lyban: Congrats to your DD and to you, expectant Grandma!By my standards that is a nice spacious room! I would place the crib on the long wall, the rocker by the left side of window next to the crib and the dresser/changing table by the closet. Yup, those are the essentials though she'll probably get a lot of stuff that will spread over the whole house. I hihgly recommend a bassinet which she can move from room to room. At some point she may want to add a low bookcase (deeper if she can find one). It's a good place to keep books as well as shelves for all of her toys. If she can find one 14-16" deep it is best for toy storage.

I'd put the crib in the middle of the long wall, the changing table on the same wall. A rocking chair in the corner of the opposite wall, near the window, a small table next to the chair, and a floor lamp next to the chair. Is there an overhead light in the room?

With lots of shelves and multiple levels of hanging space, the closet will be sufficient to hold clothes and other necessities.

I like a changing table where supplies are immediately accessible, i.e., on shelves, and don't require drawers to be opened to get them. Squirming babies can be hard enough to hold in place without having to open a drawer between you and the baby.

Thankyou valinsv and suero. To answer your question, yes there is an overhead light but for some reason it is not in middle of room but right in front of window.
I see you both recommend crib on long wall but I seem to recall always being told that you should try not to put any bed between a window and door because of drafts. Now, I do not know if that is just an old wifes tale or if it is true....Good idea suero to have shelves under changing table for easy access.I never thought of that.
Valinsv, I see you recommend a bassinet. I think that would be a good idea because the bedrooms are upstairs and I think she would enjoy having the baby on ground floor for the daytime but everywhere I read says they are only good for about 3 months. Maybe there are some that you can use longer.
Keep the ideas coming please.

I was given a huge, oversized bassinet that I used for a good many months with my 2nd and 3rd. Look around, you may find something bigger and more useful than the standard tiny bassinet. If appropriately sized, they really are wonderful to have and be able to drag around.

That room is is much larger than the 10 x 10 that we used for the nursery that is now our daughters bedroom. I opted to go without a changing table; storage and long use items were more useful to me and a baby cannot roll off a floor. Personal choices, for sure, but I've never known anyone that really used a changing table for any length of time.

A nice comfortable rocker, resting space for her feet, a table to rest a drink, book or magazine on for mommy while she is in the rocker with baby and a separate light so she can go without the overhead light as needed.

Congrats!!!!

Sandra,
Thankyou. I will keep my eyes open for a larger bassinet.
If you look again at my sketch, the room is really only 8 by 8 of usuable space. The other space is not going to be able to use for putting anything except maybe a very narrow bookcase along the left side of entry door. I like the idea of making the Mum as comfortable as possible because I am sure she will be spending alot of time with breast feeding etc etc.

Another thing to consider is which wall the sun hits. Initially I was thinking the crib on the shorter wall and the changer on the long wall with the rocker in left corner near the window. But depending on how the sun comes in the room the crib may be better on the long wall. My 12 yr dd moved her bed under her window because she likes the moonlight shining on her. Her window faces east so she gets morning sun if she opens the shutters which is nice on a spring day and the moon lights up her room at night. I would not like that but she does.

Oh, congrats to all.

The guideline for moving the baby out of the bassinet is when the baby rolls over as theoretically the bassinet can tip over. I'd use that guideline for nightime use; however for daytime I think it would be OK to do it a bit longer--6 mos. of so since baby will be supervised. I loved the bassinet and would wheel it with me wherever I went--including the bathroom when I would take a shower.

Many parents also find it convenient to let the baby nap in the infant carseat since most moms are on the go. It took me three babies to figure out a system that worked which was the bassinet at night as I also breastfed and when my babies were little and woke in the night if was more convenient to have them in my room; then I move them to their rooms at night after about 3 mos. so they would get used to sleeping in their crib at night. I would use crib in daytime for naps so they'd be used to that as well. I'm sure you remember how much new parents (esp. breastfeeding moms) crave their sleep.

Congrats!

A couple of things come to mind even tho it has been 19 yrs since DD was a baby. When I was pregnant with DD, my DM wanted to purchase the nursery furniture as she had been forever waiting patiently (not)for a grandchild. LOL We found the crib that I loved and dresser with the then popular fold down changing set up.

