Today, I’m going to talk about the nursery and all the wonderful items that you need in a nursery.  If you remember, layettes are usually split up into the following categories: clothing, nursery (including the furniture), bedding, bath time, travelling with baby, and feeding baby.  I have already written about clothing and diapering, so let’s move onto the second item in our list; the nursery.

The Nursery Layette:

• Crib:  Obviously you need a crib and most people know this without being told.  It is important to remember that your crib should meet all safety regulations.  The crib bars should never be wider than 6 cm apart and the corner posts should never be more than 3mm high.   When it comes to age, any crib made before 1986 should be avoided since it does not meet current standards.  Other cribs to avoid are ones with suspended mattresses held on by an S hook.
• Crib Mattress: The mattress should never be farther than 3 cm from the side of the crib and it should be firm. You can purchase foam or spring cribs and the only thing that you need to focus on is the size of the mattress and the firmness.  Also, check to make sure the crib mattress doesn’t have any little holes or tears.
• Dresser:  There really is no way around this item since you need a place to put all those wonderful clothes that I mentioned in the clothing layette.
• Change Table:  When I purchased mine, my mother looked at me and said, “why do you need that?  You’ll never use it.”  I almost didn’t get a change table but decided to anyways, turned out to be a life saver and I used it about 90% of the time.  After the baby had outgrown it, I converted it into a toy shelf.  One way to save money is to purchase a dresser/change table.  Once baby outgrows it, you slide off the changing mat and you have a nice dresser.
• Rocking Chair:  I know it might seem cliche but having a chair to rock in is another life saver.  If you can avoid purchasing one, do so.  My rocking chair was this ugly brown fabric hand me down that was the perfect height and width for rocking and breastfeeding.  It cost me nothing and although it was an eyesore, it did the trick.  For my second, I purchased a glider with a nice foot rest and found it so uncomfortable, I would often take the baby to the old eyesore that had been converted into a story time chair in my oldest’s room.
• Shelves:  Have a few shelves near the diaper area where you can store the diapers within easy reach.  I found that having the wipes up and out of the way, along with the creams made diaper changes go much faster and easier.
• Baby Monitor:  Another must have, make sure you buy one that has a good range on it.  I swear by the Angel Monitor with the pad under the mattress, the only drawback is the middle of the night alarms when baby has rolled off the pad.
• Mobile: Having a mobile is great for many reasons but I would suggest one that can be remotely turned on to avoid having to sneak in to wind it just as baby falls asleep.

There are always a few items that you can add but these are the basics of a nursery.  I also recommend purchasing a bassinet but everyone has different views on that.  I found it very comforting and much easier to handle those middle of the night feedings when baby was right beside me in the bassinet. At least for the first 3 months before he was too big for it.

Sirena Van Schaik

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