5 Tips For a More Functional Nursery

4/22/2016

1
Changing Table Night Light

We aren’t talking about the kind of night light that keeps all the scary monsters away. This night light is to provide enough light so that you are not stumbling around in the dark trying, hoping you got the diaper on right without having to switch on the blinding overhead room light. This way you aren't completely waking up baby or yourself. More often than not when one gets up for those nighttime changed or feedings they are half asleep themselves and putting on a bright room light messes with ones ability to go back to sleep. The same can be said for the baby.

By placing a small, battery powered LED light near your changing table you should be able to have enough light to manage all night time baby tasks successfully. We recommend the motion censored versions versus the touch kinds just because well…you might have your handful with baby.

There are only a handful of table lamp options that aren't completely hideous, so another option are small puck like style adhesives lights usually used for under the counter lighting in the kitchen. You also may not have lots of counter space near on a changing table and the smaller self-stick ones you can get creative with placement.

AMAZON - Fulcrum table lamp, battery powered, motion sensor, $24

AMAZON - Amir® battery-powered, motion sensor mini LED light, stick-anywhere, 3pack $17

AMAZON - Mr. Beams battery-powered, motion sensor LED stick-anywhere, $17

AMAZON - Sylvania self-adhesive, battery powered LED, tap light $9 various colors avaible

2
Storage Ottoman

Congratulations! You've found the perfect glider and now for that essential foot rest, YES, you will use it ALL the time.

There are some great looking poufs out there and we often recommend them. However, we always first look for a storage ottoman that works with a room design first. In a baby nursery a storage ottoman is a great place to store extra blankets for mom or dad to cozy up with while rocking baby or falling asleep in that perfect glider.

It's also a super place for mom to store snacks like granola bars or almonds. Keeping snacks handy where mom does feedings is recommended because too often new mom’s are more concerned with their baby's nutrition than their own and might not be enough nutrition with their new all-consuming baby schedule. Since moms do a lot of sitting in the nursery feeding baby and rocking baby to sleep – this is a good chance sneak in a little nourishment for themselves.

JOSS & MAIN - Amanda Upholstered Storage Ottoman $135.95

JOSS & MAIN - Brook Storage Ottoman $133.95

TARGET - Skyline Hourglass Storage Ottoman $99

IKEA - Bosnas Storage Cube, $14.99

3
Under Crib Storage

You can never have enough storage in your nursery. Don’t forget the space under the crib for all kinds of space to tuck away those extra blankets, diapers, wipes, clothing, etc.

There are some rigid, plastic bins that will fit under a crib even when the mattress has been lowered. But using softer storage containers with a zipper closure might fit with more ease, which is usually no higher than about 6".

WAYFAIR - Sunbeam Under Bed Storage, $18

WAYFAIR - Under-the-Bed Storage Bag, $9

WAYFAIR - Whitmor Inc. Jumbo Underbed Bag, $10

4
Clothing Dividers

As you prepare for the arrival of your little one you will be buying and receiving the most adorable outfits. Not everything will be something they will wear right away – it's amazing how fast they grow out of sizes. I have heard from most moms, and personally experienced, how they never got to dress their baby in that adorable sweeter or sweet dress because it got lost in the mix of their budding fashion plates closet.

To help see what you have in your baby's closet you can use stylish clothing dividers for hanging items by size and by style. This will help avoid just getting a couple wearings of an item before the season changes or before they are too small for them.

These boutique looking designs come in various prints and colors from The Happy Closet. If you are crafty there is a great step-by-step D.I.Y. tutorial we found on Under The Sycamore. We also found this similar circular design for purchase D.B.O. (done-by-others) on Etsy.

AMAZON - The Happy Closet Dividers, $20

ETSY - Closet Dividers $15

D.I.Y. divider how-to found on Under The Sycamore

D.I.Y. dividers make great custom baby gifts

5
Bluetooth Speaker

You may be aware that a sound machine is widely recommended by professionals and mother confirmed as an essential sleep-aid for babies. There are various children's sound machines on the market that might have a half-a-dozen prerecorded sounds or musical tunes as soothing options. They also usually have a volume control and some have a timer. Not that these are bad options, but we would like to suggest a more millennial option.

All you need is a small portable bluetooth speaker and your smart phone (even an old one sitting in your desk draw) that can access free or paid App's like White Noise Ambience or Relax Melody. These Apps have dozens of sounds including, ocean waves, floor fans, wind chimes, restaurant noise, chirping birds, vehicle traffic, even one that replicates the soothing sound of being in the womb. The sounds are on a loop and you can play one alone or become your own D.J. combining several sounds together, controlling individual volume of each soiund.

Because these bluetooth speakers are small and portable you can easily move it around from room-to-room or outside as need. Not to mention travel with it on trips to grandmothers' house or that first family vacation.

If you don't have a smart phone consider another set-up using basic non-bluetooth device like an old phone or IPod that you can set in a speaker dock. I bought a damaged, early generation IPod for cheap that sits in a travel speaker dock, it's been there for three years. We've been able to transition the sound that soothed our little boy from an obnoxious running vacuum cleaner at fool volume to a more mature, peaceful mix made up of ocean waves, chimes and a babbling brook. The only time it leaves the room is when he was an infant, I took the IPod in the car and placed it near the car seat or on walks I set it in the stroller.

Add these to your registry right now!