That particular piece of furniture was a huge waste of good money IMHO. I can count on one hand the times I actually changed DD on the "changing table". Most times I changed her wherever we happened to be when she needed changing. During that phase of middle of the night feedings and when we were at home, I changed her right in her crib. Just put down a soft material waterproof pad (best thing ever invented), which I kept within arm's reach of the crib, and changed the diaper. I could have gotten a larger much more functional dresser had I known then what I know now.

Best advice would be with the exception of the crib, don't buy "baby" furniture for the nursery.

The closet in DD's nursery at the time had sliding closet doors. When you opened the door to the right, there was space to hang clothing that extended about 2 plus feet behind the wall. We had shelving installed in that space which was the best use of that space. You have so many little clothes and things that you don't need to hang. Also, DD's crib was near that closet, so I stored diapers, wipes and things of that sort on the shelves. It gave me additional space as DD's nursery was approx. 10x12. With two windows, we didn't have alot of options for the crib/ furniture placement.

We kept a bassinet downstairs, but DD took her naps and slept in her crib in her room from the day we brought her home from the hospital. On occasion she would fall asleep in her playpen. I don't know what happened to playpens and the use thereof, but my friends' kids with small children do not use them AT ALL?? The playpen was my best friend for my sanity when I wanted to take a shower or accomplish a solo task and DD was awake and playing.

We had a young lab at the time of DD's birth, so the guy who did our shelving took out the door to DD's room and replaced it with a custom "screened door". It was the perfect solution as the dog and cats could see in, but couldn't get in unless we accompanied them. The last thing I wanted to be doing was scaling a baby gate every time I went in and out of the nursery, particularly in the middle of the night. LOL When he first suggested doing it, I thought it would look tacky having a screen door inside the house, but he did a great job of making it look like an inside door decoratively speaking, stained it, etc.

If your grandchild takes to a particular blanket, buy a few of them while they are still available. My DD became attached to a blanket that was given to me at my baby shower. Had I realized that DD would get to the point where she couldn't live without it (at about age 2), I would have purchased a couple more of that particular blanket. Unfortunately, it was more of a one of a kind type gift found at a boutique baby shop. We ended up cutting it in 4 pcs. so that there would always be a clean piece as it was something she could not do without when she needed to be comforted or put down for a nap or to bed at night.

This is such an exciting time for your family. Enjoy every moment!

I have a 1 year old so this is pretty recent for me. We only bought the crib and a pack-n-play with a bassinet and a changing table. We used the pack-n-play for the first 3 months during the day so she was close to me and at night to start with before we ended up doing some co-sleeping. We also used the changing part there until she was at the weight limit. I thought I'd just change her anywhere, but we ended up buying a changing table anyways.

We have a club chair rocker in the nursery and I've only used it a couple of times when she woke up in the middle of the night and it was out of the norm. We did buy some rocker recliners for our living room and that is what I've used to nurse and rocking to sleep. They were also a gods end for me after having a vertical c-section and I slept in it for the first week. Much easier to get up from than a bed. Since there is two stories an upstairs rocker/glider might be nice too.

A regular dresser is good. We have a long non-walk in closet in my daughters room and stuck the dresser in there.

Bookshelves to store books and bins with toys are a good idea too.

I'd put the crib on the long wall with the rocker/recliner. You want to be able to see the crib from the door. Dresser near the closet and same with changing table. One thing to keep in mind a regular dresser might be just fine to use the top for a changing table too with a curved changing pad.

My 10-month-old's room is about 9x10. I have a big comfy chair and ottoman, bookcase, crib, and changing table. The changing table will be changed out to a dresser as soon as I find a suitable one on craigslist.

Yes, it is all crammed in there, but it's actually quite cozy-looking and very functional. The bookcase is next to the chair. Its great for holding books for *me*, baby nail clippers, burp cloths, tissues, etc. as well as the baby's books. I also had a short round table beside the chair (in front of the bookcase) for a long time that held a laptop computer. I've spent a lot of time in that chair!

Congrats!

So many good responses from everyone: Thankyou
Shannon: I never thought of the sun coming into room and hitting crib. which brings me to my next question, should a babys room have room darkening shades or is it better to get them use to the light coming in.

Valinsv: I thank you for that info on the bassinet. I do see that in our plans even if kept on main floor.

