View Full Version : Simple/frugal baby nursery.
With Kat (SL forum member) expecting, I thought it would be fun to put together a thread as to setting up/putting together a simple (yet well functioning) economical baby nursery. (Feel free to share your own ideas as to what you did Re: your own family).
The nursery room in our home fell under the typical plain, simple, traditional, old-fashioned, and boring setup.
A plain white- drop-side baby crib. (Two cribs when our second came along).
White (upright) six-drawer dresser.
An old wooden chair to sit on while reading to the kids, rocking them back to sleep in the middle of the night, breastfeeding.
Closet space reserved for toys, books, clothing, extra bedding.
The only thing I'd add to my old setup (if I were doing it again) would be fitting a vinyl changing pad to the top of a low six or nine drawer dresser to add to my options for changing/dressing.
Just thought of something else to add. I used plain white flannelette crib sheets and always protected the mattress with a rubber sheet. Everything plain (and white) for fuss-free laundering and bleaching (when needed).
The girls used my nephew's old crib. It was white. We painted the walls in their nursery lavender and my sister painted fairies on the walls in random places. She painted a fairy castle on their closet door and a poem she had written. My SIL made a beautiful lavender and green baby quilt and painted thrift store frames in lavender and used them to frame cut-outs of individual fairies from the fabric matted on a coordinating fabric from the quilt. MIL bought a garage sale rocking chair and we painted it white. So pretty!
The boys room is about half done. I got the crib second-hand for $35. I may get rid of it when we get the toddler bed and just keep Travis in the pack-and-play until he's a toddler. The boys are getting a half-sized loft bed with a bed tent over the top bunk. Dad is buying that as James' first and second birthday presents. I figured one-year-olds really don't need anything so he could combine the two birthdays and buy the bed I wanted. He was cool with that. Mom bought the camouflage bedding for him for Christmas. For my birthday she painted the walls khaki. I hate painting. It was the perfect gift.
The artwork in the boys room is a series of old black and white photos of our family members camping. There's one of my grandma and her sisters panning for gold, one of my mom's brother and their cousin who lived next door in front of a tent wearing sombreros for some odd reason, one of a bunch of mom's cousins playing in a creek (mom, age 4, in patent leather shoes and a frilly dress running away from it all. She hates camping. :) ), one of my great-grandpa and great uncle (who James is named after) fishing on their homemade pontoon and one of my uncle and grandma holding a fish they caught. The frames were cheap, $3 each, I think, and the prints came to about $12.
Eventually I want to make a wood burned sign for their door that says Silver Lake Fresh Air Camp, the original name of the camp across the street from our house that is now "our" park. I also want to make a log table and chairs from stumps. I haven't gotten to that yet.
For safety sake I put the low dresser with changing pad on top inside the closet. That way wipes, creams, diapers were out of reach for crawling toddlers and I didn't have to worry about the babies trying to climb up the dressers. Both boys were walking at 9 mts.
I guess I understand now that the drop side cribs are on the 'no-no' list, too many babies hurt or killed by them. Both my boys had those type of cribs.
Aside from a crib, we didn't buy baby furniture. We bought a lovely matching dresser and chest from a used furniture store in Tucson, the capital of the used goods world. The furniture is circa 1940 and constructed to last forever. We used a changing pad on top of the dresser. All those drawers were really handy when we were cloth diapering, and we have never had excess storage space!
We had an extra sofa at the time due to combining households, and we put one of them in DD's room. It was so incredibly handy! After we moved her into that room from our room, I often ended up asleep on that couch while holding her. We also had a rocking chair in the room.
We received an incredible quantity of baby blankets as gifts. Ditto for clothing - much of that I exchanged for larger sizes that DD could wear later on.
As far as crib sheets go - I think flannel is best for all seasons with a baby. They can be difficult to find.
Much of the other decorations were from when I was a child - things my mom had saved. A stuffed hot air balloon that hangs from the ceiling, a hand-embroidered picture, etc.
Fun thread! I've enjoyed reading everyone's ideas and experiences!
Here is what I am trying to do:
--use what I have as much as possible
--don't buy stuff I don't need
--pick something that will transition nicely into older childhood
--decorate very simply (anything I add now will be something for her to get into later!)
Lots of fun and creative ideas Stella. I love mural type paintings and scenes on walls- especially castle type scenes with secret garden doors and things. Never fails to conjure up excitement and interest and it adds so much more over the typical standard ordinary. That, and flowers and vines and trees (all painted of course).
