How to set up a baby nursery?

[MarieYad]

I'm trying to set up a nursery for my baby girl due in 13 weeks. Ideally I need a bassinet, some other type of bed for when she gets bigger (Have not decided between pack n play or crib, or any other type if anyone has any recommendations) a changing table, and also some clothes. I'm almost 28 weeks and I don't have much, this is my first baby and I have no clue what I'm doing. Please some advice? also trying to do this on a slim budget.

[Cynthia Mosher]

Welcome to Mothering!

';m going to move this to Life with a Babe where it should get some input. :)

[smiles2012]

I did not have much for just after baby was born, for a variety of reasons, and I found that anything I didnt have was easy to get.

Car Seat

Carrier (I had difficulty using wraps and slings successfully when she was itty bitty) or Stroller

Cradle or Bassinet (worked until 3 months old), knit cradle or bassinet sheets

Changing Table (I use an antique of furniture that I already own), Changing Pad and Cover

2 receiving/swaddle blankets

Boppy

2 Gowns and 4-6 Newborn Footed and/or onesies

Diapers

Wipes

3 bottles (she was exclusively bottle nursed/fed), I ended up getting four more bottles after birth

bookshelf, chest of drawers, or somewhere to organize clothing and or cloth if CD

trash pale or wet bag for dirty diapers or cloth diapers

baby hangers for the closet if using a closet

Swing (I bought a gliding swing when she was three weeks old, soothed her to sleep with late night fussiness)

Rocker (got when she was 4 weeks old, I wish I had looked into this sooner because most took 10 weeks to order and I wanted it NOW)

-but honestly didnt truly NEED it, but I love rocking her)

Crib (I bought the crib and bedding at 2 months old)

Musical plush toy or some type of music was soothing (purchased at 2 months old)

Of course, now I feel like I have bought out BOTH Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby, but at first we were quite comfortable with these items, and did not feel under prepared.

Edited by smiles2012 - 7/31/12 at 1:26pm

[MeepyCat]

I wound up using my Pack n'Play until my baby girl learned to crawl out of it at age 2.5.  Those things hold up really well.  The bassinet attachment made the immediate post-partum recovery period much easier - no bending over to pick the baby up or put her down (big deal if you're recovering from a c-section).  I cannot say enough good stuff about them.  You want some sheets, because they're easier to clean then the PnP mattress.

For a newborn, I did fine with the PnP (with bassinet and baby changer attachment), and a comfortable chair for me.  If I could get just one other item, it would be a dresser, low enough that I could put a changing pad on it and change the baby there, because they outgrow the PnP changing station pretty fast.  I have, however, had a lot more luck finding changing tables at the Salvation Army - people hold on to their dressers - and those are okay too, although once the babe starts crawling, they're not as useful for storage.

[katelove]

If you're on a tight budget then I'd suggest not getting the bassinette and just going straight to a full size cot (or pack n play, but I don't know anything about those). Or you could co-sleep and you might not need a cot at all. My LO is 2 and we've never had one.

I second the idea of somewhere bench-height to change baby. So much easier than bending over a low bed or getting up and down from the floor all the time.

[smiles2012]

Good points about the PnP. I was able to borrow a cradle from my SIL, and I loved having her right next to my bed, but not in the bed. Also, you may be surprised how much friends and family will help out with gently used items and gifts of clothing, and essentials.

Also, I mentioned the hoppy, but really a firm pillow will work just as well.

[montessorimama1]

You don't need much investment... check out this great website: www.bedstart.com   Hope it gives you some great ideas!

[skycheattraffic]

One thing I found about the pack and play is that DD wasn't very comfortable in it past 6 months or so (17.5 lbs). I had to move her to her crib exclusively for sleeping, even naps around that age. The fact that the pad folds up doesn't make it an even sleeping surface once baby gets heavier. She has slept in her crib happily from day one on a firm mattress. The nice thing about cribs is the adjustable mattress height. We had her on the highest setting until she could push up and crawl, medium setting until she coulp pull up to standing, and now at 16 months she is at the lowest setting. It's a convertible bed so once she starts trying to climb out, we will take the front off and when she outgrows that, it will convert to a double bed. If budget isn't a huge concern, I recommend a crib. You can sidecar it to your bed for cosleeping even. I got very little use out of my playpen past 6 months. Once she could crawl, she wanted nothing to do with it when awake and didnt sleep well in it as she grew bigger.