By Rebecca Levey
One of the most exciting and creative experiences you will have as an expectant or new mom is setting up your baby’s nursery. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the frenzy of decorating and shopping for all of the biggest and shiniest items and furniture.However, there are numerous hacks you can deploy to produce a fabulous nursery that’s not just stylish but also adaptable and low-cost.
Décor Hacks
Affordable Art: You don’t have to buy fancy framed prints from catalogs and baby stores. Instead, browse used bookstores for wonderfully illustrated picture books. Carefully remove the gorgeous pictures and frame them with simple white frames you canpurchase in bulk online. You can also look online for adorable printables that can be printed on a color printer. If your baby has an older sibling, have them create an original work of art for their new baby brother or sister and frame that prominentlyin the room.
Window Treatments: Customize plain solid curtains by hemming them with patterned or colored fabric ribbon. You can also amp up a blackout shade by trimming it with colorful ribbon or felt. It’s a simple trick that yields an expensive looking result.
Storage and Organization Hacks
Use a large scarf organization hanger with multiple loops to store small stuffed animals. They’ll look extra cute and be easy to see rather than gathering dust in a pile.
Make use of vertical space by hanging an over-the-door shoe organizer to store small items like socks, ointments, creams, pacifiers and toiletries. As your baby grows you can use the organizer to store small toys, arts and crafts supplies, and hair accessories.
Take advantage of the space under your baby’s crib. Fill a couple of under the bed storage containers with extra sheets, receiving blankets, diapers, creams and burp cloths.
Create more space in a small nursery by removing a closet door and hanging a curtain instead. Since baby clothing is so tiny you can easily double rod the closet to make twice the hanging space, or place a dresser in the closet with the rod above.
Instead of a big clunky bookcase, use shallow shelving, like spice racks, that allow you to face picture books outwards so your child can see the covers of their favorite books. This is a tactic used by nursery schools so that kids are enticed to picka book without pulling out all the books on the shelf!
Attach a row of peg hooks to the end of the dresser or changing table to keep often-used items nearby. Hang a laundry bag on a hook to make gathering dirty clothes super easy, and free up the floor space usually needed for a proper laundry hamper.
Setting up the nursery is exciting, but always make sure that you are following the recommended baby proofing tips from the Consumer Product Safety Commission by securely fixing all furniture to the wall and staying away from window treatments with longcords.
There are many clever ways to design your baby’s nursery. Look for ways to set up multifunctional spaces and always keep in mind that your baby will grow quickly, so you will want a room that will grow with them. By employing some simple nursery hacksyou’ll make your life easier and have more time to enjoy your new baby!
Image : Getty
