 |
story and photos by Cindy Andruss
Visit a baby boutique or the baby section of your favorite department store and chances are you will find just about everything you could possibly need, and then some, to outfit a well-stocked, stylish and safe nursery. But sorting the must-haves from the nice-to-haves offers as many challenges as cleaning the garage and choosing which items to place in a yard sale. How do you begin?
Local parents and experts offer some suggestions for shopping smart. Above all, they advise parents to create a budget, remember safety, think usability and start early.
The Crib
What is too soft, too hard or just right?
Oh me, oh my … so many options. In comparison,
Goldilocks had it easy.
“Parents should begin shopping for a crib as soon as possible because we have to order the furniture,” said Leslie Chadwick, manager of locally-owned Baby and Beyond. “It’s easier to get started sooner now that most parents know the sex of the child early on.”
Brandy Garcia, manager of That’s Our Baby, agrees. “Plan ahead,” she said. “In addition to consuming a major part of the nursery budget, the crib and accompanying bedding often take center stage in the nursery and inspire the rest of the room’s décor.”
Traditional and convertible cribs may run anywhere between $190 and $700 or more, depending on quality and features. According to Chadwick, many parents opt for the convertible because after the baby outgrows the crib, the bed frame can be reused as a twin-size headboard and footboard. Garcia said that although the convertible cribs are top sellers, some parents will splurge and also purchase a round crib for their newborn. She also notes that some parents prefer iron cribs or green or ecofriendly cribs and even organic mattresses.
Regardless of the style crib parents ultimately choose, Laura Reno, director of public affairs for First Candle/SIDS Alliance, said babies should only sleep or nap in cribs that meet federal safety standards and comply with the recommendations set by the American Academy of Pediatrics. To reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, suffocation and entrapment, the AAP recommends that cribs be free of items such as bumper pads, blankets, pillows and stuffed animals. Reno adds that positioners are dangerous, too. “The baby could roll over and his face could conform to the memory foam base and suffocate,” she said. “A tight-fitting mattress and top sheet is all you need in the crib.”
To keep baby warm, a sleep sack offers a popular alternative to blankets. To add color to the baby’s nursery, Reno suggests hanging comforters and quilts on the wall.
Changing Tables
Whether the changing table is a must
have for the well-equipped nursery depends
on who you ask, but many parents choose
a changing system of some kind, Chadwick
said. Local shops offer a variety of stand-alones and table/dresser convertibles.
Diapers
Every well-stocked nursery includes diapers, diapers and diapers. Whether cloth
or disposable, diapers today come in a
variety of colors and styles. A visit to
TwoLittleWhales.com, an online baby store,
shows how far the modern cloth diaper has
come. There are fitted diapers and waterproof
diapers, and Velcro has replaced the
diaper pin. Prices run about $19 or so per
diaper depending on the options you choose.
Rachel Whalan, owner of the website and a
work-at-home mom, said it can cost about
$600 for a sufficient supply of cloth diapers
while a parent could spend about $3,000 for
disposables during the course of raising
baby.
Disposable wipes, of course, add even more to the cost of diapering. Some parents, especially first-time parents, are going even further and purchasing a wipe warmer, which costs about $20 in most stores. The AAP has published no literature on the wipe warmer’s benefits.
Kristi Sikora, who is due any day with second daughter Marlie, said she used a wipe warmer for her first born, Kyan. “It’s a nice to have, but not a requirement,” she said. “I don’t even know where it is, so the new baby doesn’t have one.”
Storage
Storage for booties, burp cloths, onesies,
and clothing can be as creative as parents
wish. Local shops offer many selections of
dressers in various colors, and styles.
Shopkeepers say armoires make popular
choices for boys’ nurseries in particular.
Hutches provide shelving for displaying
books and stuffed toys. Baskets in varying
colors and textures are also popular for storing
books, toys, clothes and other supplies.
Light
Lighting is essential in the well-stocked
nursery. Again parents will find many
options from which to choose. Magical
spaces are easily created with crystaldraped
chandeliers or string lights of cheery
daffodils, dragonflies and fairies or lamps
that project starry night skies on the ceiling.
When baby is napping, you may want to block out natural light. “Black-out shades will do the trick,” said Angie Postell, window treatment designer for Budget Blinds and mom to four-month-old Ryder. Postell designed a Roman shade that coordinated with the rest of her nursery and allowed her to manipulate how much light she wanted to let in from the window.
Rockers
Most parents will agree that no nursery
is complete without a rocker. The glider
rocker is a very popular choice according to
local shopkeepers. “Think how long you
will actually spend in the rocker, feeding
your baby and so on,” Chadwick said. “I
would spend the money for a quality
rocker.”
She also suggests placing a nightstand next to the rocker as a convenient area upon which to place baby bottles, a lamp or adrink while feeding baby. Burp clothes can be stored in the drawer for easy access, too. A soft pillow could be tossed on the rocker for comfort and added color. The Boppy u-shaped nursing pillow is especially nice to have for baby breastfeeding, Chadwick notes.
Accessories
Letters are very popular nursery décor and according to Garcia a
purchase by default. “Everyone who purchases a crib and bedding will
buy the wooden letters to spell out their baby’s name,” she said. “The
letters can be hand painted to match or coordinate with the bedding.”
The wooden letters can run as high as $20 per letter, depending on the size and style of the letter. Murals are also popular decorations in nurseries, Garcia said as she pointed to the painted walls in That’s Our Baby. Wallies self-adhesive wallpaper cut-out designs provide a great option for do-it-yourselfers.
Accessories such as a mobile, scatter rugs, framed pictures, souvenirs, piggy banks, stuffed teddies and a clock complete the wellstocked nursery, although none are necessities. A hamper is handy for dirty clothes, and a toy sack and diaper caddy are also convenient when tied to or hung on the outside of your baby’s crib. Pinning a growth chart on the wall will remind you of how fast your little crawler is growing with each passing day. Chadwick advocates reading to baby and encourages parents to begin their child’s library in the nursery as well.
Just right. Goldilocks would surely approve.
Send us your comments and feedback: contactus@valleyparent.com.
