Hey mama! As we enter the third trimester of our pregnancy journey, nesting is in full swing and preparing the nursery for our new arrival has become a thrilling yet crucial task. Even though our baby won't be spending nights in the nursery right away, creating a well-organized and functional space is a top priority. Our current spare bedroom is in dire need of transformation, as it's become a chaotic catch-all room. We're excited to revamp it into a serene, storybook-themed nursery—a choice that resonates deeply with us, given our love for reading to our first child and our desire for a gender-neutral space as we await the surprise of our baby's gender.

Our main focus is on functionality and ample storage, ensuring that there's a place for everything related to baby. We're carving out dedicated time each week to make progress on this project, with the hope of creating a comforting environment for our little one when they finally arrive. We envision a space that will nurture our baby much like our first son's nursery has done for him. To make it even more special, we plan to hang a monogrammed blanket from a shelf and fill the room with a collection of books—an extension of our baby shower request for books instead of cards to build a cherished library. We plan to have a very basic color scheme and theme as we are team green, which will allow us to decorate more after the baby is here according to preferences and gender if we choose. But in the beginning, I found the most important part was just to have the space set up!

As an expectant mother, preparing the nursery for your little one's arrival is an exciting and important task. Creating a nurturing and organized space not only sets the stage for your baby's comfort but also helps streamline your daily routines. Here’s a comprehensive guide to the absolute essentials to help you organize and set up the nursery effectively. For your convenience, I’ve compiled the complete checklist of product links is at the end of this post!

1. Nursery Furniture:

- Cribs: Invest in a safe and sturdy crib that meets current safety standards. Consider options like this crib that can convert into a toddler bed to grow with your child. You’ll just want to add a safe sleep mattress (steer clear of memory foam) and sheets! This crib mattress comes with a waterproof cover!

NURSERY SAFETY:

LEARN MORE ABOUT SAFE SLEEP PRACTICES HERE

- Changing Station: Most nurseries have a changing table or dresser as a dedicated space for diaper changes and storing baby essentials like diapers, wipes, and clothing. A dedicated changing table like this one is a perfect addition to a nursery. You can also opt for just the changing pad to use on a dresser! We went with a basket changing pad added to a tall dresser I already had.

- Rocking Chair or Glider: A comfortable seating option for feeding, soothing, and bonding with your baby. This really comes down to preference, whether it’s style or comfort. But I found a cute swivel rocking chair for my first son’s nursery that I just felt perfectly matched the aesthetic and opted for a glider for my second baby. I really wanted the option to put my feet up! But there are also recliner rockers like this swivel/rocker, that kind of fills both needs. Some opt out of a chair in the nursery, as they don’t find it necessary. However, I found that once we took ours out, as our toddler was learning to climb and walk, I really missed having a place to sit even if just to read together.

2. Nursery Organization

- Closet Organizers: Use dividers, bins, and hanging organizers to keep clothing, blankets, and accessories tidy and easily accessible. We have organizers like this in both our baby’s closets and one of these over the door organizers. This does wonders for storage, even if you don’t have a small space. You won’t believe how much baby stuff can accumulate and you’ll be looking for a space to store it all! For this baby I also found a great gender-neutral option for closet clothing size dividers. These really help keep track of clothes baby is currently wearing and about to grow into, so you don’t accidentally skp an outfit before they grow out of them!

- Storage Baskets: Place baskets or bins on shelves or under the crib for toys, books, and other items. These cute rope baskets are perfect for organizing things like extra rattles, lovies, and books. As my son got older, I ended up putting some of them all over the house with board books and small toys for him to access wherever we happened to be spending time. It helped tremendously to include him in my chores!

- Drawer Inserts: Utilize drawer inserts to separate and organize socks, bibs, and small clothing items. Especially with a newborn, you will be glad you have them all sorted and separated.

3. Baby Gear:

- Baby Monitor: Ensure peace of mind with a reliable baby monitor that allows you to keep an eye (and ear) on your little one from another room, without Wi-Fi. With the increasing concern of baby monitor hacking, we went with a no Wi-Fi baby monitor with our first born. We added this two camera, no Wi-Fi baby monitor to our registry when we went from one baby to two under two!

