My Top 10 Nursery Must Haves

I still remember the day that we moved both girls into their own rooms like it was yesterday. It was kind of a big deal. The tiny bundle who has spent the last 6 months sleeping in the moses basket by your side, suddenly taking that first step to being self sufficient. To not needing you in quite the way that they used to.

The first night in my room without them, even second time around with Neve, I barely slept, wondering if they were ok without me and missing being able to lean over for a peak.

That said, I did enjoy creating their very own special space. When it comes to creating a nursery, there is a wealth of inspiration on sites like pinterest and the like, but it can all be a little bit daunting. I struggled to know where to start and what were the must have items that we really needed inside our daughter’s nursery.

Having created our second nursery not so long ago, here are my personal top 10 must have nursery items!

Theme – Don’t feel you need to stick to gender stereotypes – your nursery doesn’t need to be blue or pink – we opted for a grey cloud theme, and used accessories, decorations and blankets/linen to bring the theme to life. Other options such as a pale yellow or lilac also work really well for a nursery, keeping it fresh and bright without being the traditional cliche. These colours are also ideal if you don’t know the child’s gender and are decorating a nursery in advance.

Light – nightlights / low lights / gro light – Every nursery needs a good nightlight, whether it be the glow from your angel care, a gro light (a special light bulb which when clicked once creates a more subtle glow, and clicked twice comes on at full strength), or a nightlight like the Lumie bug, creating a subtle yet reassuring warm glow in the room is a must. Having a source of light to help you see what you are doing during night feeds and nappy changes is also a huge benefit – there is nothing worse than fumbling around in the dark, or causing your baby to stir more than is absolutely necessary.
Rocking Chair – a rocking chair or a chair which enables some kind of motion for you and your baby is ideal, perfect for comforting them post feed whilst being comfortable and calming for you as a Mum. In Erin’s nursery where we had more room we had a large nursing chair and footstool but if you are limited for space, chairs like the Beliani Rocking Chair at Lionshome are the perfect solution.
Storage space – You can never have enough storage space, and even if you are in a small box room like ours, there are some clever options to help make the most of the limited space you do have. We opted for a large under cot storage drawer, perfect for stashing away blankets, gro bags and cot linen, as well as some fold out square storage boxes – ideal for smaller items like toys, comforters, rattles and books. We also had a hanging storage on the side of the cot, ideal for stashing away wipes, the thermometer and spare nappies for those night time changes.
Blackout Blind – If you have ever tried to get a baby to sleep in summer when it’s still light at 10pm, this will be a bit of a no brainer – if you haven’t, trust me, unless you have blackout curtains or a blackout blind, that child ain’t never going to sleep!!! We absolutely love the gro blind, but some thick high quality curtains can also do the trick.

A video monitor – I have taken great comfort from being able to watch my children sleep. A high quality video monitor can not only allow you to hear that your child is ok, but physically see them on screen, check that they are calm and content. With some models like the Motorola Smart Nursery range, you can even talk to your child through the monitor, be alerted to movements, and sync the device with your mobile phone, meaning wherever you are, you can check in on your baby as they sleep.

A soother / comforter Neve only recently decided she wanted to have something to cuddle whilst she slept, but as a result she has started to sleep much better. That familiar ‘friend’ can be a huge reassurance to babies, helping remind them that they are safe and secure in their cots. A soother such as Ewan the Dream Sheep is a great way of helping newborns and younger babies settle to sleep, with white noise sounds such as rain and soothing heart beat noises, little ones will feel right at home.
Sleep sacks – in the winter months, a thick high quality sleep sack is the perfect way to help regulate your babies temperature, and unlike sheets and blankets which can accidently be kicked off, your baby will stay warm and cosy all night long. I would recommend having a few spares so that there is always one clean and ready in case of any milk / nappy explosions! The sleep sacks that unzip from the bottom are also ideal for keeping your baby warm whilst you change their nappy.
Plug Sockets – This may sounds like a random one, but think very carefully about the layout of your nursery, in particular, in relation to plug sockets. At times, you will be spending a lot of time sat in that rocking chair, most likely with your phone in your hand for company. When the colic sets in and your battery is down at 2%, you will be thanking me for being close enough to plug in your charger.
Wipe down paint – is an absolute god send, perfect for wiping away mucky fingers, wee fountains, milk possets or escaping poonamis. The hard wearing wipeable or washable wall coverings are ideal. We used the Valspar colour match service to create our own perfect colour, and with Neve now 20 months, it’s seen its fair share of wipe downs!