About Baby Nurseries

Planning and decorating a baby nursery is an enjoyable experience for many pregnant women. You may think that all you need to decide is the color and theme of the room. But, there are some other considerations before decorating the nursery.

Function

A baby's nursery is a place where the baby can relax and sleep. Babies become overstimulated very easily. Once a baby feels comfortable in her nursery, that room becomes a familiar place in which she can calm down and go to sleep, even if there is a lot of commotion throughout the rest of the house.

Considerations

Your baby's safety is very important when designing and decorating a nursery. When you purchase and place furniture, take the position of windows and electrical outlets into consideration. You should place the bed away from windows as a child could pull down a curtain and suffocate or the child could pull on a blind cord and get it wrapped around his neck. All outlet covers in the room should have outlet protectors in them to avoid electrocution.

Warning

Lead paint is hazardous to children. While it may seem tempting to use a family heirloom crib or bassinet, you should use extreme caution if you decide to use these items. A better option is to store the heirlooms and use new items in the baby nursery. If you decide that you must use the heirlooms, test them for lead paint. If the test is positive, it is imperative that you either don't use them or take them to someone to sand and refinish them.

Benefits

There are two unexpected benefits of having a functional baby nursery. First, you have a place, and an excuse, to escape for a little while when company gets on your nerves. You can simply state that the baby needs a diaper change or a nap and go to the nursery to take care of it while enjoying some alone time with your baby. Second, you and your spouse can enjoy some adult alone time while the baby sleeps. This is something that parents who have a child rooming with them have difficulty with since the baby is in their room.

Misconceptions

Some parents think that a baby's nursery should always be quiet. The fact is that regular household noises, such as televisions, people talking, vacuuming and animals making noise, are a regular part of life. If your baby becomes accustomed to sleeping while he hears these regular noises, he will find it easier to sleep during other noisy events, such as family reunions or holiday parties.