Creating the Perfect Nursery
When you first got pregnant, how long did it take before you started visualizing what your baby’s nursery was going to look like?
Go ahead. I won’t judge.
I know everyone is different when it comes to these things. Perhaps all it took for you was 30 minutes and you KNEW you wanted a Winnie the Pooh theme. Maybe a few months later you changed your mind and decided on zoo animals. Or maybe you wanted a more contemporary, elegant look.
Me on the other hand… well, I’m on the complete opposite side of the spectrum… With zero vision when it comes to decorating and knowing that we were going to be room sharing for quite some time, I didn’t even bother thinking about what to do. I see beautiful nurseries all the time and would have loved that for my son (if only I had the space and the ability to copy-paste those nurseries without lifting a finger!), and would love to have that for my future kids.
Little did I know that when it comes to nurseries – dark, cool, comfortable, and boring is all it really needs to be.
I can imagine it’s tempting to stuff baby’s sleep space with adorable mobiles, inspiring pictures, and fluffy, squishy toys. After all, wouldn’t baby WANT to be surrounded by a sea of cuteness while they drift off to sleep?
Now, Baby may like it in theory, but it’s not actually conducive to a good night’s sleep! For the same reason that you wouldn’t (or perhaps shouldn’t) bring your iPad to bed or watch TV while drifting off, stimulation and sleep are best kept separate from one another.
So, what does the perfect nursery look like?
For starters, it’s DARK. I’m talking pitch dark, like you “can’t see where you’re walking” dark. The truth is, blackout curtains and blinds are a much better investment than a colorful mural (though definitely not as aesthetically pleasing). I’m a huge advocate of baby sleeping in the same place all the time, which means naps should be in the crib as often as possible. And you may just find that naps go much smoother, with a lot less fuss, if there is no light coming into the room.
Next, we want it to be COOL. Studies show that babies sleep best in a room that is kept at a cool temperature. (I’m not going to give you a specific temperature, but only because 69 degrees in your home may be freezing in my home. Right now it’s summertime, and with our A.C. on, anything below 73 degrees in our bedroom makes it too cold. But that may not be the case in your space!) Follow your baby’s lead on this. Just remember, a warm, comfortable sleep sack or onesie in a cool room often leads to better sleep than no cover/clothing in a warm room.
We also want to make sure it’s COMFORTABLE. Babies sleep for, at minimum, half a day (13-18 hours a day in the first year of life is normal and expected), so a great mattress is a sound investment. Sounds a little funny to say, but instead of focusing on what’s above the mattress (mobiles and stuffed toys), let’s make sure that the actual mattress is top notch.
Finally, we want baby’s sleep space to be BORING. Music, soft light, pictures of animals or storybook characters, swirling colors, etc all may seem like they should have a calming effect on baby, but in reality, it’s actually just the opposite. These standard nursery staples are distracting and stimulating (which if you recall, doesn’t go well with sleep).
Blank walls, an easily accessible changing station, and a space for you to sit when feeding baby are more than likely your best decorating choices when it comes to baby’s bedroom.
It’s probably a bit of a tough pill to swallow for any parent because we really do look forward to putting together a little corner of baby-themed paradise for our little ones. But this room serves a crucial function in baby’s day-to-day life – and that’s to be a quiet, relaxing, and calm space so that they can get the extensive amount of sleep their growing little bodies need.
There will be plenty of opportunities to decorate their rooms with whatever themes and knick-knacks you want when they’re older (think teenage years), though at that point, you may just have to deal with their input too.