Your nursery checklist is going to be dependent on your nursery’s room size and setup. These are all items I have used in my nursery for all 3 of my babies but we are also very fortunate to have a good sized nursery, which definitely was a bonus when we found out we would need to add a second crib for our twins! Anyways, please keep that in mind when reading through this list.
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Bassinet & Bassinet Sheets
Bassinet & Bassinet Sheets – I had my babies in a bassinet in the master bedroom for the first 3 months. I recommend getting a pretty basic bassinet. You do not need a bassinet that sings, rocks, vibrates, etc. You do not want your baby to get used to being constantly rocked, etc. to sleep during those precious newborn months. Yes, during the newborn stage there will be more rocking, patting, singing to sleep done by you (a human, not a bassinet) but then you are putting them down to sleep in a still bed because if you use a moving bassinet, that is what they will get used to and moving them to a crib will be much trickier than it needs to be.
Check out my blog post, “Baby Sleep Tips from a Mom of 3, with Twins“, where I explain how to successfully swaddle your baby and lay them down in the bassinet.
Tech Items
- Baby Monitor – Things to look for in a monitor – Volume control, camera moves up, down, and side to side, shows temperature, sound alert (nice to have if you are a deep sleeper), talk through (I have used this feature a lot with my toddler), does not use wifi (then you can use it anywhere, i.e. camping).
- Ballhead Arm Camera Clamp Mount – The best camera (for your baby monitor) hanging hack! This is a mount you can secure your camera on and clamp on to so many places! This clamp is extremely sturdy and made of aluminum alloy and stainless steel. Once clamped, you can fully move your camera around with a 360° rotation to turn the monitor in any direction!
- Sound Machine – White noise is so helpful for baby sleep! They are used to white noise from the sounds in your womb, they aren’t used to silence.
- Owlet Sock – I used an Owlet Sock with all 3 of my babies for about the 1st 6 to 9 months, once I knew they could roll around and get into a comfortable sleep position on their own then I stopped using it. It gave myself and my husband so much peace of mind knowing that our baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels were being monitored and we would be alerted if there was any concern.
Nursery Items
- Regular Dresser – We were gifted my husband’s old nursery dresser from when he was a baby so it holds sentimental value. It has the smaller drawers that you see on “baby dressers”. If I were to buy a new dresser, I would get a regular dresser with regular size drawers. Those baby sized drawers fill up quickly!
- Crib & Crib Sheets – With my daughter I was more concerned with the aesthetic of items and I opted for a crib that had a back “wall”, so 3 sides were slats and the backside (that was against the wall) was as a solid piece of horizontal wood. With my twins, I got 2 cribs that were slots all around the 4 sides, which were also cheaper. My take away – I prefer the cribs with slots around all 4 sides. Reason being, my daughter would sometimes accidentally hit her head on the solid piece of wood when rolling around, and as she got older she would lay on her back and full out kick the back “wall” when delaying going to sleep.
- Crib Mattress – I like the mattresses that are 2 sided, 1 side for 0-12 months (firmer) and 1 side for 12 months and up (softer)
- Comfy Rocking Chair that Reclines – This is by far the most used piece of furniture in the nursery! We spent the money on a nice La-Z-Boy rocking chair and are so glad we did, as I have spent hours upon hours in that chair rocking babies back to sleep! Trust me, it is worth spending some extra money to ensure you get a nice comfortable rocking chair that reclines. Extra tip – try to find one that doesn’t make too much sound when you put the foot rest up so there isn’t a big clunk sound that will wake your sleeping baby.
- Bookshelf – You don’t need to necessarily have a bookshelf, but have somewhere to store books, as you will start to accumulate lots of baby books in your nursery.
- Area Rug – We got an area rug because our nursery is on a hardwood floor. Unless your nursery has carpet already, then I would suggest getting an area rug to have a nice surface for your baby to play on.
- Wall Art – I bought a super cute set of 6 animal pictures off of Etsy that each has a saying like, “Be Brave, Be Strong” etc. I printed them off and put them into picture frames and hung them above the crib. But! Looking back, I wish I had done this differently because having actual solid picture frames above the crib is a safety concern for if they were to fall off the wall. I should have put the pictures on blank canvas because that way they would at least be softer if they were to fall off. Really, the safest option is not to put anything above the crib but I understand that aesthetically it looks nice to have art on the wall behind the crib. If you do choose to hang something on a wall near the crib, then please keep in mind using smaller pieces (not one large blanket) of a softer material in case it falls off.
- Black Out Blinds – This is a must-have item in my opinion! I like these ones because you can cut them right to the size of your window. I believe (and so do actual sleep experts!) that babies sleep better in a dark room. I highly suggest getting black out blinds to help create a dark environment to help your baby sleep better. And no, they won’t need black out blinds forever, my 3 year old no longer sleeps with black out blinds (she has regular blinds and a curtain, so it is darker but not black out).
- Curtains – I suggest picking a curtain that is darker in colour (to help stop sunlight from sneaking in) and shorter in length. It is safer to have shorter curtains (not floor length) in the nursery because when your baby becomes mobile and is crawling/walking around, we don’t want them to be able to pull at the curtains.
- Laundry Hamper
- Baskets for storage – You can never go wrong with extra storage baskets! I use mine to hold towels, extra bed sheets, and extra sleep sacks.
- Small Baskets for top drawer – I have 3 small baskets in the top drawer of the dresser to help with organization. In these baskets I keep washcloths, burp cloths, socks, hats, etc.
- Changing Pad with removable sheets – I have the changing pad attached to the top of the dresser. I personally did not feel the need to have a whole separate piece of furniture for a changing station. I have a change pad, diapers, wipes, bum cream, lotion, and a dim light (for middle of the night changes) all on top of the dresser and am happy with this set up! Just please please please never leave your baby unattended while on the change pad!! Having an elevated change pad is a huge fall risk, so whenever you use it, have all your supplies handy so you do not leave your baby unattended! If you do happen to forget a diaper or wipes, take your baby with you to go get what you need!
- Diaper Genie & Refills
- Rubbermaids – I always keep a rubbermaid in the closet so I can quickly throw in any clothes that are too small. Once the bin is full, put it into storage (label the top with the size, etc) and then grab a new bin to start filling up again.
- Hooks – To hang towels, sweaters, etc.
- Side Table with Lamp – For beside your rocking chair
- Dim Portable Light – For middle of the night feeds!
Item you don’t need – A mobile! If you do get a mobile then put it above the change table, not the crib. The reason I suggest not putting it above the crib is because it becomes a distraction when your baby is trying to fall asleep.
Please please please, make sure to anchor your big pieces of furniture in your nursery, like your dresser and bookshelf!
I didn’t think I had a lot to say about nursery set up, but apparently I was wrong! I hope it was helpful :).
