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Tips for creating the perfect nursery

Posted on 27 Feb, 2019 by Sarah Hart

A guest blog from Emma Chamberlain, owner of contemporary online store Mama & Max (a perfect for all your baby & nursery essentials) explaining how you can create your perfect nursery…..

Planning and decorating your new arrivals nursery is such an exciting time, but it can be overwhelming with the amount of choice that is out there. Luckily, there are plenty of resources to help you plan your dream nursery, you just need to know where to begin.

Pinterest. We cannot recommend Pinterest enough and this should be your first port of call. Create your own board and you’ll soon have your perfect nursery mapped out. You can search and scour through 1000s of nurseries for inspiration and pin your favourites, before long you’ll realise the style you want and you can then start to create your theme. We have even done the hard work for you and created a board of nursery inspiration, check it out here

Picking a theme. Once you have an idea of the style you want, you can create a theme, this could be based around a colour palette, a picture, an animal, a book, a toy aeroplane, anything you’d like. Once you have picked a theme, you can then start to buy pieces that fit with your theme, for example, if your theme is based on an animal such as a penguin, you may decide to create a monochrome nursery with pops of mustard and find some cool penguin prints to bring the theme together.

Choose furniture that will last. There is no point spending £1000s on a cot that they will outgrow in a year. Invest in a cot bed that can be transformed into a toddler bed once the sides have been removed, and this will last until they are at least four. It may be hard to think that far in advance now, but it’ll be worth the investment in the long run. Then depending on the space you have in the room, you will be able to decide what other furniture you may need. In all honesty, a chest of drawers will suffice, as the majority of children’s clothes do not need to be hung up, leaving you more space for a book corner that they’ll enjoy as they get older.

Create a functional changing area. In the first 4 months this will be the most used space in the room so make sure everything is within reaching distance. It doesn’t need to be a changing table, it could simply be a chest of drawers but getting some small storage options for wipes, cotton wool, nappies, nappy rash cream, spare muslins, dummies etc. that are within reaching distance of the changing mat are essential. You can also ensure the top drawers are stocked with spare bodysuits, baby grows and the laundry basket and nappy bin are next to you as well. The last thing you want to do is move away and your baby to roll off the high surface. We love the wicker changing baskets, as a stylish and sustainable alternative to a traditional changing mat, as the high sides mean the baby is also secure when it’s nappy is being changed.

Find lots of storage solutions. There are some fantastic storage options that would make perfect additions to your nursery, from monochrome fabric buckets, natural wicker baskets or cute animal string bags that keep toys stowed away, you just need to pick what will suit your theme but make sure you get plenty of options. You will more than likely be making lots of midnight visits to the room and you certainly don’t want to be tripping over toys in the middle of the night when it’s pitch black.

Make it as dark as possible. Blackout blinds will be your number one friend when it comes to sleep. Just when your baby was waking up at a reasonable time in the morning, it starts to get lighter earlier and your baby is now waking up with the sun! Nightlights however, are a great way of adding low level lighting to your babies room for feeding and changing at night, and they can be used for years to come as your child gets older.

Art will make a massive difference. We love seeing beautiful prints on the walls of a nursery, we feel it makes the room and there are so many to choose from. This comes back to your theme but you can either choose prints or wall hangings to match your theme or you could create a picture wall with various prints in different sizes and colours. Some of our favourites from other small businesses we love are personalised prints from Smallbob and Max Made Me Do It, contemporary prints from Ingrid Petrie Design and Wonder and Rah, and animal prints from eïghtbear.

It’s all in the details. Once you have painted the walls, hung the art, assembled the furniture you can start filling the space with all the details. We love the Scandinavian brands for their simplicity and gorgeous accessories. From the beautiful rainbow mobiles that can be hung over the cot, to the cute comforters, bedding, teething toys and rattles, these brands just get it right.

Hopefully by reading this you will feel a little less overwhelmed, in fact we are here to help, not only do we have a whole host of inspiration on our Pinterest page, Facebook and Instagram accounts, to help you create your dream nursery. We also select the most gorgeous nursery décor from boutique brands that are not available on the high street. So if you are looking for a contemporary range of baby essentials and Scandinavian nursery decor, including luxurious bespoke gift boxes, organic baby clothes, cool children’s bedding, kids tableware, wooden toys, storage and accessories then visit Mama + Max. If you sign up to our newsletter you’ll receive £10 off your first order over £100.

Follow Mama + Max on Instagram and Pinterest (@mamaandmax_)

If you’ve enjoyed reading this blog, take a look at my previous guest blogger’s post by new mum Kimbo – a single mum by choice https://sarahhartphotography.com/the-single-mother-of-all-journeys/