Tuesday 23 April 2013

HOW TO DESIGN YOUR NURSERY

The arrival of a baby to any home, well, majority of homes is a thing of joy and you need to be prepared to received the baby. In my practice, I have come across lots of pregnant women seeking to know the sex of their unborn child and I wonder. In some countries like India it is prohibited to ask to know the sex of your unborn child. While I was visiting some of their hospitals, it was boldly stated in the radiological departments that they do not check the sex of the baby and the patients shouldn't bother requesting for such. Personally I don't bear any grudge to the enquiries it's just I often wonder how mothers did their shopping and designing before the advent of ultrasound scans and means of checking their babies sex.
When asked quite a number of them why they wanted to know? They all had the same excuse - "I want to know what kind of clothes to shop for" and my reply is always the same - " buy neutral clothes with neutral colors. Same rule applies when you are thinking of designing a nursery.
Neutral colors here doesn't necessarily mean white or tan or shades of brown, NO, By neutral colors, I mean neutral for gender, no pinks or blues, those are specific for girls and boys respectively. Go with green, yellow, lilac or gold. If you decide to play it safe and choose white or tan for the walls, then accessorize with the aforementioned colors. The can paint murals on the walls as shown below;

There are some basic furniture and accessories you can't afford to do without in your nursery.

  • Crib: When choosing your crib, the temptation to buy something really cute and pretty is very high but try to resist and choose something more logical. There are also some stylish logical cribs. Pick out cribs dat grow with the child so you don't start looking for new beds as the child grows.
  • Changing table: It is best to buy a changing table that can also serve as a cabinet. This gives you extra storage and of course your baby doesn't outgrow it. The cabinet drawers can be used to put all your requirements for changing the baby e.g. diapers, wipes, nappy creams, body suits and overalls e.t.c.
  • Chair: Get a very good sofa, if it reclines, better; better still if it comes with an ottoman so you feel totally relaxed while nursing your baby.
  • Clock: This helps you to plan both yours and the baby's time properly. If the feeding and sleeping times are properly organised to suit the baby, then you have more time for yourself and more sleep at night hence avoiding postnatal stress.
  • Couch: This extra couch serves as an invitation to your or friend who comes to visit when you need to feed or put baby to sleep, they can sit there and discuss with you while you get on with your business. This way, they don't feel neglected and you don't feel mean.
  • Throw pillows: This are accessories which serve to add a little more texture to your decoration and design. They also help you cushion your back and rest.
  • Wardrobe: Whether in-built or mobile, it should be able to show at a glance all its contents. Organise the clothes according to age range so you don't go searching for 3-6months clothes in the section for 24 months. Label any section you might easily forget. Bring in little labelled baskets for socks and caps.
  • Basket: These come in 2 categories, the little cute ones with labels where you can throw in socks, caps, bibs and little knick-knacks you made find difficult to organise by yourself and the larger also beautiful one where you put all the dirty clothes (best to keep the latter in the bathroom or laundry if you have one).
  • Toys: This is the most important aspect to me really. Buy stuff animals (teddy bears) and beautify the space. They can be place on one side of the cabinet/changing table. 
  • Others: These are accessories that can also come into play in your design. They include; pictures of the baby in beautiful frames properly arranged (refer to this article on picture arrangement), artwork and rug. A rug is good for when the baby starts to crawl. Mirrors aren't absolutely necessary unless you want the space to appear larger. 
  • Lighting: Nice windows with beautiful blinds/curtains. Bring in extra lighting with elegant table lamps
  • Safety Measures: From the start, avoid anything that can cause suffocation, use good linen or cotton sheets. Don't wait until the baby this crawling before you decide to babyproof your home; cover all electrical outlets, put latches on your cabinets, baby gate/fence, if possible lock your fridge, change all auto-lock door knobs to the regular type to prevent the baby locking him/herself in a room



I hope these few tips help. If you like the article, don't hesitate to let me know. If you want certain topics discussed I'm also open to your suggestions. Always love to hear from my readers and I promise to reply promptly. 

***Picture in this article were gotten off the web.

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