Work in Progress; I like the idea of the furniture not matching. Seeing that she would like to find some things on CL, we will probably not have them matching.

Lyfia: Pack and Play sounds like a good solution also instead of bassinet.

Bungalow: Your babys room sounds so comfy and cozy. I am so anxious to get going on this project.

I am still wondering about the room darkening ideas for window or if just light curtains will be alright. This room would get morning sun, and is a fair size window.

I think the light/dark in the room depends on the child. If parents doesn't get any sleep and keeping it dark helps that then do it. We let our girl get used to the light and haven't really had any issues, but I'm sure some children just can't get used to it. I have curtains on top and 2" blinds on the 3 windows. There are two walls in her room that has windows so there is a fair amount of light.

Look for a pack-n-play that is larger in size and has a bassinet in it. We got the larger size so when we travel we could use it when older as well. They have a smaller size, but she would be pretty snug in that now and not have room to move around like she does when sleeping.

Congratulations and enjoy!! Is this your first grandchild?

Oh I forgot to mention. We have a monitor that has a night light and we had to turn it off at night or when she woke she would think it was time to play instead of going back to sleep.

However, my boss and his wife has twins a few weeks older than my daughter and they found their daughters slept better at night with a night light. Before the night light they would wake up screaming and after it they'd make a little noise, but go back to sleep.

I guess it just goes to show - they are not all the same so you may start with one thing and have to change it later.

Yes, this is my first grandchild.
My daughter has been only married since October and expecting this first child at end of September and in between bought their first home.
So, it has been a busy time and of course money is tight. so much to do in their older home but that said we are all so thrilled about this baby.
All the info I can get here is appreciated. so many new things since I was pregnant 31 years ago.

Congrats!

It seems like the closet is really the main problem. Could it possibly be moved to an adjascent room (esp if there's a larger closet in said room that could be divided, then hang a new door -even a pocket door- in the wall to access the new closet space) so there's still a closet but it's less disruptive to furniture placement? Or alternately, remove the closet altogether and use an armoire elsewhere (like to the left or the door, and swap the door swing of the main door? Or even frame in shallower closet in that space with a pocket door or bifolds?
It seems that will give you a lot more choices for placement.

How handy are you/they? The materials to do that are cheap; framing a little non-structural closet and sheetrocking it, and hanging a pre-hung door are pretty easy DIY projects.

Alternately, if they want to do something on the cheap for now... what about your idea of removing the closet door and hanging a pretty curtain instead? Although: you still need space to stand in front of the closet to access items in there... You'd probably only gain about 11-12" of new useable space.

Oh- just had another thought. You could leave the closet as is but swap the door for a set of those two-part, saloon style doors (regular height but opens in the middle like french door sets.) Again, you'd gain another foot of useable space since the door swing would be half what's there now.

Stacey,
I do not think they would want to remove the closet but maybe the saloon type doors would work. I will have to think about that.
Thanks for the idea.

When I saw the dimensions of the room it made me think of the nursery Sarah Richardson did on HGTV's Sarah's House Season 2 not too long ago.

Jim

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I have four children, and my youngest is 3 months old (today!). My advice is to get as little as possible because you don't really know what you'll use until the baby is born. For example, I rarely use a changing table and we don't even have one anymore. I am all over the house with my other kids so I change the baby wherever I happen to be.

As for the crib, ours has gotten very little use since we sleep with them most of the time or they are worn (carried) during the day. Some of my girls have used the crib for naps, though. One thing that we've done is to have the crib in our room. I find it much easier to tend to a baby immediately (which you can sense easily if you sleep together vs. on a monitor) rather than have her cry, etc. I have always nursed my girls but I would think this would be esp. true for bottlefeeding, as it takes more time to prepare the bottle.

So, I would probably suggest to your DD that they put the crib in their room, and then think of the room "long term" and decorate it for when their child is a little older-- not a nursery. Those first years go by so fast! My 3rd DD is three today, and I don't know how that happened.

Congratulations to you and your family!

chijim: I love that nursery you posted and the colors. Thank you for them.
Anele: I am sure you are right about a changing table, I agree that it is probably not really necessary. As for not having a crib, I don't know but it would be my daughters decision but I really doubt that she would want the baby in her room on a permanent basis maybe some nights though.
I could be wrong, I know the younger generation do not always agree with my generation.

