Preparing your baby’s room is a wonderful and fun step. Here is everything you need to know to choose the right furniture, colors or lighting that will constitute the main universe of your little one during his first months of life.
Preparing the room for the future baby is a real moment of pleasure. To make the right choice of decoration, furniture, colors and lighting, we give you some very useful tips.
Baby’s room: the material
The nursery must be multifunctional and versatile. The basic furniture in the baby room should be simple: a cot, a chest of drawers and a changing table; these three pieces of furniture are enough to cover all his needs during the first days. Later, you can always add a chair, a trunk to store baby’s belongings or a small table when he begins to draw. Currently, there are many multifunctional and convertible childcare products, usable for many years.
1 / The baby cot with bars
At first, you can install the cradle in your room so that you can take baby more easily when he wakes up during the night.
The crib is essential for the well-being of your baby:
- The baby bed must be comfortable and safe.
- The baby bed must have separate bars of at most 6.5 cm (European regulation EN 716/95) and whose height from the mattress must be at least 60 cm.
- The baby bed must be placed in a well ventilated place and never near the radiator.
2 / The crib mattress
There are different materials for the baby mattress. The most recommended mattresses are latex, hygienic and flexible, and coconut fiber, which prevents the accumulation of moisture.
- The baby mattress must respect the exact measurements of the baby bed so as not to move.
- You can install a canvas or sponge protection between the mattress cover and the sheet below.
- The sleeping bag or sleeping bag (kind of sleeping bag) allows baby to be always well covered and to maintain a good body temperature. If you are using it, it is best not to dress your baby too much to sleep. The sleeping bag should only be used if the ambient temperature requires it.
3 / The changing table
The changing table is vital for changing babies during the day, but also for dressing and undressing them. Some changing tables have drawers that allow you to store the equipment needed for care.
3 / The baby bath
Determine the baby bath model that will suit you best, the one that will fit into your shower / tub or the one that will allow you to support baby well while bathing.
4 / The little extras of the baby room
- It may also be useful to place a night light in the baby’s room. There are very small ones, adaptable directly on the socket. They make it easier for parents to move around the room when the baby is asleep, and for babies not to be disoriented if they wake up during the night.
- A humidifier can also be used, especially in winter when the heating dries the ambient air in the apartments.
- If you live in a large house or the baby’s room is a little away, you can install a receiver / transmitter system (baby monitor or baby monitor). For the most anxious parents, there are also devices that warn of an acoustic signal if baby stops breathing.
Nursery: the decor
The arrival of a baby in the family implies many changes in the house. The first thing to do is to choose a room: choose a quiet room, with well insulated windows and with shutters that work properly.
1 / The colors of the baby room
As for the colors of the room, it depends on the touch you want to give it. If you want the baby room to be classic and elegant, go for light colors like beige or white. Conversely, if you want to give a little cheerfulness, do not hesitate to choose more colorful shades or to give a touch of whimsy to the room, decorating the walls with decorative murals, wallpaper and vinyls with infantile motifs. Remember, however, that when the child is still very small, it is better to opt for soft colors that transmit feelings of calm and well-being.
2 / The lighting in the baby room
In addition to conventional ceiling lighting, it is recommended to add soft lighting. It can be installed on a wall or take the form of a small lamp. It is ideal in moments of rest and calm: when the child wakes up during the night or when you lie down to sleep.
3 / The decoration of the baby room
As for the decoration, we can place mobiles of different shapes and colors to stimulate baby’s senses, but always in moderation because an overly charged decoration can lead to excessive stimulation.
4 / The curtains of the baby room
Curtains are necessary to control the entry of natural light when your baby sleeps during the day. Choose them from materials that don’t take too much dust.
5 / Feng Shui in the baby room
Feng Shui is a millennial Chinese tradition which seeks, among other things, success and comfort through the harmony of the environment that surrounds us. It can be perfectly applied to the decoration of the baby’s room: lots of light, wooden furniture, natural fibers, water-based paints, plants and neutral colors such as green, blue, shades raw or beige.
In this way, according to this oriental discipline, one stimulates the creativity of the child as well as his concentration and his spirit of initiative.
6 / What if we have little space?
The dimensions of a room are as they are and cannot be changed. What can be changed, however, through decoration, is the perception of these dimensions. Here are a few tips for a very small bedroom to miraculously gain space: light paint and curtains, mirrors, smart storage, color contrasts on the floor, etc.
Nursery: security
Safety is a fundamental point in the nursery.
- The electrical outlets must be provided with protection so that your child cannot insert a metal point into it and risk a concussion.
- The humidifier, if you have one, should be placed out of your child’s reach; change the water daily to avoid contamination with bacteria and other germs.
- The changing table must be stable and perfectly sized for the convenience of your baby’s movements. Never leave your baby alone on the changing table.
- Your baby’s bed must be solid and provided with bars 60 cm high from the bed base. The distance between the bars should be between 6 and 7.5 centimeters, to prevent the baby from passing his head. Finally, the side panels must have a safety locking system that prevents baby from getting on or off.
- The mattress should be neither too soft, too small, nor too large (it must adapt exactly to the size of the cot), to avoid any risk of suffocation.
