. We used it for naps and night sleeps- I especially enjoyed using it because it would help drown out the noise from normal house activities-i.e. vacuum cleaning or talking to friends and family; you don’t feel the need to tiptoe around while baby sleeps.
Mood Lighting for those Nighttime feeds
You want to keep the room as dark as possible during sleep time, and when I say dark I mean dark, like to where you can’t see your hand in front of your face. For nighttime feeds, I used the Jolywell Night light. You simply would tap the light to turn it on and it would emanate a really soft warm glow that gave you enough light to see what you were doing but wouldn’t wake the baby. We also used it during reading time just to ease the harshness of having bright lights on.
Have a Cozy Corner for Breastfeeding
A cozy corner with a comfy chair and something to put your feet on is a must for moms, you will spend a lot of time feeding your little one and if you’re like me, you will want to feed bub throughout the night in their nursery. I had a sizeable chair with an ottoman that comforted me while feeding. I also kept a burp cloth on the couch and left it on the arm of the side of the boob I needed to breastfeed on for the next feed. So, for example, if I finished feeding on the right side, I would want to start the next feed on the left boob so I would place the burp cloth on the left arm of the chair-that way every time I came in the room I knew exactly which side I needed to start on. It was a simple yet effective trick I came up with to help with my baby brain!
Get Your Nursery Dark as Dark for Sleep-time
We were renting at the time of having Louie so we couldn’t install proper blackout curtains so we opted for Easynight black out blinds. They were portable, so always came with us on overnight stays. Our son is 2 years old now and we still bring it along with us to ensure his room is dark.
To Diaper Bin or not?
My husband and I debated this one, we thought we could get by without one and would just sacrifice walking to the kitchen to bin the dirty diapers but then we thought about having to do that throughout the night and decided on a diaper bin in the nursery was absolutely necessary, and to be honest, it was!
