Bare Baby Essentials for Your Nursery

When you are expecting, it might seem that there are so many things you need for your nursery, next to all the other necessities. Fret not, decorating your baby’s room is actually not as complicated as it might seem!

When you find out you are pregnant, decorating the nursery or carving out a space in your bedroom for the baby might seem like a huge task to tackle. But once you realize that there are really only four essentials you need for your nursery, the rest is decoration. And even better: for some of those needs you can even shop around in your own home. Once you have these four things sorted you can go for the fun part – adding some nice decoration – think a beautiful rug, some art or stand-out lighting.

The four things you really need are – drumroll:

1. a place to sleep;
2. a place to change your baby;
3. some storage for baby’s clothes and changing needs; and
4. a place to feed your baby.

Let us make your choice easier with some stylish options for those four items. Before your start shopping, it might pay off to think about items you already have; you might have a comfortable chair for feeding the baby which you can (temporarily) place in the nursery. And a cabinet you already own might be perfect for storage and even as a changing station – as long as you make sure the surface is wide enough to safely change your baby. And think about the height of the cabinet, as you want to make sure you can change your baby comfortably.

One more tip: think about the layout of the nursery, which will benefit you greatly once the baby is born. Make sure you can access diapers, wet tissues, onesies and clothes while working on the changing table. And it might pay off to put your changing station quite close to the bed, or on the opposite side, so you can quickly move your baby from the bed to the changing table and vice versa. And now it’s time for shopping!

A place to sleep: baby crib

You might have a family bassinet or crib to use or you might want to shop for a new one. You might want to replace the old mattress and for a new crib or bassinet you of course need a mattress. Furthermore you need a (fitted) sheet, a mattress protector and something to keep your baby warm, like a sleeping bag or swaddling blanket. For a while it’s safer to keep blankets and cuddly toys out of the bed. Crib bumpers are said to be unsafe and crib skirts and canopies are nice but not necessary. Sleeping sorted!

The crib pictured left is ‘Stokke Sleepi’ mini, available at Indigo Living for HK$6950. The crib is adjustable when your child grows older (by adding several parts) and can even be used later as two chairs or a sofa.

The cradle pictured right is ‘Baby Bjorn Cradle’ available at Bumps to Babes for HK$2940 and comes with a mattress and a fitted sheet. The cradle can be rocked and also reacts to your baby’s movements.

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Changing station

A changing table with storage underneath might come in very handy. As onesies and baby clothes are quite small you might find you can store a lot of clothes plus all your changing needs if you find a changing station with a couple of good drawers underneath. And if you fancy one without storage, think about placing a shelf above the changing station, where you can put your basic changing needs.

The changing station pictured left is ‘Stokke Changing Station Natural’ mini, available at Indigo Living for HK$6680. The station can morph into a desk, bookshelf or television stand when your baby grows up.

The changing table on the right is the ‘Sundvik changing table’ available at IKEA for HK$1,690. Complementary products, like the changing mat, are available.

Storage space

Simple shelves can create good storage space in a room. When you think of buying a wardrobe, think well about the size. A wardrobe designed for baby clothes might not fit your child’s clothes a few years on! On the right image you can see how a few simple shelves can fit everything for your baby. And the best news: it looks beautiful, it doesn’t break the bank and it saves space!

The wardrobe left is the ‘Laurette Armoire Parisienne’ wardrobe with removable shelves, available at Pettit Barzaar for HK$14,500. Choose the external and internal colours.

Feeding chair

We can’t stress this enough: shop around in your own home. You might regret buying an expensive chair because you might not use it for longer than a year. Or think about purchasing a chair you have always wanted for your living room and would be suitable to feed your child. The chair in the image is the Womb Chair (fitting name, no?) and would look incredible in any room. At last you have a good excuse to buy a great chair you will enjoy for years.

A ‘Saarinen style womb chair and stool’ are available at decorpad.com for HKD 5,490 and comes in 11 colours.