How to Make a Very Small Baby Nursery

Your baby's nursery doesn't have to be large.

The smallest room in the home is often converted into a nursery for a new baby. Some parents even convert master bedroom closet spaces into nurseries. Converting a master closet into a very small baby nursery can provide new parents with a little bit of privacy while still keeping the baby close by during the night. And remember, a baby is not going to know that her belongings are cramped into a very small room.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Graph paper
• Pencil
• Light pastel wall paint
• Paintbrushes or rollers
• Baby crib
• Rocking chair
• Changing table
• Wicker baskets
• Lumber
• Miter saw
• Nails
• Hammer
• Screws
• Screwdriver

Instructions

1. Measure the area where you intend to place the very small nursery. Sketch the dimensions out on a sheet of graph paper. Note where any unmovable furniture and windows are and how the doors open. Use this sketch and the room or space dimensions to assist you in purchasing appropriately sized nursery furniture. For example, you may not have room for a crib, rocker, changing table and dresser, so you may want to acquire a changing table/dresser combo.

2. Paint the area a light pastel color. Baby blue and pink are the most common colors for nursery walls. Using light colors makes the room feel bigger than it truly is. Windows also help the room to feel larger, so try to use a room with a window. However, avoid setting the crib by the window to prevent injuries from curtains and blinds and to make daytime sleeping easier for the infant.

3. Move in the necessary furniture. You may want to sketch out possible furniture placements beforehand to avoid moving the furniture in and out and around the room trying to find the right arrangement. Leave walking room in front of the furniture pieces and behind the rocker.

4. Build custom shelves for the room to provide extra storage for all of the baby's stuff. Without room for a dresser, or without a dresser-changing table combo, you will have significantly less room for all of the baby's clothing, socks and shoes. Building custom shelves and using decorative wicker baskets as drawers on the shelves allow for storage in a cramped space.

5. Build wall mounting shelves and hang the shelves up high to allow yourself room to still walk around in the room without bumping into the shelves. Paint the shelves a different color than the walls and fill the baskets with baby's clothes, receiving blankets, socks and shoes.

References

• Best Health: Decorating Baby's Room--How to Make a Small Nursery Appear Larger
• Hub Pages: Designing a Nursery for a Small Space

Resources

• Creative Baby Nursery Rooms: Baby Nursery Storage---Tucking Your Goodies Away