A Nursery Checklist
To Help You Decide Which Baby Furniture and Goodies You Really Need
Use this nursery checklist when it's time to go furniture shopping for your baby nursery.
There are many
baby nursery furniture options available on the market today.
But you really don't need them all.
After all the ups and downs of birthing, feeding, changing, dressing and generally pampering four precious babies, I think I can safely say that I know what works, and what doesn't, in terms of organizing yourself for baby on a budget.
In my opinion, you only really need five items of furniture for your baby nursery. Keep reading the nursery checklist to find out more...
Somewhere To Sleep
If money is tight, go for a straightforward
standard baby crib.If you have a few dollars to spare,
convertible baby cribs are great value for money.
Also see our
discount cribs page for handy money saving ideas.
Find out more about baby cribs here.
Or maybe you would prefer a
small baby bed such as a bassinet or moses basket.
Somewhere to Change, Dress and Mess With Baby
Why You Need A Changing Table...
Some people will tell you to go without this item and to change your baby in the crib. If you have chosen a baby crib with a drop down side rail this is entirely possible to do. However, you'll soon see that this is really not such a good idea...
Do you know that over the course of your baby's diaper wearing years, you will change around 7000 diapers? In addition, you will dress and undress your baby between 3 and 5 times a day on average.
You will bath them, dry them, brush their hair, cut their nails, check up their nose, in their ears and between their toes, squirt nasty tasting drops in their mouth, check for teeth...
The list goes on and on. That's an awful lot of back-breaking work if you're doing it all on baby's crib mattress.
I do all of these things on my baby's changing table, which is just above waist height.
Guess what - I don't have back ache at the end of the day!
A baby changing table.
You have a choice between the open front changing table with storage baskets, which are very pretty, or a dresser-changing table combo.
Fast forward a few months - ok, a year - and imagine the little bundle in your tummy starting to crawl and investigate.
Uh-oh - that open front doesn't seem like such a good idea anymore!
The dresser is a much more practical option, both in terms of crawling babies and nursery storage.
Try to find one with four drawers or more, or three drawers plus a side cupboard. (Watch the height of the table though. Waist height is best for comfortable changing.)
Find out more about baby changing tables here.
Somewhere For All The Used Baby Outfits
A baby hamper - essential for keeping track of all those little baby clothes. Keeping them separate is a real time-saver if you don't wash the rest of your family laundry in the mild detergent recommended for babies.
If floor space is a concern, a laundry bag hung on the back of the nursery door works too.
Somewhere To Keep Feeding Supplies and Lamp
You will need a nightstand or table.
The nursery lamp and nightlight stand here, close to the feeding chair.
A nightstand is better, because it has drawers for baby's feeding items.
The night time hours are so much easier if you are comfortable and have everything you need, organized and close to hand.
Somewhere To Sit and Feed Baby
The final item on the nursery checklist, a rocker or glider is an absolute must for all those early morning nursing sessions.
Money cannot buy the hours and hours of bonding time you will have here with your little one.
Read more about nursery rocking chairs here...
Read more about nursery glider chairs here...
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