Design for Nursery
Heating options
Conventional central heating may not be the best option for a newborn baby’s bedroom. That is because the ideal temperature for a newborn is 18oC.
If you have conventional central heating it is unlikely you will be able to achieve this temperature in the nursery, unless you have separate heating controls in each room.
Also, radiators and other heaters can be potentially dangerous as your child gets older, starts to walk and is naturally inquisitive.
An alternative option is electric underfloor heating.
Installing this in the nursery would give you complete control of the temperature, with the temperature variation caused by central heating.
Underfloor heating is also invisible, freeing up the space taken by the radiator for storage.
The colour scheme
Painting the room pink for a girl and blue for a boy is quite a cliché and, as scans to find out the sex are not 100% accurate, this could result in a hasty repainting project.
Instead, you should consider a neutral colour scheme. A light yellow is relaxing and cheerful and can suit either gender.
Furniture
Your baby may sleep in a moses basket for the first few weeks, but they will quickly out-grow this.
It makes sense to invest in a cot bed. The mattress can be lowered as the baby gets older, and better at climbing. You can also remove the cot sides, converting the cot into baby’s first bed. Indeed a cot bed should last your child until they are around 4 years old.
Look out for a cot bed that comes with additional features such as a changing table or teething balls.
Curtains
Whether your child sleeps easily or not is basically down to the child. Some children will like a night light, and some will like almost total darkness.
Either way, you should get black out blinds or curtains for the nursery. These will cut down on external light and noise, which means your child is more likely to sleep through the night.
Having a child will change your life in many ways. These tips have hopefully made that change a little bit easier.