Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
One of the most fun and exciting parts of preparing for your new baby’s arrival is setting up the baby nursery. Try to have your nursery set up sooner rather than later since towards the end of your pregnancy you will find it harder to get things done as you get bigger and start having more aches and pains.
Plan all your nursery decorating activities to be completed before the end of your second trimester when you have the most energy. You may also find that your baby arrives sooner than you expected and it will be so much easier if your baby’s room is ready.
Here are some things you need to do to get your baby’s room ready:
Choosing a Color Scheme and Theme
You may want to wait until you know the gender of your baby before choosing a color scheme and a theme for your nursery. It is also important to remember that the doctors don’t always get it right when they tell you the gender, especially when they tell you the gender of your baby at an early scan.
You may also want to use the same nursery for your next baby. For this reason it may be best to choose gender neutral colors and themes rather than go all out with a princess theme.
There are some amazing gender neutral themes you can choose from – owls for example make a wonderful gender neutral nursery theme.
Make sure to pick out any nursery decor items and add them to your baby registry so that your friends and family know exactly what you want and need for your baby’s room.
Painting Your Baby Nursery
The first thing you need to know about painting the walls and roof of your baby nursery, and perhaps even the furniture too, is to rather get someone else to paint even if the paint is considered safe. Ask your hubby, another family member or a friend to do it for you. If there is nobody available consider hiring someone to do the painting.
The next most important part of painting is choosing the right paint – you will want a paint that is safe for your baby and that does not affect the air quality in the room. Speak to your nearest paint specialist and research any suggestions given to you, even get a second opinion to make 100% sure of your choices.
Buying Your Baby’s Cot, Mattress and Bedding
Making your baby’s room look visually appealing is great fun, however make sure to remember that safety must always come first – this is especially true when it comes to your baby’s sleeping space.
Sudden infant death syndrome and other sleep related deaths are a very real risk when it comes to babies. There are steps that can be taken to help prevent SIDS and sleep related infant deaths such putting your baby to sleep on his back and ensuring that there is no loose bedding or toys in the cot.
One very important thing to look at is your baby’s cot, mattress and bedding. There are some great products on the market for baby sleep safety, research these products and make sure that you buy a cot and mattress that puts your baby’s safety first.
Have a look at the Breathe-Thru Bassinet and Bassinet Mattress by Safe Sleep Solutions to reduce infant suffocation hazards. Both the bassinet and the mattress are breathable so that your baby can breathe safely even if he turns over or manages to move against the side of the bassinet.
Setting Up A Diaper Changing Station
Changing diapers is going to be a constant feature in your life after your baby arrives. For the first few weeks you will be changing your baby’s diaper approximately every 2 hours through the day and night! Your baby will be in diapers constantly until approximately 18 months to 2 years old.
You will need a solid piece of furniture to lay your baby on that is the right height so you don’t have to bend and lean over all the time which will hurt your back. You can buy a baby changing station, or you can use another piece of furniture such as a chest of drawers which you will be able to continue to use long after your baby is out of diapers.
Get A Comfortable Feeding Chair
Feeding your baby is another activity that will be taking up a lot of your time in the early days. You will want a warm and comfortable place to feed your baby, especially if you are breastfeeding your baby. Having a comfortable chair in your baby’s room will make breastfeeding much easier and more convenient.
Many moms choose a rocking chair which is a great choice for relaxation for mom and soothing for baby. Make sure to have some blankets and pillows available to make sure that you and baby are comfortable and warm.
Cupboards, Shelves and Storage
You are going to need places to pack toiletries, diapers and changing accessories, baby clothing, blankets, baby wraps, strollers, car chairs, toys and more. Get creative with your storage and make sure you have plenty of shelving, cupboards and more places to pack things away neatly.
Storage boxes for toys and blankets can make great decor for your baby’s nursery. Pinterest is a great place to get inspiration from.
Lighting, Fresh Air and Warmth
Lighting is important – you want to make sure the room is dark enough when your baby sleeps during the day, bright lights is going to disturb your baby’s sleep patterns. Make sure to have black out curtains so that you can achieve a dark room when you need to.
Make sure that you have some gentle lighting available for the evenings when you are busy with activities like changing, bathing and feeding your baby. Night lights are great for this.
There will also be times when you will need bright light to check something on your baby, for example if your baby is not feeling well and you want to check for a rash that may be a sign of measles or chicken pox.
You will want to make sure that the room is well ventilated and gets lots of fresh air and sunlight during the day – this will be healthy for your baby. However you don’t want the room to be cold. Newborn babies need to be kept warm and snug. If your baby wants to be
Baby Proofing
It will be a little while before your baby is mobile but it happens quicker than you think. Make sure that your house and baby room is child safe. You will want to make sure you have baby cupboard and drawer safety locks, electrical outlet covers and corner guards on furniture.
Make sure to ensure that there are no strangling hazards such as cords for blinds. You may think that your baby cannot access them but you will find your baby constantly surprising you with things that he can reach that he shouldn’t be able to.
If you are about to become a first time mom ask another mother to help you with pointing out possible dangers in your baby’s nursery. It pays to always be extra vigilant and careful.
