Baby Nursery Ideas: All The Furniture You Need

Whether you're buying for your first baby, or refreshing your nursery for their siblings-to-come, setting up a nursery with furniture can be an overwhelming process. Everyone wants the best space for their baby to be comfortable, safe, and suitable for theirs, and your needs. With so many options, gadgets and new products to choose from, we'll help you get your head around the core items you'll need to make the perfect nursery space you've been dreaming of.

What furniture do I need in a baby nursery?

Simplicity goes a long way here. Babies, in their first few years are relatively simple to buy for and the core of any nursery is basic in itself. We'll go through the essentials, and also the extras, so you can decide what's right for you, your baby, and your budget.

It goes without saying that your new baby will need somewhere comfortable, and safe to sleep at night. There are a couple of options, and it's really down to personal preference...

Co-sleeping

If you enjoy the idea of, or have tried co-sleeping successfully before, a co-sleeping cot next to the bed in the early months, can be a great option for it's accessibility for night feeds. From our experience, mums who've had c-sections or other surgery associated with birth prefer this option, as it's easier to roll over during the night than it is to get up and about.

Cots and cot beds

If you'd prefer baby to be in another area of the room, or you have more space for baby to have their own room, a traditional cot or cot bed is usually preferred. Cots and cot beds that have adjustable heights are super useful for being able to lift your new baby out of the cot with ease. If it's value for money you're after, a cot bed will often extend or adapt to last longer as your baby grows into their toddler years. Pair this with a comfy mattress of your choice to give them the best chance at that golden parenting moment- a full nights sleep!

Nursery Storage

Now that their sleeping arrangement is covered, it's a good idea to think about storage. You'll find yourself accumulating lots of sleepsuits, clothes, wipes, nappies and more, which you'll want to organise to save everything taking over your own space! Dependent on the size of your nursery area, and amount of items, there are a couple of options here. Larger items like nursery wardrobes with multiple rails allow for easy viewing of what's clean, helping you sort laundry and outfits with ease. However, nursery changing tables and nursery chests of drawers are popular as they can double up as nappy changing stations when combined with a changing mat. This allows for you to grab clean nappies, wipes and other items easily from the drawers below, which can be a life saver when fumbling around in the early hours!

Matching sets and extras

If you've got the space, a combination of a cot bed, dresser and nursery wardrobe works really well. For ease of pairing, matching nursery furniture sets can save time deciding, and save on costs of buying individual items too. Additional items and nice-to-haves for your nursery are really up to you, and can include things like nursing chairs, moses baskets, clothes stands and handy storage footstools.

When to buy nursery furniture?

Finding out you're pregnant is such an exciting time, and planning your babies nursery is part of the excitement. We'd recommend getting a good head start on researching what type of furniture you will need as soon as you can, as there are lots of options out there. As a general rule of thumb, it's a good idea to order your nursery furniture in plenty of time to account for delivery lead times, and making sure you're happy with the items when they're delivered.

Another thing to consider is the size and weight of the items. If you're likely to be assembling items by yourself and you're pregnant, it's a good idea to order early and assemble early, before bump starts getting in the way! Our friendly customer service team are on hand to answer questions on delivery times, so you know when to expect your new furniture to arrive.

How to arrange furniture in a babies nursery

The most important thing to note when arranging nursery furniture is the dimensions of the items. Before buying, measure up your room and any existing items within it to make sure you have enough space to walk around freely, and that drawers and wardrobe doors can open without being obstructed. A handy tip is to mark out the size of the furniture items you want with masking tape on the floor and walls, to get an idea of how much width and height they'll take up.

When it comes to their sleeping area, whether this be a cot or something else, you'll want to keep it away from the windows where possible. Blackout curtains and blinds may block out light from eye level, but for little ones in a cot beneath the window, a leak of light from the bottom of the blind can be enough to wake them. Windows usually become hotter in the summer, and colder in the winter, changing the temperature and further affecting your babies chance at a good nights sleep. If you can, pop the cot or sleeping area away from any windows.

You may want to think about the wall you're placing the cot against. Will there be noise from the adjacent room or corridor that could wake your baby? Place your cot against a flat wall so little fingers don't get stuck, or trapped between the side of the cot and the wall itself.

You'll want your changing station close by for a swift transfer from the sleeping area to the changing area, so you can get to changing your babies nappies right away. If you can, put the changing station by the door so it's quicker to access if baby is in a separate room to you.

Nursery safety

For larger items, shelving and storage, you should keep these away from your babies sleeping area to avoid anything falling into or near the cot or moses basket. Make sure any loose items that are above or around the cot are properly secured for the safety of your little one. Avoid hanging anything that will be within arms reach as your baby starts to grow- little hands like grabbing onto everything!

Conclusion

Creating a nursery space can be a challenge, but also very rewarding when your little one arrives and the space you've created really comes to life. By making sure the basics are covered, you're setting up your baby for the best sleep, play and development, whilst making routines easier for you as a new parent. Visit our page for nursery ideas; if you need help deciding, give our friendly customer service team a call on freephone 0808 196 3344- we're parents too!