How to Arrange Furniture in a Nursery

Before you begin decorating a nursery, you’ll want to consider the arrangement of the furniture. Most nurseries include a crib, dresser and changing area, as well as a bookcase or storage shelves, and perhaps a rocker or glider. Some nurseries may also include swings, bouncers, large toys or a play area. If your baby’s bedroom is small, you may need to measure and plan before you start acquiring furniture, to make sure it will fit in the room comfortably. By planning the arrangement of nursery furniture before you start setting it up, you can save a lot of time and effort in moving furniture.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Measuring tape
• Two pieces of paper
• Pencil
• Scissors

Arrange Furniture in a Nursery

1. Measure the length and width of the bedroom. If the room has an irregular shape, measure any square or rectangular areas first, then measure and add on any alcoves or slanted areas as best you can.

2. Draw a sketch of the room on a piece of paper. Graph paper makes this task especially easy. You may want to use a scale, such as 1 inch for 1 foot, to make drawing the room to size simple.

3. Measure the door, windows, closet or areas with built-in shelving and mark them on the sketch.

4. Find out the measurements of the essential baby furniture items you want to put in the room. If you haven’t picked out furniture yet, you can find measurements for typical cribs and other nursery furniture at online stores.

5. Draw simple sketches of each furniture item on a separate piece of paper. These don’t have to be anything fancy, just plain rectangles. Cut out each furniture diagram.

6. Decide where you want to place the crib. This is the most important decision, since the crib must be easy to access and located away from windows, especially if they have pull-cords for curtains or blinds that the baby could get caught in.

7. Arrange the other pieces of paper furniture on the diagram of the room. Experiment with different layouts to make sure you have convenient access to each piece. Remember that you’ll need room to move comfortably through the room, and be able to open drawers and access shelves.

Tips & Warnings

• If you find that the furniture you want doesn’t fit in the baby’s room, consider using other pieces that would fit better. For example, a low, wide dresser or bookcase can double as a changing table, while tall furniture can take up less floor space.

Resources

• The JPMA has safety guidelines for setting up a baby’s crib.