Preparing for your new baby arrival is a fun time, and some pregnant women go into their ‘nesting’ phase getting everything ready before baby arrives. Depending on your personal preference, it might be a very simple set up you want to go with, or if you are a bit more extravagant – it can be a real quest to create the “perfect nursery”. Below are some ideas/tips that you might want to consider:

Change table

A change table and equipment to change your baby, as well as get rid of things such as nappies, are important to have on hand when setting up your baby nursery. If that is where you are going to be changing your baby then this needs to be in your nursery. Change tables can be bought very cheaply from stores such as Target and Big W or specialist baby shops, and often have shelves underneath the table where you can store all your essentials such as wipes, nappies and nappy rash cream, etc.

Nappy bin

If you are using disposable nappies then it is really handy to have a bin to put them in near to your change table. The pedestal ones can work a treat. There are more sophisticated nappy disposal systems if you want to spend more money.

Black out curtain

Once your baby is in their own room it may take a little while for them to settle, and being in a bright room can keep them awake, so consider investing in a black-out curtain or buying some material that when put over the curtain makes the room completely dark.

Electric candles/light

Sounds silly but having a dimmed light/candle is a really useful thing when needing to check on your baby in a dark room but not wanting to disturb them. The electric candles such as the Enjoy Candles brand are great as they are low light but give you enough to see and not disturb your baby, or alternatively a small portable LED light would do the same.

Feeding chair

A nice comfortable chair is a great idea for the nursery to make it easy to do the night time feeds and then settle your baby and get them straight back to bed.

Cot

Of course a cot is an essential item for the nursery. Whether you start with a bassinet and move to a cot, it is handy to have one ready for when your baby is old enough to go into it. Make sure that the cot complies with Australian Standard AS/NZS 2172 – and if unsure check with your retailer or baby safety websites such as Kidsafe.

Keep the cot simple and don’t have anything in the cot that is likely to make your baby hot or enable them to get tangled up in.

If unsure about anything to do with sleeping or wrapping your baby have a look at the posts on the SIDS  website.

Storage

A decent chest of drawers is always handy as well as utilising your wardrobe or whatever is in baby room. Be mindful of the drawers and ensure they are safe and secured as advised by the manufacturer, but use them to store clothes, swimmers, whatever you need for your baby.

Decorate

Some parents like to keep their nursery plain and simple, others like to decorate. If you plan to decorate there are hundreds of ideas out there such as stickers and decals for the walls, birth prints and pictures, toys, all sorts. Pinterest is a great start for ideas or the baby magazines.