Making Room for Baby: Nursery Inspiration for Nesting Mamas

There is a lot of uncertainty that comes with pregnancy. When will I go into labor? Will my baby be healthy? What is my new life with baby going to look like?

I am currently on my third pregnancy and can tell you that these apprehensions are still relevant. One certainty I can count on myself adhering to is creating a warm and loving place for my new baby to come home to.

The funny thing is, your baby usually doesn’t use his or her nursery for a while! The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends for baby to sleep in your room for at least 6 months. Although, to preserve your sanity, you may pull the trigger to move them to their own room sooner than that (personally my children have never lasted that long).

Whether your new bundle of joy uses their nursery sooner or later there are many reasons I prefer to have the nursery up to my own standards of perfection before going into labor:

Organization: When you are looking for something…or anything!… to help your wailing baby in the middle of the night, it is so helpful to have go-to-zones readily available in the nursery. I am talking poop stations, feeding stations, soothing stations, etc. My method of madness is to try everything! Although that pacifier may not have worked the night before, your baby may have decided it is his favorite thing the next night. Diaper caddies and baskets can really help organize any part of your nursery. This is one of the best baby girl and baby boy nursery ideas out there!
Sense of Preparation: Once I have put my finalized touches on my baby’s nursery I feel ready to bring my little one home. It may be a false sense of being prepared, but we all need something to hold onto when our backs are aching, body is swelling, and moods are acting like Tarzan swinging through the jungle. I like to walk through the nursery and imagine myself feeding my new baby at the armchair and wrapping my baby in one of the warm blankets I have laid out.
Making Room: Babies require A LOT of stuff. The third time around I am trying to take a very minimalist approach to the amount of baby things I think I ‘need.’ But even with just the diapers, clothes, burp rags, blankets, safety seats, first aid necessities, and few baby toys I have readily stashed I am remembering this is a new human coming to live with us. Based on my new baby’s individual needs he is going to need his own things and own space. Having his new room ready really helps me wrap my head around our changing family dynamic.

One of my nursery diaper caddy stations will include wipes (still need NB diapers!), bibs, burp rags, and pacifiers.

getting nursery and home life ready for baby

I have one piece of advice when it comes to baby girl and baby boy nursery ideas: choose a theme based on your own likes you are hoping to pass on to your newest family member. Our first child has a forest theme because my husband and I really enjoy nature. Our second child has a family theme that includes some family heirlooms and pictures passed on from the people she was named after. Our third child has a National Parks theme because we've found it's where we like to vacation with our children.

It's my hope that in the future my children have keepsakes from their nurseries they can either pass down to their own children or simply treasure for themselves. When I found the Lodgepole Quilt from Parker Baby Co. the pattern fit my nursery theme perfectly and is the best kind of memento for my little one to hold onto.

With my little man’s new quilt adding the finalizing touch to his nursery I at least feel ready for what’s to come… although I can’t speak for my husband and children. Either way, in 5 weeks or less the Huebner family will have a new human entering the household and that human will have his very own room along with LOTS of love ready and waiting for his arrival.

More Nursery Inspiration:

The original felt Diaper Caddy in August's nursery.