One event in life that is sure to bring lots of ‘stuff’ into your home is the arrival of a baby! So, how do you decide between necessity and ‘stuff’? There are so many baby products on the market, and they all seem like great ideas. However, each family and baby’s needs are different. Creating a relaxing home with a clutter-free environment is an important concept for the busy modern family. Often, parents overlook needs with aesthetics and end up wasting money by ditching the pretty things and purchasing the products that they need later on. Being a smart parent can save you money and sleep by planning ahead!
Doctors recommend that your baby shares your bedroom for at least the first six months of life. So, consider the size of a master bedroom with a bassinet in it; it is a must when planning on co-sharing a room for this long. Bassinets come in a variety of sizes and shapes but generally are around 3×1.5ft.
What are some of the things to consider when setting up a nursery? For setting up the baby’s room, I have given my top tips for necessity items! Location, location, location! So where should the baby’s bedroom be when they are ready to move? I would suggest a room closest to Mom and Dad’s! Ideally not south-facing. As south-facing rooms tend to get very hot in the summer, usually have larger windows that can make the room cooler in the winter. Another reason is the amount of sunlight that comes through. Darkness is so important for the onset of sleep. With a little one that naps anywhere from 3-4 times a day from 4-7 months, there is a lot of sleep happening in their bedroom. When I talk about dark, I talk about ‘cave dark.’ As dark as you can possibly make it, and here are my tricks for achieving this…
Use two blackout products, blackout curtains AND blackout blinds. I know this sounds overboard, right? As a sleep consultant, I recommend my clients look for a 10/10 for darkness in a baby’s bedroom. Why is this, you may ask? When any amount of light shines through and comes into contact with the baby’s eyes (open/closed), it sends a signal to the brain that tells the baby it’s time to wake up. We are trying to avoid unnecessary wakeups; having good blackout products is a great way to make sure this doesn’t happen. Blackout curtains offer a 6/10, and blackout blinds offer an 8/10; when used together, it gives a perfect 10/10 for darkness.
One of the more important items in a baby’s room is a crib. There is a wide variety on the market, and all meet safety standards when sold in Canada, so there is no need to worry about the safety of construction. My suggestion is to purchase a crib without a bottom drawer. This extra space below the crib (where the drawer would have been) comes in handy in a year or so when you have a crib crawler. This is where your little one is scaling the crib sides to get out. My top tip for parents with a crib-crawling toddler is to remove the mattress spring and place the mattress on the floor of the crib. This gives an extra 6-8” and a possible 6-8 months of extended life for your crib! Ideally, you do not want to switch to a big bed until the baby/toddler is 3 years of age.
Some of you may have heard of a sound machine for babies’ rooms. There are two reasons why your baby will benefit from having a good sound machine. Firstly, the baby is used to the loud sounds of the womb, loud enough that it has the same decibel volume/level as a vacuum cleaner. When a baby arrives in our purposely quiet world, it can be a deafening silence. Investing in a white noise machine can help soothe the baby by resembling the sound of the womb. When your little one gets a few months older and grows out of this soothing device, it offers coverage for unexpected sounds, like the neighbor’s dog barking or a truck passing. It is important to mention that the white noise machine should play continuous white noise, not music or any other sounds. It should also have a continuous play option, to invest in a good white noise machine.
A baby monitor with a temperature sensor; this takes the worry out of checking the room during the coldest part of the night. Mount the camera where you have a clear view of all corners of the crib. The newer cameras being released have lights on them. I suggest blacking these out with tape.
A changing station, I suggest purchasing a dresser that will grow with your child. It is easy to attach a changing mat to the dress and remove it when your little one has outgrown it. Keep necessary diaper changing items in little baskets on top.
A humidifier is important in drier climates. It is easy for your little one’s nasal passages to get dry and be prone to infections. If you live in a dry climate, having a humidifier running can keep babies’ nasal passages moist and healthy.
A comfortable rocking chair is a must for your baby’s room. When your little one is young, you will want to feed your little one in the room they are sleeping in. This will help your baby establish day and night. The goal is to feed at nighttime in a quiet dark room. During the day, feed in a common living space of your home, like the living room. This helps avoid day and night confusion.
The must-haves for baby apparel to encourage good sleep are a swaddle. Swaddles are great for reducing the number of wakeups your baby has. It prevents scratching during sleep and also stops babies from jolting themselves awake with a reflex known as the startle reflex. This disappears after 3-4 months of age.
House hunting with new families growing from 1-2 children or couples that are starting their families and looking for the perfect space for a new baby. It is important for parents to make sure they really evaluate the floor plans and room sizes of the home to make sure it will accommodate them as their needs change or grow. There are so many things to consider in a home when you are just starting a family. Something that is often overlooked for new parents is where they will store and sometimes display all the ‘extras’ that come with having kids such as toys, swings, crafts, books, etc. Another important fact to consider for parents is how the flow of the home will work with nap times, bedtime, and playtimes and even feeding and snacks– ask yourself over and over when walking through “how will our family function in this space?” Another thing to consider now especially with so many families adding the need to have a space to “work from home” with Covid.
So when starting the process of narrowing down neighborhoods, take into consideration things like proximity to parks, pathways, rec centers, and schools; parents also have to seriously consider price points and how long a family is considering staying in a home. Parents want to make sure that they are not overextending a family as they transition into this stage of life; we also want to make sure they are not overpaying for a home. So that when they sell, they will have equity to allow them to either buy a move-up home or if work calls them to transfer, they will have the room and freedom to