To ensure your baby's room is cosy and welcoming, first choose your furniture then indulge in gorgeous accessories...
For the first 6 months, your tiny baby will sleep near you in a Moses basket or crib. As night merges with day and your life together is a sleeping, feeding, nappy-changing thing of wonder, it can be hard to imagine the ordered sanctity of your baby snuggled up in his own room for the night. But sooner or later, he'll need a room of his own.
A few well-chosen pieces of furniture quickly transform that boxroom into a welcoming space for your baby. Just choose your cot, add a storage unit (for baby clothes and equipment) and a changing station (for change mat, nappies and fragrance-free wipes) and you're away.
Many cots are part of a furniture set, allowing you to co-ordinate dressers, wardrobes, even peg rails, and either theme the room, or merely ensure it remains in keeping with the rest of your home. Look out for cot beds with removable sides - these transform
Get creative...
When choosing a colour scheme, buy the bed linen before choosing paint colours - it's easier to match walls to sheets than the other way around. Don't be afraid to use more than one colour. Strong shades and contrasts are stimulating for babies and are unisex too - so there's no excuse to wait until the baby arrives before you start decorating!
The easiest way to bring together several shades is by using a co-ordinated wallpaper border. Apply at waist height (your baby will interact with it more here than near the ceiling) and paint your lighter colour above and darker shade below. Alternatively, run a waist-height peg rail along one wall.
Create your own matching accessories by painting picture frames with leftover emulsion from the walls. use the frames to display your baby's hand-prints (use non-toxic paint on coloured paper), above baby photos or your favourite 'new baby' cards.
Or enlarge cut-outs on a colour copier and glue to cupboards or boxes for a co-ordinating room-set. Finish by painting over with a clear, low-fume varnish.
Snuggle up...
Choose sheets and blankets from a rainbow selection of colours to complement your theme (don't use pillows and duvets for babies under one). For a co-ordinated look, go for bedding from a nursery set, then add the matching accessories.
Storage...
Make the most of small spaces by utilising the back of the door, side of a cot and any wall space for storage. Invest in a nappy stacker to hide nappies away and add hooks for bags and clothes.
Babies amass lots of tiny bits and pieces from wrist rattles to finger puppets. They get lost in the bottom of a toy box, so small storage ideas are essential.
For larger items like soft toys or building bricks, choose a traditional wooden box or add a modern splash of zingy colour with a large storage tub. These will keep toys tidy but easily accessible.
Are they sleeping comfortably?
Whether you buy a new cot or choose to borrow, there's little doubt that every new baby deserves a new mattress.
Why?
Old mattresses become compressed with use, making them less comfortable and less effective for your baby.
So what do I choose?
Most important is fit. Limbs get caught in gaps over 4cm, so take measurements for a perfect fit.
Sleep safety
Helpful tips, good advice and a few essential items to make sure your baby sleep safely
It's important that you take all the precautions you can to ensure that your little one is safe and comfortable whilst in their crib or cot.
What you'll need
- Cot mattress
- Fitted mattress sheets x 4
- Top sheets x 4
- Blankets x 3
- Room thermometer
- You may also need a crib or moses basket
DO NOT use the following bedding for babies under 12 months
- Cot quilts or duvet
- Pillow
- Sheepskin
- Hot water bottle
Sleeping bags for babies
Good for little ones who tend to kick off their blankets. Use a vest or bodysuit (long sleeved if necessary) underneath the sleeping bag. Check the weight and size of sleeping bag is suitable for your baby. Summer and warmer nights: 1 tog rate. Winter and colder nights: 2.5 tog rate. Should fit snugly around your baby's chest. Click here to view our range of sleeping bags.
Swaddling
Swaddling may help your baby settle and feel secure for the first three months. Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep once swaddled, and make sure your baby doesn't get too warm. Please make sure materials are lightweight and your baby's head should not be, or become, covered.
Tog ratings and temperature
Check the tog rating and remember the higher the rating the greater the warmth. For a good safe night's sleep, babies need to be warm but not too hot, which is why we apply a tog rating to all our sleeping bags (and quilts/duvets for babies over 12 months). A steady room temperature for your sleeping baby is 16-20ºC. Buy a room thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature and check if your baby is sweating or feels hot to the touch to see if you need to adjust clothing or bedding.
Choosing a mattress
Our mattresses have been designed to the very highest level of comfort, safety and hygiene. Visit our stores, to touch and feel our full range of mattresses. They are all made from non-PVC designed to meet the same standards and cater for all budgets. A new mattress is also recommended for new babies because of the link between bacteria and SIDS.
Mattress Health
- By keeping the sleep surface fresh and clean, you can help control the risk of developing allergic reactions
- Ensure you line or tumble dry the top panel thoroughly
- Regularly wipe clear the PVC surface of any mattress
- Regularly vacuum or sponge-clean the bottom cotton cover of the mattress base where applicable
Current sleep safety advice
- The safest place for your baby to sleep is on their back in a cot in your room for the first 6 months
- Keep your baby smoke-free
- Do not let your baby get too hot
- Keep your baby's head uncovered
- Place your baby's feet at the bottom of the cot, to prevent wriggling down under the bed clothes
- If your baby is unwell seek medical advice promptly
- Never fall asleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair