Designing and creating your baby's nursery is an exciting prospect. And as a parent to be, you want everything to be perfect – your instincts kick in and you want nothing less than the best for your little one. Many parents get a little carried away when creating a nursery for their first child, with new-fangled gadgets and the latest must-have items.
In reality, your baby’s nursery needs to be three things: practical, relaxing and safe. Here are our top tips for putting together the perfect nursery for your new arrival.
The place where your baby will eventually sleep should naturally be the primary investment when you are designing their nursery. Obviously, the cot needs to meet the very highest safety standards, and you may also need to look to the future when selecting the right model.
Are the sides of your chosen cot removable? Will the cot convert into a toddler bed when the time is right, or will you need to buy a new one? When it comes to purchasing a cot, quality is everything. Choose a brand renowned for excellent craftsmanship.
It can be tempting to choose blue for boys and pink for girls when planning your colour scheme – but the focus should be less on gender and more on creating a relaxing environment.
A neutral colour scheme, with browns and beiges, can help soothe little ones more effectively than a room packed with bright primary colours. Gentle greens can create a room connected with nature, and deep blue can infuse the room with a sense of safety and relaxation.
When you announce to family that you’re going to have a baby, you’ll often find that many of them will be eager to help, and may pass on some of their old items and heirlooms. While it’s often better to buy certain items brand new (the cot, for example), there are certain sentimental items which would make the perfect addition to your nursery.
A rocking chair passed down through the generations would make a perfect place to nurse in your baby’s new room, or perhaps a charming mobile to soothe your little one as they drift off to sleep. Don’t forget to leave room in your nursery for these timeless items.
Make sure there’s plenty of storage in your nursery. If in doubt, add more! Many parents will tell you that you can never have enough cupboards and shelves when raising a baby. You should also consider installing some blackout curtains or blinds. This will help baby to settle when it’s time to sleep – and any new mother will confirm that those times don’t always coincide with the hours of darkness!
Do you have any tips for designing a beautiful nursery? We’d love to hear them in the comments below.
If the festive season didn’t feel exciting and filled with wonder already, along comes your little one and gives you a fresh perspective on what the Christmas season truly means.
Making that first Christmas special can feel overwhelming, you want everything to be picture perfect but you know they’re not going to remember all the fuss.
Gift giving for your newborn is the easy part, after all, you want to spoil them. But we’ve listed below some thoughtful first Christmas presents that will last well beyond this Christmas and go on to be treasured keepsakes in their lives.
It’s true what they say - children are the ones that make Christmas special.
With festivities fast approaching, you may be getting overwhelmed in the planning of your baby’s first Christmas. And that’s completely understandable.
After all, as parents, we want to make it perfect for them and create memories that can be looked on in many years to come.
Although your little one will not remember their first Christmas, traditions are a great thing to begin to establish during Christmas, as they can continue year-after-year, and become something that your child cherishes about the festive season when they are older.
To help inspire you, we’ve listed some of the thoughtful traditions you can begin to help your baby’s first Christmas to be magical, in the hope they will last far longer than the real fir tree.
As parents, we want to be able to capture all those special moments of our little one's lives. But when you’re not a professional photographer, sometimes capturing those picture perfect moments can be frustrating.
As famous photographer WC Fields once said - “never work with animals or children.”
And when you’re a parent you can understand why. Not only because your model is often a wiggle bum, but also because the lighting might not be great, or you’ve realised you can see the giant pile of ironing in the background.
