Practical Tips for Designing Your Dream Nursery

As soon as I found out I was having a girl, I began designing her nursery! I thought it was going to be easy. After all, I had secretly been hoping for a girl and planning her imaginary nursery in my head for months. When it came to actually purchasing the items for her room, I was a bit overwhelmed.

Everything was so cute and I had a hard time differentiating between what I wanted for her nursery and what we actually needed for her nursery. I sat down with a couple of my girlfriends who had older children and asked for advice. Below I have compiled some of their helpful tips, to help anyone else who might find themselves lost in piles of baby catalogues and websites.

• Plan a room that has longevity. Kids grow up fast! It is important to pick wall treatments and furniture that can transition to preschool and maybe even grade school - unless you have the financial mean to entirely redo the room in a just a few short years.
• Look for "double duty" furniture. This will help if you are planning to have a room that last through childhood. Many changing tables can be converted to a dresser once your little one is out of diapers. Its practical and easy on your waller!
• Be mindful of windows. Once you have chosen a crib, it is important to make sure it isn't in a spot where baby's sleep could be interrupted by direct sunlight or a light from the street at night.
• Chose hardwood floors. Hardwood floors with area rugs are a better choice for nurseries. First, hardwood floors are easier to clean and they don't harbor allergens as wall-to-wall carpeting does. Also, area rugs are easy to switch out as your child grows and inevitably their tastes change.
• Plan lots of storage space. Trust me, you'll need it!
• Don't forget a place for you! It is important to include a comfortable place to sit, you will be spending a lot of time in this room, rocking your new baby to sleep and playing as they grow older.

Best of luck with the room. If you keep these things in mind as you plan, you will end up with a functional, attractive room that will hopefully last throughout childhood.