Gosh Float On, you had such early walkers. (Early walkers keep momma extra busy)! Drop-side cribs..., I would have been lost without that feature. The baby crib (in our home) served double duty, both as crib and changing area/space/table. Without the option of drop-sides there's just no way I would have been able to comfortably reach in and do diaper changes and dress the kids. (Love your idea on keeping the dresser/changer in the closet)!
I hear you Rosemary, a crib and highchair were the the only two real baby things I bought, those, and a gently used six-drawer dresser which today still serves as a wonderful and fully functional big kid dresser. Space has always been at a premium in our small home so I had to get extra creative when it came to finding area and space for everything as our family grew. On the topic of flannelette, it's my absolute favourite material by far, particularly when it comes to all things baby. There's just no beating quality grade flannelette. (In our house it was flannelette crib sheets, flannelette pyjamas, and napped cotton flannelette flat diapers).
Kat. I agree, this is a fun topic. I was hoping to draw a little inspiration for you as to ideas and solutions for your up and coming nursery. I think no matter how simple and economical one considers to fashion a baby nursery by, so many simple and elemental features can be additionally added for next to nothing, like the natural white-painted branch clipping with cutout paper figures mobile (as shown in the link you posted). Limited to only what ones imagination can dream up.
I like the idea of the dresser/changing station in the closet, too! I brought it up to DH, but he doesn't think either will fit (it is a TINY closet!).
This might seem like a silly question, but is there a difference between flannel and flannelette? I have read that flannel is a great material where babies are concerned, but my baby is due in August. Wouldn't flannel be too hot then (We live in the Midwest).
Babies are often cold. The guideline I was given for dressing baby was "one layer more than the adults."
Cribs just have a fitted sheet, and it is open to the air. It's not the same as being wrapped up in a bed of flannel sheets and blankets.
Also, the mattress is generally coated with a waterproof layer of polyurethane or vinyl - which feels very cold.
We lived in Arizona, and I barely used my regular cotton sheets. They just felt too cold - and my DD hated being cold.
we borrowed an antique dry sink from my parents to use as a changing table, and when our youngest was a toddler we returned it to them. It had about 5 inch sides all around, so it was safe for the baby to lie there during changing, and it had storage underneath. I loved not buying something plastic.
Hi Kat. Rosemary hit it right on the head. Babies like (need) warmth and comfort, and flannelette provides them with both. As for changing diapers, if you haven't as of yet invested in a dresser or changing type table, you could try what I did and change your baby in his/her crib. I never found it to be a burden and in fact I quite liked the safety aspect of it. (Never a worry over baby falling or getting into trouble if I had to dash out of the room quickly for something at change time). Perfect height too! Mind you if you don't have a crib with a drop-side option that would pretty much put a kibosh to my idea.
Another nifty option to toss your way, changing diapers in the bathroom (on the counter). I would lay a vinyl changing pad down first, baby next, then off with the pants! Just have everything you need right at hand so you're not leaving baby unattended. Worked super good once my kids were older and understood the consequence of falling from that height. They always laid still.
As far as I know- flannel is flannelette- like flannelette is flannel. No difference to the best of my knowledge. Years ago (high school days) I babysat for this one mom and learned a nifty little (time saver) trick as to making up a baby's crib. What she used to do was, she'd rubber-sheet the mattress, add a cotton flannelette top sheet over the rubber sheet (as normal), then add another rubber sheet over that, and follow-up by adding another cotton flannelette sheet over that! (Double crib sheets)! Sounds like a lot I know- but it wasn't. Then, in the middle of the night if the baby spit-up bad or wet through his/her pyjamas (diapers), she could strip off the top sheet along with the rubber under sheet, and already in place would be a nice clean fresh cotton sheet under and ready to go! Such a super time saver! One of the niftiest ideas (tricks) I ever learned! I put the idea to use in my home (lots) and talk about slick! Especially at 2 in the morning when all you can think about is getting back to bed again.
When the warmer/hotter months/weather hit I'd put my kids to bed for the night in their cribs wearing just diapers. I had a couple of lightweight polyester fibre-fill quilts for them which proved to be most perfect for warm nights when all that was needed was a light covering. They were really cheap too, like $20- $30. (Something for you to think about).
Hi Tammy. Love the sounds of that old changing table you used! A neighbour of ours passed down her old changing table to me when we got the boys, but I never did get used to it. It was super handy for storing all the diapers and rubber pants and washcloths and things, but it was wobbly and once the boys got older it became too small to lay a bigger kid out flat without having his/her feet and legs dangle off the end. I passed it along at that point and went back to crib/counter changing.
