Efficiency in the Nursery

The time leading up to your baby's arrival can be exciting. When it comes to getting the nursery ready, it can also get expensive. You can spend a lot of money decorating, stocking and organizing the nursery, but you don't necessarily need to. You can get a lot done with less money by focusing on function and efficiency first. Use these tips to get the basics down and then decide what extras will be most useful to you. When the baby first comes home, the main thing is to have the nursery functional. You don't want to spend a lot of time and money on a room that is cute, but doesn't suit your needs.

1) Think about what you really need. First, think about the bare necessities. Many new parents prefer to sleep with their baby in the master bedroom with them, so that they can keep an eye and ear close. A basinet and a rocking chair in your room may be all that you use for the first few months. However, you do want to have the baby's room ready for other things, like storing clothing, bedding, and toys.

2) There are many safety concerns to consider right off the bat. You don't want to find out that the dresser should have been anchored the first time your baby pulls up. Baby proofing as you go is a lot easier than deciding to do it all at once, the day that the baby starts to crawl. Use the baby's closet as a storage area for clothing, shoes, diapers, wipes, bedding and more. This will help you to save money and space by not necessarily needing a dresser for the baby. Play room will quickly become more important to you than furniture! Plus, everything will be out of the baby's reach and easy for you to access.

3) Set the closet up as your safety zone. This will be your area. Medications should be up high, diapering items below that, then shoes, clothes and storage items down below. You'll love having everything in one place. Baby items are tiny, so it doesn't matter if your nursery closet is smaller than you had wished. Install inexpensive wire shelving that is adjustable so that the system can grow with your child's needs. Go ahead and stock the closet with infant hangers, baby hangers and children's hangers. Your baby will have several sizes of clothes in their closet all the time. Size markers are helpful, and so are containers for hand-me-down clothing that is too big, and clothes that are outgrown that can be handed down.

When the basic needs are taken care of, you will be free to decorate when you wish and when you have the funds to do so.