Buying Furniture For A Baby's Nursery

The very first bedroom your baby has is so special because it heralds the start of this new life so you want to make it as cosy and comfortable as possible. Your baby baby will sleep in your room for the first few months of his, or her, life but will spend time in their room during the day for nappy changes and play so it is best to make sure the nursery is ready before your baby is born if you have the money and time.

The colour scheme is the starting point. If you know the sex of your baby before it is born then you may decide to opt for traditional blue or pink however neutral tones are still very popular and you may even go for something completely different like a sunny lemon or a bold purple. If you do choose a striking colour consider using it on one accent wall with a calmer tone on the other three.

Not knowing whether you are having a boy or a girl should not matter as there are many colours that will suit both – a warm orange, a bright yellow or even a pale lavender. Paler colours at this stage are an advantage as you can always paint over them in stronger colours once your baby is older. You may have already seen nursery furniture that you absolutely love and this might have a knock on effect on the colour scheme you choose.

Buying nursery furniture is an exciting time as well. Do you opt for just a basic cot and changing table or do you buy a full matching set, complete with co-ordinating curtains and nappy stacker? This is normally decided by budget and by how large the nursery is. Remember that your baby will not mind if the changing table does not match the rocking chair as long as he or she feels settled in the room and it is dark enough for sleeping. A well rested baby will benefit you too.

When choosing what to put in the nursery, it is best to decide beforehand whether to buy furniture that will last into toddlerhood and beyond, such as a cot bed which can be used up until the child is five years old, or whether to buy cheaper pieces for baby now knowing that a couple of years on you will have to replace items to make it more suitable for a growing toddler. Again it often comes down to money. Buying a cot bed is going to be more expensive short term but this will save money in the long term as they convert in to a junior bed as a transition between cot and single bed. However, if you buy all the furniture when the baby is tiny it might start looking rather tatty by the time your child is about to start school so opt for the best quality that you can afford.

A couple of nice extras you can consider are a mobile over the cot to give baby something to look at while lying in bed. You can talk to your baby about the characters hanging from the mobile while you are changing nappies.

If you are painting the nursery consider a printed border or reusable stickers to brighten up the walls. There are many on the market from the ever popular TV and film characters to generic teddy bears and farm animals. Reusable wall stickers have the advantage of being easy to peel of so that you can replace them as often as you want changing the scheme with out having to repaint the nursery.