On the plastic front, isn't it amazing at how much plastic stuff a mother can accumulate for baby in such a short time! I'm thinking plastic baby furniture, rubber crib sheets, vinyl bibs and changing pads, vinyl padded highchairs, and, for those of us who used old-fashioned cloth diapers, rubber pants!
I was just about to post the double-sheeting technique, too! We use it all the time for my almost-nighttime-trained toddler so that we don't have to make his bed in the middle of the night if there is an accident.
I have almost always changed my kids diapers on the floor, or on a bed, so that eliminated the need entirely for a change table. We also co-sleep, so instead of a crib, we have a comfy chair for reading and nursing, a twin mattress right on the floor for naps (so that I can nap in there, too), and then no crib. I don't have a dresser at all, but just a closet organizer shelf thing that I stack my cloth diapers and blankets on, and then I put all the clothes into fabric drawers on the shelf.
Once my youngest gets older, all I need to do is swap out the chair for a desk, and put the twin mattress on a bed frame. It seemed to be a pretty slick transition for my eldest that way.
Hi Jdemyen. Welcome aboard! Lots of super ideas! (Curious minds want to know, what led you to the double-sheeting technique)? I know in speaking for myself I've often wondered (more than a few times) if I would have stumbled upon it (accidentally) without outside intervention. So simple! So time-saving!!!
It's so interesting, the fact that we moms do things much the same when it comes to many things, yet when it comes to certain other things we incorporate slight variations into the mix to add a sort of personalized stamp to it.
Just wanted to mention a frugal/savings trick/tip related to rubber crib sheets. I find keeping them out of the washing machine is key to their longevity. I just wiped down the ones I had with a mild solution of either Pine-Sol or Lysol, occasionally hanging them on the line to air/freshen.
Hi Jdemyen. Welcome aboard! Lots of super ideas! (Curious minds want to know, what led you to the double-sheeting technique)? I know in speaking for myself I've often wondered (more than a few times) if I would have stumbled upon it (accidentally) without outside intervention. So simple! So time-saving!!!
Thanks for the warm welcome :). I haven't made it over to do a formal intro yet, but I'm working on it ;).
I actually found out about the double sheeting technique from a local moms' forum that I'm a member of. I have learned SO many great things from the other ladies in my city. I would have loved to take the credit for thinking of it on my own, but unfortunately, I'm just not that creative these days :laff:.
That double sheeting trick is GENIUS! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks for the explanation on the flannel. After reading the replies, I realized, too, that babies are often kept in the air conditioning over the summer, so it's not like she would be swaddled in flannel outside in 90 degree heat! Someone once told me to dress a baby like I would dress myself, but I like the +1 layer idea. Especially since the air conditioning feels so cold (at least to me).
The crib and dresser we purchased came with a changing table. If it wouldn't have, I would have probably just made do without. It can be kind of hard to change a baby in a crib without a drop side, though, and since those can't be sold anymore, mine doesn't have that feature. We actually don't have a bathroom counter, either (just a few inches on either side of the sink--tiny bathroom!), so maybe it is best that I got a changing table so I don't always have to bend down and do it on the floor.
I am learning so much from this thread! :-)
Hi Jdemyen. I love to "trade notes" (as I often refer to it as) with other moms as to the ways and means of all things mommy. There's so much to be learned by riding the coattails of experienced moms before you. Such a great way to pass along helpful ideas and tips and things.
Kat. The changing table will be a great addition in your case. In me mentioned "crib changing" in my entry I thought of how big I got when I was pregnant. I'm imagining myself (the result of this thread topic) trying to bend down, kneel down, and get down on all fours (being that size) to address the bottom half of a squawking, feet flailing little babe! :laff:
Something else I just thought of. I used to babysit for a family that lived in a trailer park (court). They had a single-wide trailer with two kids and I remember the rooms were puny. She had no extra space whatsoever for a changing table so what she did was, she turned the tops of her washing machine and dryer (in the bathroom) into a changing area.
She would lay out a large vinyl changing pad over the washing machine and dryer, then change the baby on top of that. Such an ingenious idea when I think back on it now. There was an open sort of shelving unit that housed all the changing needs/supplies, and the diaper pail sat in the corner (between the toilet and counter area). A totally frugal changing area setup for someone pressed for space or on a tight budget.
