{"id":104261,"date":"2020-01-20T15:11:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-20T20:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.bhgrelife.com\/bhgrelife\/?p=104261"},"modified":"2020-01-17T15:20:25","modified_gmt":"2020-01-17T20:20:25","slug":"nursery-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stage.bhgrelife.com\/bhgrelife\/nursery-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for renovating a nursery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether\nyou\u2019re expecting your first child or renovating a nursery<\/a> in a new home for your growing\nfamily, selecting a nursery design that works for you and your baby should be a\njoyous project. To make the process a little smoother, here are a few tips for\nrenovating a nursery you can begin to think about as soon as you know you\u2019re\nabout to welcome a child into the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with the Crib<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Incredibly,\nnewborns spend 16 to 17 hours a day sleeping\u2014in snatches of as short as half an\nhour to as long as four hours. While some babies start sleeping through the\nnight by about three months, \u201cnight\u201d can be as little as six hours. And other\nbabies may not sleep through the night until they\u2019re a year old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One\nway or another, you will be sleep deprived and your baby will be spending a lot\nof time in their crib. While it might seem like a good idea environmentally to\nbuy a used crib or go with a hand-me-down from a family member, you also might\nwant to consider investing in a good quality crib that meets today\u2019s safety\nstandards and can be used for other newborns or converted into a small bed as\nyour baby grows into a toddler. A convertible crib can be used until a child is\nthree or so. And of course, if you\u2019re planning a larger family, your next baby\ncan use the crib as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose\ncribs made from natural wood and try to avoid laminates and plastics, all of\nwhich contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and will off-gas for at least a\nyear after purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invest\nin as much natural fiber crib bedding as you can, and go organic if you prefer.\nCotton that\u2019s been washed and dried over and over again can feel almost as soft\nas silk against tender skin. Buy extra crib bedding: the last thing you need\nwhile trying to juggle night feedings and diaper changes is discovering you\nneed to do laundry. And the amount of laundry you\u2019ll be doing will already have\nincreased exponentially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing Tables or Pads<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If\nyou have room for a changing table and want to invest in one, many modern\nversions come with built-in storage for many of the supplies you\u2019ll need while\nchanging baby. Changing tables are hard to repurpose as other furniture though,\nso if you\u2019re planning to keep your family small, you might want to invest in a\nchanging top instead of a table and use it on top of a small dresser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dresser\nstorage can be easily compartmentalized with drawer dividers and you can keep\nall the things you\u2019ll need to make your child comfortable in the top drawer\nwhile using the others for baby clothes and bedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Forget Comfort<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Invest\nin a chair for your nursery and an ottoman so you can put your feet up if your\nroom\u2019s too small to accommodate a loveseat or a couch. You\u2019re going to want to\nspend time in the nursery with your baby, and a comfortable place to sit is the\nperfect place to bond while feeding, snuggling, reading, or singing lullabies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nwill also be those other days and nights when your child is running a fever or\nhas the sniffles and you want to monitor them more closely than via the baby\nmonitor. Give yourself a break and pick comfortable seating that might even let\nyou catch a 20-minute nap when you need it most. Who knows, if you fall asleep,\nyour baby might settle too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soothe and Stimulate<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Much\nof your baby\u2019s first year of life is going to be spent in the nursery. When\nthinking about how to decorate the room, take both of your needs into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pay\nparticular attention to the lighting in the room. You\u2019re going to want to be\nable to darken the room for daytime naps but you\u2019re also going to want as much\nnatural light as possible. Consider blackout curtains or blinds for the window\ncoverings, and invest in not only a night light but a table lamp and an\noverhead light fixture that has some visual interest. Make sure you install a\ndimmer switch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nchoosing rugs, curtains, cushions, and nursery room colors, start with the\ntextiles first. It will be much easier to match the textiles with paint color\nthan the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build\nin a ceiling decor concept when renovating a nursery. Decorate<\/a> the ceiling with wallpaper, bold\nor neutral stripes, or easily removed, glow-in-the-dark decals. The ceiling\nwill be the baby\u2019s focal point on first awakening, and while mobiles are great,\nthere\u2019s a lot more to a nursery than just the area above the crib.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider\npainting a mural on the wall across from the crib, especially a mural that\nlends itself to storytelling.\n\nAnd think about going\ngreen when gathering tips for renovating a nursery. If you\u2019re repainting, look\nfor low-VOC or VOC-free paint and rugs made of wool, cotton, sisal or jute.\nLow-VOC flooring includes wood, bamboo, cork, and linoleum rather than\nlaminate.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"