How to create a cute baby nursery for less

Becoming pregnant is such an exciting time in a persons life. It's also an overwhelming time. There's so much to do before baby arrives, and only 9 months to accomplish all of it. Most parents, have hopes and dreams of providing the new love of their life with the best of everything, but this is not always possible. For many of us, the expense of having a baby can add a lot of stress during this joyful time. For that reason, I have written an article that will help you create a beautiful nursery for your little one without breaking the bank.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Crib
• Bassinet
• Changing Table
• Dirty Diaper Disposal
• Toy Box/Book shelves
• Dresser
• Crib bedding
• Window coverings
• Rugs/Decor
• Window Shades
• Rocking Chair/Glider

1. The first thing to do is to make a list of all the items needed. My advice, if this is your first child, and your having a baby shower, make a complete list of everything needed for baby and go create a gift registry at Walmart, Target, Babiesrus. It's a good idea to have the shower a few months before the baby is due, so that afterwards you still have plenty of time to get everything else you need. My article focuses on the nursery, assuming your purchasing these items yourself.
2. Your nursery list should include all of the basics to provide a comfortable setting to care for baby in. I'm not including all the basics needed in every aspect of baby care, just decorating and setting up the nursery. Once you have your list made, it's time to shop! But prop those swollen feet up because you may not have to leave the house to buy some things. I recommend checking craigslist, every day, for all of the items you'll need. You can find cribs, changing tables, rocking chairs, bedding sets, and so much more there! There's nothing wrong with buying items for your baby used if they are in good condition and up to code. Along with Craigslist, try Garage Sales! Garage Sales are yet another great way to find goodies much cheaper than buying them new. Another place to shop is baby resale shops. The cost of items in these stores varies from shop to shop, so try a few different ones and see who has nice items at a cheaper price. So there's three great options in which over time you should be able to find almost everything. A lot of resale shops take requests for what your looking for, and will call you when they get it in stock, this way you do not need to keep constantly going back. You can search for garage sales on craigslist also, and in your local newspaper, and they will usually have it listed if they have baby items, so it's not a wasted trip. Things tend to go quickly on craigslist, especially popular items, so check frequently!
   Try to find the curtains/bedding set first, so you know what colors your working with. Another hint of advice, is to try finding bedding and decor items in colors and designs that your baby will enjoy when they're a toddler also. This way, your not feeling the need to completely re-do his or her room two years from now. Pink is always good for girls, and for boys maybe try some primary colors or brighter greens and blues rather than the traditional light baby blue.
3. You may want to paint the room, if so do this before you get everything in place, so you don't have to move it all twice. When painting, again as in step 2 try to use neutral colors or colors that also work in toddler rooms. So next you'll want to arrange all of the big pieces such as the changing table, chair, crib, any toy box or book shelves you may have.
4. After you have the basic furniture set up and in place, you'll want to do some decorating, this is the fun part! You can find older wooden shelves at garage sales or perhaps in your own basement that can be painted in matching colors and hung on babies wall! You may want to have some form of storage also, such as a toy box. We found a radio flyer wagon for 10 bucks, took the handle off and used that as our sons toy box until he was old enough to actually use the wagon. The possibilities are endless, just use your imagination. And remember, if something is not the right color it can always be painted cheaply. You can also get stencils from the dollar stores, and stencil onto the walls or items in the room. For wall hangings, those stores where everything costs 1 dollar, sells cheap picture frames.. you can buy those, and paint them to match the nursery, and make your own prints in them. There's a lot of places on the internet you can find images that would be cute to print and hang on babies wall. If your artistic, you could also paint on them yourself, ducks, pigs, stars, moons, flowers, whatever you want. Rugs will add a nice decorative touch also, and this is one thing that splurging may not be so bad. Look for rugs at the stores on clearance, ones that are very soft and fuzzy baby will love!
5. Overall, just be patient, it takes time to find good deals, but you have 9 months to do so!! Be creative, and remember that these days almost anything goes in a nursery. Try picking a theme..it will make the room look more put together. It doesn't have to be just "ducks" or "frogs" or hearts. You could do animals in general, for instance.

Tips & Warnings

• Try using Google to find decorative images to print and use in the room.
• You do an image search on google, where it only brings up pictures instead of entire sites. You could google..baby frogs, or pink bears, etc..
• Also! if you look in some artsy-type baby decor boutiques online, you'll se some of the artwork they sell looks like kids painted it. So, if you have any kids in your family you could ask them to paint or draw specific things to use also.
• When buying used baby items, especially cribs, make sure it's not TOO old. Many super old cribs are not up to safety standards, and could have been painted w/ lead paint, or the slats may be too far apart.