And if you’re just looking for a simple sound monitor (highly recommended having one of these for travel!) check out this super affordable audio long range monitor

- Humidifier: Maintain optimal humidity levels in the nursery to help keep your baby comfortable, especially during dry seasons. This Vick’s Humidifier is #1 recommended by pediatricians-

- Night Light: A soft, adjustable night light can provide a comforting glow for nighttime feedings and diaper changes. The Hatch has been a go to option for nursery combo sound machines/nightlights, for a few years now. I think almost everyone I know told me it was a must have for their registry.

We also put these plug-in nightlights in basically every room of the house, once we realized how much we were trying to navigate in the dark to not wake up baby! Highly recommend having these from the get go!

- Nursery Safety: Invest in safety products such as outlet covers, and furniture anchors to childproof the nursery. Having these items installed already will ensure protection once the baby is up and moving around.

4. Stocking up the Nursery:

My top picks:

Products that you need to stock up on for life with a newborn!

For me, the main benefit to having a nursery is having somewhere to put the STUFF! The baby might not even need to be in the room for up to or beyond the whole first year of their life, but boy will you be glad you have somewhere to keep everything they need. I felt so prepared once everything was in the nursery, stocked, and organized. Here are a few other essentials you’ll want to make sure are ready to go in the nursery.

The diaper bag!-Ok so this technically isn’t a part of the nursery, but I included it because this is essentially your nursery in a bag! Creating the perfect on the go set up to take along in your diaper bag is going to make your life that much easier! And anytime we went out it was actually kind of fun to do a restock at the end of the day and get the bag ready for the next outing!

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- Diapers and wipes- Explore different diaper brands that offer comfort and leakage protection. We cloth diaper 80/20, so that means we use them 80 % of the time, and disposables for 20% (approximately). For nighttime and when we’re out of the house running errands or out for a whole day for example, we use disposables. Diapering can be tricky at any rate with any new baby. We seemed to have unexplainable leaks no matter what with certain brands, but we had always had great luck with the Amazon Cutie brand of disposables. And I will always be impressed with the Alvababy brand cloth diaper quality for the price! I think they’re a great brand for starting the cloth diapering journey. For more info on my cloth diapering method check out my free cloth diaper starter guide plus more free printables in my new mom bundle, and keep an eye out for my continued training guides! My best diaper stocking tip would be to make sure to set the nursery up with both newborn and size 1 diapers in the changing station first, because you never know how big baby will be or how long they’ll even be in newborn size. Be sure to also have a good supply of wipes on hand. Water wipes are a great unscented, hypoallergenic brand to buy in bulk.

- Baby Skincare Basics: Choose gentle and hypoallergenic skincare products suitable for newborns' sensitive skin. You may want to do some research if you do not already have preferences. I personally had no clue where to start with baby #1, but eventually my son had more specific skincare needs, and here are a few baby safe options I discovered were essential for us through later research and surveying other moms for their quality recommendations. These are absolutely on my second registry to stock up on!

Aquaphor: for everything from drool rash to eczema. And I personally found this a very beneficial addition to the disposable diaper routine when my son has a rash, as it worked better than anything else.

Mustela: This natural & vegan skincare line is gentle for baby’s delicate skin.

Tips for Implementation:

Create a Timeline: Set weekly goals to tackle different areas of the nursery.
Involve the Family: Get everyone’s input to make the space functional and personal. Throw a nesting party!!
Safety First: Ensure all safety measures are in place before the baby is officially staying in the nursery and starts exploring.

Preparing the nursery is an exciting step towards welcoming your baby into a loving and organized environment. By following this checklist and incorporating your personal preferences, you can create a cozy space that nurtures both you and your little one. Remember, the nursery is not just a room—it's a place where memories are made and cherished. Enjoy this special time of preparation and anticipation! Keep an eye out for more posts from me on the nesting to-dos!