Oh, that washing machine idea is great! As an added bonus, the diaper pail was right there--no need to put the diaper in the basement or lug a huge pail somewhere else when it was time to wash. I love how resourceful people can be! ;-)
I didn't even think about bending down on the floor pregnant. We are hoping to have another one relatively soon after this one, so that would be a very real possibiity. Doesn't sound fun! LOL
Good morning Kat. In a lot of ways I am sooo envious of all you new moms who are expecting. What I'd give to be able to put together a nursery now (with everything new I know). i.e. Nursery room pictures, etc. I'd reserved one wall in the room for a hand-painted mural, and there would be a number of other simple/economical additions incorporated into the overall design of the room to add interest, like white painted branch clippings with decorated paper cutouts hanging from them (just like the one in the link you posted). One of my very favourite things has always been a blue sky swept ceiling (with clouds)!
Hi All!
This is my first post in the forum, and it's a topic so near and dear to my heart, that I just *had to* post here. I came here via miss minimalist's blog, and I have a friend or two around if I'm recognizing a few names. :)
I am, I suppose, a fairly hard-core minimalist, and I was very clear when I was pregnant with our son that I didn't want a lot of stuff.
So, i did away with having a nursery.
We chose to cosleep, so we didn't need a crib or bed of any kind. We had our bed. That was good. It was close to the ground. My sister bought me a cosleeper thing, which we did use. I wouldn't say it was necessary, but it was nice of her. I gave it back to her when we moved to NZ.
We chose also to do EC. If you don't know what it is, definitely look it up. It is *the best* parenting decision we made. LOVE IT. If i had to do it from scratch all over again, I'd get twelve of those grow-with-the-baby cloth diapers as back up, and just go from there. I didn't use a changing table or anything, I would just change him on the floor, but usually, I didn't need to do that at all. It was great.
We chose to baby wear. Babywearing is awesome, and you don't need a stroller and the various things related. Just the wrap, which folds up nice and small. And can be used in a myriad of ways when not being a wrap -- like a place to set the baby while you're in the park, on the grass, reading a book. Very nice indeed. We chose a wrap that could be tied in different ways and used it until he got too heavy for us -- which was about 3 months ago (he's 2.5 now, but big for his age, about the size of a 4 yr old).
We chose to exclusively breastfeed. This means no pumps, bottles, formula or things attendant. Made that a lot easier. I had to pump and train him to nurse the first week (latch issues) -- so i know how much work that is. Once he was on the breast, it was great. Simple to carry food (no need to, it's in my breasts!) and so on. But, I'm not against bottles/whatever. I'm just saying that it is much less (more minimalist) to simply breastfeed.
In regards to clothing, my mother really went overboard. It was the only area where I was "ok" with it, and I did curb her in a fair bit. I wish I'd managed it better. I usually dressed him in the same 3-4 outfits anyway, because they were my favorites, so if I had to do that again -- and now that he's older it's what I do -- I would curb that back to a few night dresses, a few onesies, a few cute outfits (like, literally 3-4), and then the socks, hats, and baby legs (though he hated those, so now they are my arm warmers), and of course, winter/seasonal outfits.
Right now, we have 4 undershirts, 4 overshirts, 4 pants, 3 sweaters, two shoes (one wellies, one sneaks), socks, underwear, and then he has a denim jacket, a vest, a raincoat (and rain pants too), and woolies for winter. Socks and a hat as well. Trying to keep it simple for us all. :)
Toys were also minimal in our household. He'd been given a few rattles and a couple of soft toys from the grandparents; he inherited some from DH and I; and when he was 5 months old, I bought a few. He got 4 gifts for his first birthday; 3 at christmas; and I now pretty much hard-core contain our families back. my ILs love to send random cheap junk. Usually, i get rid of it before DS sees it. If it's quality, i'll keep it around for a bit. all of his toys fit into three cubbies. He has several musical instruments that he plays with daily. We're doing a cull this week (it's that time of year!), and repairing favorites that are broken, and evaluating what he may or may not need at this point. We are pretty sure that he's good to go, but we might get him a few more blocks.
Love to keep it simple here. :) Thought i'd share how to not have a nursery. :)
Great post Zoebird. By definition, I didn't practice co-sleeping, but whenever my husband was out of town on business I'd often bring our two little ones back to bed with me (middle of the night). Isn't it amazing how "at home" a young baby/child is with his or her mother all wrapped up in the same bed together.
Elimination communication has always intrigued me, but the constraint and scheduling of it all would have put me over the deep end (I think). Maybe it's just my old-fashionedness getting in the way. :)
Simple really is the best isn't it. I love living simply whenever/wherever I can. There's something so homey and warm about it.
