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You are here: Home / STYLE / Baby’s nursery checklist – and not feeling broody

Baby’s nursery checklist – and not feeling broody

January 25, 2018 by Molly Leave a Comment

Two of my lovely friends have recently had babies. They are beautiful. I’ve loved sniffing their little heads and feeling their tiny fingers wrap around my thumb. But this is the first time in a while that I’ve been able to soak up the gorgeousness of a newborn without feeling that familiar lurch of the ovaries telling me I want one of my own. I was looking back at some old photos the other day, remembering the special time just before Effie was born, when I threw myself into decorating her nursery. I loved selecting the nursery furniture set and pulling the room together.

Most places sell nursery furniture sets four to a set (crib, dresser and chair, bedding, and changing table), but we chose to buy each piece individually, mixing up old pieces with new in our mint, grey and yellow colour scheme. The rocking chair belonged to my late grandma. I painted it and we now have it in the girls’ new bedroom. I can’t imagine ever getting rid of it. When I was looking at baby furniture sets I ended up buying online, spending ages poring over finishes and colours, wood type and design.

If you’re expecting your next baby I’ve put together a list that might be helpful when you’re planning your nursery project. My main piece of advice is to enjoy it and don’t get stressed. It doesn’t matter if it’s not ready as soon as the baby is born – Effie ended up sleeping in our room for nine months anyway! 

1. Cot or crib

A crib or cot is the central element of any nursery, and as well as being a comfy place for your baby to sleep it can really change the look of the room. These days you can get 5-in-1 designs, with lots of cots converting into a toddler bed, day bed and even a full sized bed later down the line.

2. Crib skirts

I didn’t even know crib skirts were a thing until I started looking into decorating the nursery, but apparently you can get these to go around the bottom of the cot to cover the lower part which can then be used as storage for nappies and extra bedding. Another alternative if you’re low on storage is to buy a cot with a storage drawer underneath. We ended up with this type of cot when we had the Cosatto Owlet bed.

3. Mattress

You can buy lots of mattresses now that have hypoallergenic properties and some are even scented with things like lavender to try to promote good sleep.

4. Mattress protector

The Lullaby Trust recommends a waterproof cover over a mattress, which will also save the need for dry cleaning if there are any nappy leakages.

5. Changing table

This isn’t a necessity but it will make life easier – especially if you’re recovering post-birth and struggle to get up and down from a mat on the floor. We used a mat on top of a chest of drawers at first, and then moved this onto a cot change top which sat on top of Effie’s Cosatto cot. But you can get specialist changing tables with extra drawer space for changing accessories, if you have space in the room. If you’re wondering if this is a short-term buy, there are lots of ideas for upcycling change tables into new pieces of furniture on Pinterest. A change table into a bar cart, anyone?!

6. Changing mat

This will make nappy changes far more comfortable for your baby, as well as protecting the wood of the furniture underneath!

7. Chairs or Sofa

The one thing I was determined to have for my second baby was a decent chair to feed her in. When Freya was a baby we had a little double futon in her room. Although it was useful to have a sofa in there it wasn’t the comfiest to feed on as it was so low. My grandma’s rocking chair was so comfortable to feed in though, and after a new lease of life with some Annie Sloan chalk paint it fitted right into the room.

8. Bedding

A couple of baby blankets can act as accessories in the room, tying a colour scheme together, as well as being extremely useful. We tended to put Effie in baby sleeping bags at night but for her naps she’d often be tucked in with a baby blanket. Large muslin cloths (Anais Anais ones are gorgeous) were really useful to use as sheets in the summer, and fitted sheets made changing the cot so much easier.

9. Accessories

By far the favourite accessory in the room was a handmade cot mobile which we still have hanging in there – even though the room is now a playroom and not a nursery! I also invested in some new prints for the walls, 3D frames to house her first ever pair of shoes and hang on the wall, and some star decal stickers to add some interest to the mint feature wall.

 

Hope this checklist proves useful. It’s making me want to tackle our next interiors project!

 

 

 

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This is a commissioned post. For more information about how I work with brands check out my Work With Me page. 

