How to set up the nursery!

When I first found out I was pregnant, I quickly went to Pinterest. I was trying to visualize a perfect nursery for my sweet babe, but not knowing the gender made things difficult. Would I want a ‘gender-neutral’ theme? Something more common (animals, mountains, etc.)? I didn’t have a clue! Granted - I didn’t spend too much time obsessing over it. I was more concerned about what type of recliner would be in the nursery ha!

If I had known what I know now about sleep (aka, the most important thing that happens in the nursery), I would have spent less time searching Pinterest for ides, and have spent the rest of my time researching sleep sacks and routines.

When it comes to nurseries, I have 4 solid tips.

Dark.
Cool.
Comfortable.
Boring.

That’s it! If you follow those 4 words as a guide, you will have the perfect nursery set up.

I know how tempting it is to cutely decorate the entire room top to bottom with boho or modern decor, but in all honesty, it’s not necessary. What IS necessary is that the nursery is a sleep-promoting environment.

So what does the perfect nursery look like?

It’s dark

I’m talking pitch black. Some blackout curtains or blinds are a much better investment than a colourful mural. I’m a huge advocate of baby sleeping in the same place all the time, which means naps should be in the crib. And you’ll find naps go down with a lot less fuss if there’s no light coming into the room. Early morning wakings also won’t be a worry if the sleep environment is super dark.
There’s an old wives tale that says to nap your baby in a brightly lit room so they can get their days and nights sorted out; and while that is a concern for lots of newborns, it isn’t true. By having ‘awake time’ in between naps, you are introducing enough ‘light’ into your newborn’s eyes that they won’t need to nap in the bright room.

It’s cool

It may sound cold, but studies show that babies sleep best in a room that kept between 18-20 degrees. Obviously, you should follow your baby’s lead on this, but a warm, comfortable sleep sack or onesie in a cool room will often lead to better sleep than no cover in a warm one. I always recommend keeping the sleep sack even in the summer, but to dress your baby ‘down.’ What that means is: if it is a hot, hot day outside, get a light TOG rated sleep sack (0.5-1.0) and then only put your baby in their diaper in the sack.

It’s comfortable

Babies sleep for nearly half the day, so a great mattress is a sound investment. It’s well worth your time to do some extensive research and spend the money you had set aside for mobiles and wall decor on the surface baby’s going to be spending the vast majority of their time on. Which brings me to my final point…

It’s boring

Music and soft light, pictures of Disney characters, swirling colours and little plastic fish, all of them seem like they should have a calming effect on a baby, but it’s just the opposite. These standard nursery accompaniments are distracting and stimulating. Blank walls and an easily accessible changing station, those are your best decorating choices when it comes to baby’s bedroom. Although noisy, I do highly recommend a sound machine as an addition to your child’s bedroom. Not only does it mimic some noise that they heard within the womb, but it also prevents external environmental noises from waking them up out of their sleep.

I know it’s not the news you wanted to hear, but I want you to remember that this room serves as a crucial function in your baby’s everyday life! We want it to be calming, quiet, and relaxing for them to get a good, long amount of sleep (that their ever-growing bodies need!).

If you have a newborn and need some guided support, I’d love to help you! Book your free consultation here!