Setting up for a Newborn
Advice on the Nursery, Changing Stations & More
Like many pregnant individuals, I began daydreaming about my daughters nursery shortly after I heard her heartbeat for the first time. I knew that we’d be moving into a new place before her arrival, so my nesting began on paper and on Pinterest!
I spent hours pouring over pieces and brands and recommendations from bloggers and mom friends alike, and I thought about how I’d want her space to feel. I have to admit, I spent far more of my time and imagination thinking about crib bedding and curtain material, framed prints and other decorations that would set the theme for her room, rather than focusing on the functionality of the actual room itself. I’d been in several nursery’s before, as a friend, an “auntie” and a nanny, but without being a mother, I hadn’t really thought about the way the room was set up, the usability or practicality of it for day in and day out life.
As an antenatal and postpartum doula, I have found myself helping clients with this feat often - not just setting up or modifying their nursery space, but helping to make their home functional as new parents, and there are some things I think are really helpful to share!
The Nursery
The nursery, or the babies space in a room, has different functionality in the early days of their lives versus as they grow. For a newborn sleeping in a bassinet or other co-sleeper in Mom & Dad’s room, their own nursery mostly holds their clothes and toys and gifts in the beginning. Some parents choose to use this space for feeding, changing, playing with or rocking the baby, but that often depends on how the rest of the house is laid out. I have had clients who spend several hours a day in their nursery with the new babe, and others who hardly enter that room in the baby’s first few months of life.
Here are some suggestions on setup and usability for the room:
A combo dresser/changing station - a dresser with drawers can hold sleepers, onesies, booties, blankets, diapers, anything and everything that you reach for regularly with your little. To save space in the room, rather than getting a separate standing changing table, I suggest to clients to get a changing pad like this or this. It straps safely on-top of the dresser, and is usually at a good standing hight for the adults doing the work. The first linked item uses washable covers, and I usually suggest getting a waterproof liner as well for it, the second one is simply wipe off.
A diaper pail beside the dresser - most of the diaper pails on the market are just fine. Some things to consider: does it require special bags, or can you use regular trash-bags, and which is your preference? How easy is it to empty? How often will you be emptying it (this impacts height/size)? Note: some new parents choose to get an additional diaper pail to leave in the living room or other space where the baby is often changed.
Some sort of chair/rocker/bench/couch to rock or nurse or feed baby - the specifications on this are very much up to you. There are so many choices of style, comfort and price. I highly recommend sitting on this BEFORE purchasing it - you’ll likely spend a lot of time in here throughout baby’s first few years, and also looking at how it gets cleaned. From experience I can promise it will see it’s fare share of breastmilk and/or formula, spit-up, and sometimes even poop!
Make use of the closet space as best as you can. You’re going to want it to be extremely functional, and yet, also probably pretty to look at. From closet rods to drawers, bins to buckets, I would think about what you’ll be storing in there (versus the dresser drawers) and how easy each type of organizer will be to grab/put away before you start shopping. You may acquire several different sizes of clothes and/or diapers for baby before they arrive, and I recommend being strategic about where the bigger sizes are stored and how much space they take up. This is a great task for friends or family members or doulas to help you with both during pregnancy and after the baby arrives!
A soft rug - you may find yourself pacing this room often as you get your little to sleep. Hardwood floors aren’t super friendly to adult feet, and also not super conducive to tummy time or other baby play.
Things that may not feel functional or important in the beginning, but can help for organization/aesthetics:
Bookshelf - you may have many books for babe right from the get-go, but in the first few months you might not reach for them often. A bookshelf can help with organization in the nursery, but it also won’t be used that much in the first few months with a newborn.
Toy chest/bins - same idea as the bookshelf. Besides a lovey and some wrist/ankle rattles, your baby will not use many toys in the early days. If clean looks and effective storage are important to you, this would be a good piece to invest in from the beginning.
Additional Changing/Feeding Stations
Many clients find they’re spending a lot of their days with new babies on the couch in their living room or in a recliner in their bedroom, meaning that the functionality of those spaces must be revised as well. My number one recommendation is to reduce your need to run around, or to text someone to bring you - x, or y, or z.
Things you’re going to do over and over again on demand for your baby: change their diaper, and feed them.
SO, I suggest creating little stations! Many find that a cart like this one is ideal as it wheels around, and is fairly inexpensive to get a few. Here’s what I’d recommend putting in your station:
A changing pad, like this one, that can be laid out on the bed, the couch or the floor
Diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream
A thin blanket for baby
Burp cloths
Water bottle
Adult snacks
Hair ties/lotion/chapstick
If you’re nursing: Nursing pads, nipple cream
If you’re pumping: You can also make this into a pumping station by storing your pump, pump parts & pumping bra here
If you’re formula feeding: In the early days, I think it’s worth having the instant ready to feed formulas and nipples or small bottles available, so you can feed baby on demand rather than having to head to the kitchen to make or warm up a bottle.
Kitchen
Lastly, I recommend setting up a small station in your kitchen for bottles. Even if you’re primarily nursing, you may have pumping bottles, and/or the occasional bottle used to feed the baby - these will get washed separately than your regular dishes, and will need to dry as well. There are several good drying racks or spaces meant for bottles and baby parts - I recommend this one!
If you’re looking for advice or support in preparing your home for a newborn, schedule a free consult and we can chat! I’d be happy to provide suggestions based on your space and ideas!
