The Nursery

Setting up your nursery can be a lot of fun for everyone. But I have come across a few things that might help with the set up.
If you want to paint the room keep in mind it is a place where your baby should be relaxed and able to sleep. Too much stimulation in their room and they won’t be able to. Keep the walls and curtains soft flat colours.
When choosing a change table, try and get one with a padded over, side rails, and shelves. Covering the change table with a towel is a great idea (especially in the first few months, guaranteed bubs will 'go to the toilet' whenever you take their nappy off), towels are easy to wash and you generally already have quite a few of them. Stocking the change table is always fun as well but you might end up rearranging it once you have changed bubs a lot. Sections in the change table to hold all your lotions and potions are always handy. In terms of what lotions and potions to have it is really up to you but generally nappy rash cream (not baby powder, especially for girls, as it can get inside and just sits there and can create problems) and your wipes are the main ones. You may also like a moisturiser and/or baby oils. Don’t forget to have a large section for nappies ie. the shelf and maybe keep a change of clothes handy just in case the ones they are wearing get soiled while changing.
A toy chest can defiantly be kept in the room but again, try and keep it simple, and closed when bubs is sleeping.
A lot of baby monitors these days come with night lights, video monitors and exciting things but as long as it does the job for what you want it doesn’t matter on the brand. As long as your comfortable what difference does it make? We have a simple one with a night light and 2 handsets (one for our room and another to have anywhere else which can be worked on batteries, handy if you go outside).
Your baby will sleep a lot (hopefully) so make sure your get a cot which is safe with small gaps between the rails. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) can be very scary but reducing the risk is key. There are a few guidelines for safe sleeping you should try and follow. The below information is from the SIDS website so for more information check out the website.
- From birth sleep your baby on its back
- Keep the cot clear; don’t have toys, bumpers, pillows or doonas
- Avoid exposing the baby to tobacco smoke
- Keep the baby is a safe sleeping environment for the first 6-12 months next to your bed, either in the cot or a bassinet.
- Your baby should sleep with its feet close to the end of the cot (as pictured) this will avoid your baby wriggling under its blankets
There is a brochure you can download called Keeping Your Baby Safe which is designed to help make sure your child's nursery is a safe place.