Congratulations on your first grandchild!

It sounds like you have some great ideas already from everyone on here. If I may add one thought regarding changing tables...we had one (b/c it was given to us). We rarely used it, even with our first baby. There's something more challenging about changing a baby when you are attempting to do so from the side. Our changing table had shelves. Our little boy loved to take everything off of the shelves every chance he got, as soon as he could sit up, so after the first few times of refolding clothing and putting diapers back on the shelves, we stopped using it for storage. Then he thought it would be a fun thing to try to climb up, as soon as he could pull himself to a stand. It may just depend upon the child, but that experience was enough to get rid of the changing table by the time our second child arrived. :)

My parents had a convertable crib for our kids at their home. The type that turns into a toddler bed, and then can be a headboard for a regular bed as they get older. This can be quite a money saver for down the road. Just be careful with any crib you may purchase right now, as many have been recalled...so beware if you are buying one from CL, etc...just check to be sure it's not on the recall list (which seems to be growing by the month).

Congrats again and best wishes to your daughter and her new family!

There is a great book called Baby Bargains which really helped me when I was buying for our first. Lots of manufacturer reviews, price comparisons, etc. I believe they also have a website and message boards.

Oh, and the Pack and Play is definitely more adaptable than a bassinet and will be used much longer. We kept it in the living room for a year and a half for naps, play, etc. Plus you can use it for travel. If you choose this option, get a quilted sheet (or 2), which is much softer than the PnP fabric on the bottom and it is nice to be able to wash it. We now keep ours under the bed in the guest bedroom so that we have a crib when friends with young children come to visit.

We used a changing pad on a dresser rather than purchasing a changing table. I have also seen cool ideas for using a potting bench as a changing table - something else that would have a life beyond the baby years.

Congratulations!

Here is a link that might be useful: Baby Bargains book

Mpmg, thanks for the reply. I will mention your thoughts on changing table to my daughter. I can see how it might just be a waste of money.
Latimore: Well, I might just pick up that book, it sounds like it might have some good tips.
Does anyone know a good source for the different size letters in the sarah richardson nursery above.

Maybe try a sign shop? They might have leftovers from other jobs that you could get cheap. If they are plastic but not the right color you could spray paint them with that paint for everything. (Krylon Fusion or similar)

There are also a number of online suppliers of sign supplies - you could look there for ideas. Gemini is one that comes to mind. "Formed plastic letters" is probably the best search term.

The crib set we bought had a matching dresser that had a changing table on top that was removable when not needed any longer, but the dresser was still functional. I still use the dress and my youngest is 7 yr old. Also the crib converts to a youth bed, then a full size bed (which my 9 yr old son still uses). We still get a lot of use out of all the furniture we bought. I don't remember the company, but can get you the name if you're interested.

And... Congratulations!!!

I'll also second the pack n play. It's also great for traveling. Our kids were used to sleeping in it, so if we went on a trip, they slept in a familiar place and we didn't have any problems at bed time.

"Does anyone know a good source for the different size letters in the sarah richardson nursery above."

FYI - they're made of MDF and she painted them herself.

They choose the various fonts online, enlarged them and took them a guy who used a CNC cutting machine to cut them out.

I just want to pass on my daughter's idea that helped so much. She purchased a clear, over the door shoe bag, the kind with about 20 pockets. Great for holding wipes, onesies, pj's, socks, thermometer, rattles, etc. The more doors, the better! It worked perfect when she asked the hub to get something, he didn't have to go searching through drawers, she could tell him "it's in the 3rd row" and was quite a time and space saver. I also use them for crafts, sewing supplies, tools, cleaning supplies, etc. Just passing it on. Congratulations Grandma to be!

Oh rats! My post got lost...

What about building a 'changing shelf' into the closet? Make a removable water-proof pad to sit on it, and store all your 'attractive' diapering supplies in there? Build out the rest of the closet with shelves and bins.

Lafonda,
Thanks for the idea of the changing pad ontop of a dresser. Sounds like a good idea.
Chijim: I read that is what Sarah did and now I found a great site that makes a set like Sarah used. They only have to be painted.
Natesgram: What a great idea using the shoe organizer. I am going to steal that one.
sweetby: don't you just hate it when your post gets lost. I think what happens is when you preview it and then forget to submit.
Another good idea for closet.