Filed Under: Interiors, STYLE Tagged With: baby nursery, baby nursery reveal, interiors ideas, nursery checklist

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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If you feel bad about your body you’re less like If you feel bad about your body you’re less likely to do nice things for it, including moving in a way that feels good and eating in a way that feels good. (FYI health is about more than just exercise and nutrition, but let’s get deeper into the exercise thing for a second...)
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Research shows kids who have low body image are less likely to get involved with sports and more likely to skip PE. 
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Want kids to move more? Stop teaching them that one type of body is better than another - because if their body doesn’t look like your version of a healthy / beautiful / successful body not only will they be more likely to feel shame over their body, they’ll be less likely to engage with the very behaviours you want them to do more of (or be more likely to engage with them in an UNhealthy way - compulsive exercise is dangerous).
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Instead:
💕Try talking about the intrinsic benefits of exercise over the extrinsic ones (ie. how it makes you FEEL instead of how it makes you LOOK).
✨Create opportunities for movement where ALL children feel welcome. 
💕Show children diverse representation so they can see sporting heroes with a range of body types and know that movement is for EVERYbody. 
✨Take a zero tolerance approach to appearance based bullying, body shaming and comments that perpetuate weight stigma (including even the hint that fat = bad). 
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(If you’re a teacher or youth leader interested in knowing more about this topic, a #BodyHappyKids workshop will help - follow the link in my bio 🥰❤️)
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[Image description: A multicoloured slide with an overlaid screenshot of tweet by Molly which reads ‘If your intention is to “get kids healthy” then you need to be aware of how weight bias, weight stigma and poor body image are active barriers to health. The end.]
Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a crying shame only the piles of laundry got to see it, quite frankly. Finally, a pair of pre-loved jeans bought online that are true to size, consistent with the rest of the brand’s sizing and actually fit! 🎉 
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PS heads up - I’ll be doing a Q&A about body image and kids in my Stories on Friday. The Q sticker is up in my Stories now if you’d like to submit a Q! 💕 #BodyHappyKids
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[Image description: Molly is standing in front of the mirror looking very pleased with the fact her new jeans bought from Depop fit her. She is wearing pink patterned jeans with cherubs on them, a pink check jumper and pink trainers. There are piles of laundry on the bed behind her.]
Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been our main form of entertainment this year. Anyone else? 
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I honestly now get excited about putting my boots on and being outdoors, even in the rain. I’m going to start hugging trees next and going on wild camping weekends that involve doing a poo behind a tree and making my own fire. Joke.... maybe. 
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Just another reminder that all movement is valid, exercise doesn’t need to have to be about burning calories or even tracking steps in order for it to be “worth it”. Hope everyone’s had a great weekend ❤️
#BodyHappyMum #JoyfulMovement
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Image description: Molly and her two daughters stand on a bridge in the countryside. They are all wearing hiking boots and outdoor clothes and smiling.
My body is good and excellent and my body only bel My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me ✨ (Words by Effie May, age 6 💕) #BodyHappyMum
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Image description: A close up of Molly’s bare skin as she hugs herself. It’s dark and part of her body is illuminated by light. She has her eyes closed and is smiling.
“Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. “Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. And my heart swelled. Maybe I’m doing an OK job after all 🤞❤️💕 #BodyHappyKids 
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I could leave this caption here but I need to make something clear: if you think it’s great that my daughter - a thin, white, nondisabled, cisgender kid - feels good in her body but you’re not here for the self-love of any kid who doesn’t look like her.... then you’ve missed the point.
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ALL bodies are good bodies, and without this important piece of the puzzle ALL children will be at risk of doubting their body. And what happens when they doubt their body? Well... hating our body doesn’t make us treat it with love, and the same is true of kids. 
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Great, now we’ve cleared that up, can we take a moment to appreciate the incredible phonetic spelling on show here?! 
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Image description: Effie, age 6, stands against a white wardrobe holding up a letter she has written to herself. It is spelled phonetically and reads “My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me.”
I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I ha I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I had any spare cash - not just treats, but basics like pants and tights that fit properly. I’d tell myself I didn’t need it, didn’t deserve it, couldn’t justify the expense. There’s still that little voice (the habit of putting everyone else’s needs first and my own last dies hard it seems) but I’m leaning into exploring why it still sometimes rears its head, instead of always listening to it. 
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I’m trying to buy as much as I can from pre-loved places or small businesses these days, which is why I’m very happy to share with you some of my latest finds: a star dress from Depop (£5), earrings from @kelzojewellery by @ourtransitionallife (£12) and the comfiest tights I’ve ever owned in Raspberry Pie by @snagtights (£6.99) 💕💕💕
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Have you found any great small brands lately? Shout them out in the comments so we can all support in the run up to Christmas. ⬇️⚡️
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Image description: Molly is smiling and sticking out her tongue to the camera. Her hair is freshly dyed a light shade of pink. She’s wearing a pink t’shirt underneath a black and white star patterned slip dress, with bright pink tights and black and pink earrings decorated with a boob design.
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