I actually found EC liberating. I hated it when I had a miss because it took *so much* more of my time than a catch.
See, a catch was easy. He wakes up, i potty him in a little bucket right there (i was usually wearing him as an infant). Then, rinse the bucket and redress him and done. Then, he would signal, and I would potty him. He often peed more in the morning than afternoons, and then had his poops on a regular schedule (once ni the am, once in the pm). So, those were very easy to catch.
When I would miss, what a mess! undress him carefully as possible to not make a bigger mess. Wash him down. dress him, wrap him up (or set him down to crawl as he got older). wash the diaper, wash his clothes, wash myself if need be.
That whole process took so much more time than EC for me. LOL And, it was fun. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment every time I had a catch. LOL
Hi Zoebird! Welcome, and thanks for your post!
I actually find the whole concept of EC really interesting. I've watched a couple of youtube videos about it. Would you be wiling to explain what signals indicated your little guy was ready to go?
well, it depended upon the age. mostly, he would wiggle as if uncomfortable, and make different noises. He was also very regular -- always pooped at 8 am and 5:30 pm without fail. LOL He always peed when he woke up -- first thing (pretty normal). And, if he needed to go in between those times, he would sort of wriggle and make little discomfort noises.
a lot of time when a mom thinks the baby just wants a change in position, they are actually peeing. They squirm and make discomfort noises, then go still and relax. That's peeing. :D
I often ec other people's babies, just because i see the signs. I probably shouldn't do it, but i do. LOL
Zoebird. I would have liked to be exposed to EC (by an experienced mom like yourself) when my younger two were babies. I think I would have tried it, maybe not full-time, but part-time definitely. Call me old-fashioned and traditional, but a side of me (sort of/kind of) enjoyed the diaper changing side of raising children. (Not the mess and smell, just the process). Maybe it's something that comes about through using cloth diapers. I loved pinning!
heh. it's funny, though, because diapering in that way is really only about 80 years old, at most. :) EC was more common everywhere prior to 1900. it is the old fashioned way.
but i do get your meaning. cloth diapers are adorable and fun.
i don't know why i love EC so much, but i do encourage at least part time. because my mom is practiced with hawk, she now ec's my nephew (who is 7 months old), and the babysitter saw it and started doing it too. So while my sister doesn't, he is part time ec'd now. so funny. :D
my sister likes the diapers. she has a nice stash. :D
Good morning Zoebird. With EC, babies must be so much more comfortable and happy (I would think). Do you notice a difference in the happiness of your EC baby due to the "no diapers" fact?
Hi Zoebird. It sounds like we parent in a lot if the same ways. I only did EC part time with my second, but am really looking forward to trying it full time with our third (if we are lucky enough to have one). I have a very minimal amount if stuff for our kids, as well, but unfortunately, my love of carriers and wool longies has almost made me broke!
I forgot to post a link earlier to a site which has AMAZING and SUPER AFFORDABLE cloth diapers. Personally I'm fine with prefolds and wool covers, but my husband has insisted on pocket diapers at the very least. I really like the microsueded inners of the Bum Genius diapers, but at almost 30 bucks a pop, they are anything but affordable (although I have resold some of mine for as much as 20 bucks each).
Then I found these ones: best diapers ever, and only 7.49 a piece delivered including inserts. Frugal mamas, these are the diapers for you :). http://http://www.assuntastore.com/Diapering/One-Size-Pocket-Diapers-p53.html
Sorry, the link has two http://s in it so it won't work, but unfortunately I'm on my iPad and it won't let me scroll through the edit screen to fix it and I'm too lazy to go to my desktop right now. Sorry for the inconvenience!
well, he is a super happy baby. I wouldn't say it was all ec. I think it was partly his own sunny personality, and then the strong attachment we formed. He was pretty much carried/held non-stop from birth to 6 months, and then ever after as much as he wanted. so, it was really a whole lot of combined practices, plus just who he is, that makes him the happy happy kid that he is.
i think that another parent can do the exact same things as I did, but have a baby of a different temperament who will be internally happy, but might be -- to say it politely -- higher needs (eg, fussy). Sometimes, you just get what you get. :)
But, I can say that he's never had diaper rash or anything related, and there was no potty training. big bonus. :D
Jdemyen. It would be great to hear of your progress with EC (if all works out), so do post an update when the time comes. It's an interesting topic. And, do re-post the link when you have a chance.
Zoebird. The natural process of it all (EC) is interesting. Almost wish I had little ones again to give it a whirl.
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