This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts

This post goes out to all the first-time moms who haven't yet experienced nursery life and experienced moms who want to improve their care giving for a newborn. Things are hard enough as a new parent figuring out how to care for a new little life. Then things are kicked up a notch in the middle of the night when it's dark and you are exhausted.

Here are three ways we try to help new moms navigate the baby nursery when designing their space. We want them to be able to handle all that comes their way with less stress, even with their eyes shut, or barely open.

If you are using a bassinet to co-sleep in your room with baby by your side for the first weeks/months of your newborn's life as recommend by the American Academy of Pediatricians, you're eventually gonna need to move baby into the nursery and a regular crib. You'll want to be able to move swiftly and safely from your bed to the crib without bumping, slipping or making too much noise.

Because you'll pretty much be sleepwalking to pick up your baby for middle-of-the-night changes or feedings - thoughtful setting up of the nursery so that there are no items like a pouf or baby play gym in your way.

We suggest that when selecting furniture and decor you pay attention to the size of everything and keeping your furniture in proportion and out of the main paths from the entry door to the crib and from the crib to changing table or glider. 

Another place to be give special attention is with all rugs – large area or small decor rugs. Be sure and use rug pads under all rugs on hardwoods and and make sure your small accent rugs are not going to slide when place on carpet.

Whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding a little light is your friend for this is task. You don't want to flood the entire room from an overhead source. Going from dark to bright light will jolt and baby awake, making it hard for both of you to stay relaxed. Making it even harder for your bodies to fall back asleep fast.

We recommend adding a dimmer ceiling light, adding a motion sensor light to a smaller ambient lighting piece. The other key place to add a task lighting is near the glider. A dimmable light is even better so you can use it in low-light situations like feeding or rocking, but can also provide you a bit more light for reading at story time.

Think about setting up your changing area like you might a work desk. Have baby necessities from diapers to nasal aspirator to clean clothes with in a one hand's reach. With your eye glazed over and for safety reasons, you don't want to leave your baby unattended so make sure you can grab the essentials with one hand. Like when the other hand is covered in poo.

Ensure the changing table area can hold the essentials like diapers and wipes, plus a clean change of clothing. Also keep all baby toiletries well organized and always put back in the same spot like rash cream, nasal aspirator, nail clippers, boogie wipes and any other must-haves.

This post is sponsored by some of our favorite brands and retailers, but the content and opinions expressed are our own. This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts.

I connected with celebrity stylist ElShane through a national community for working moms like myself called HeyMama. Our early communication was a bit shaky. You see ElShane had one little girl already and has an amazing larger than life personal style. So why would she need a nursery designer?

She admitted it was hard to trust another person with the creation of such a personal space, even a design professional. On our first calls I shared my initial thoughts on how she could get all the functionality in the tiny space she was having to carve out of her New York City rental and I walked her through the convenient e-design process – she ultimately realized the YouthfulNest virtual expert service was exactly what her busy schedule needed.

This shining star of a nursery is the true meaning of good things come in small packages.

This post is sponsored by some of our favorite brands and retailers, but the content and opinions expressed are our own. This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts. Disclaimer - Bare is the best practice of nothing but baby in the crib.
Items in crib are for photography styling only.

If you are like me you can't stop gazing at this nursery image and not feel pure joy. It also makes me smile because I recall the first conversation I had with Christine Yeargin, author of Cake for Breakfast blog, about her vision for the nursery and the bold, bright oversized floral print she was in love with.

After seeing our first designs and considering the bolder wallpaper prints Christine decided they just weren't for her and we moved away from colorful wallpaper to a minimal look using a clean wall paint as the backdrop to delicate, fresh and soothing styling. We're calling it Boho Chic.

This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts.

This interview with Project Nursery is a special one. Project Nursery was the main source of inspiration when I designed my very first nursery, for my own son. This was before offering e-design services to other families through YouthfulNest. Today we chat all things design trends, products and e-design services all offered on the Project Nursery + Project Junior website!

Co-founders Pam Ginocchio and Melisa Fluhr have listened to the interests of their followers and now their offering goes above and beyond visual inspiration. Now those amazing products seen in the dreamy room images are for sale right from their site's shop! You can also get started right from their site on your universal baby registry in partnership with MyRegistry.com. Last, but not least, they offer e-design services in partnership with non other than two top nursery design services from YouthfulNest and Little Crown Interiors.

Read on to learn more about how they are bringing it all to you and what's next on their mission to help families nail their youthful room dreams and help moms find stress-free lifestyle solutions.

This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts.

One of the trends for wall décor in kids' playrooms, besides everyone's favorite faux animals heads, is simple incorporating the word PLAY. We have rounded up a dozen of these playful wall art and décor options for your playroom, baby nursery or kid's room. From bright & bold to chic & sophisticated – they are all fun!