Prepping the Nursery: The Items That Parents Often Forget

Guest blog post by Nicole Rodgers

http://www.littlecrowninteriors.com/safari_nursery.html

When parents are prepping for a baby's nursery, they buy the ritual furniture, paper the walls with little animals and hang mobiles for the baby's amusement. All that, in addition to stocks of bibs, jumpers, tiny T-shirts, blankets and, of course, diapers are quite necessary. A few equally necessary items get left off the list, however, and these are items needed for the baby's comfort plus the bond with the parents. Many parents wouldn't believe a simple tape recorder could be a part of the nursery, but it gives the baby a sense of security and safety hearing mom's voice when she has to catch the phone, answer the door or runs for a bottle for a baby.


New parents, especially, tend to forget vital things in the heat of an emergency. Since their cell phones are usually in their pockets, a small erasable memo board on the wall of the nursery would come in handy. This board could contain phone numbers of doctors, grandmothers, pharmacists, and babysitters. It could notate times medicine has been administered or how many ounces the baby drank from the bottle so mom knows how much to make at the next feeding. The memo board could inform parents that they are low on diapers, wipes, baby laundry soap, baby bath soap or rice cereal. New parents need all the help they can get, so a little helper here and there would be appreciated.

Getting the nursery ready for its tiny tenant needs to include items that are eco-friendly so that the baby doesn't get a rash or start having breathing troubles from allergen-laden items. Eco-friendly cleaning solutions and laundry soaps exist at most stores, which would make excellent dedicated baby-safe supplies. For times when the baby does get a rash, a stock of aloe vera gel is a must. Make sure it is pure and contains no alcohol, for alcohol worsens baby's condition. Most herbal shops carry formulas for babies who have tummy troubles, pain with teething, or headaches from crying. Since a baby can't tell mom where it hurts, mom has to guess, so a good supply of various easing medications would be a good idea.

Another useful idea for the baby's special place would be a futon-like piece of furniture or a nap pad such as children use in kindergarten for those times when mom and her baby spend together just before a nap. The baby will appreciate this piece of furniture because it smells like mom, so the baby will be relaxed and happy on this furniture. While rocking chairs are a part of any baby's nursery, preparing a baby's room with a place for parents to spend time with him separates sleepy time from play time. If a nap happens during play time, that's usually a blessing for mom and dad.

Color and texture, smell and taste mean a lot to an infant, because they are constantly learning from them. Stuffed animals can be smooth or furry, while cloth dolls can be made of yarns entirely or snips of cloth. Stocking a baby's room with toys, books and learning material is part of having a baby. Make sure the items are capable of being cleaned with natural soaps and combine colors and textures for the baby's amusement and education.

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging for three years; she encourages all you new moms to build your own website to blog about your motherhood experiences.  She also finds great deals on baby necessities such as clothes and toys for her new born niece at Savings.com

Thank you, Nicole, for the wonderful tips!