This post is sponsored by Super Amart
Are you in the process of putting together a nursery for your bub? Did you, by any chance, think a nursery was the place your baby gets dressed and goes to sleep?
Oh you silly goose, no! Don’t worry, don’t be embarrassed, it’s an easy mistake to make.
The nursery is MUCH more than a room to sleep in.
The nursery is a place to design within an inch of its life so you can take gorgeous styled photos to plaster all over Instagram and Pinterest.
Did you know there’s a rapidly growing industry of interior designers who specialise in children’s rooms? Because no one cares what the rest of your house looks like, as long as your kids rooms are magazine ready.
People pay HUNDREDS of dollars to these designers and hundreds more buying all the necessities for the room.
But I’ve got you covered. FOR FREE.
Here’s a list of what you definitely DO and definitely DON’T need for your nursery.
ESSENTIALS
The very bare essentials for a functioning nursery.
You really do need somewhere for the child to sleep. The floor is not ideal, particularly once they start to roll. Although, provided the door is closed, they won’t get far….. No, definitely get the a bed of some sort. It’s definitely safer.
Change table
I suppose you could use the floor, but it’ll be a lot nicer on your back if you have somewhere higher to wipe bums (there’ll be an awful lot of bum wiping). Plus there’s the added bonus of being out of reach of your dog or other children who may want to join in the changing fun. Put down the dirty nappy Spot!
Somewhere to store clothes
Again, the floor is an option. But you’ll probably find it easier to find stuff if it’s sorted out in drawers or a wardrobe. Plus, mess is so much easier on the eye when it’s hidden in a drawer or behind a wardrobe door. There’ll be a lot of stuff. They need SO MUCH STUFF.
DESIRABLE
You could survive on just those three essential items, but the room would be pretty bare and you’re going to end up with a lot of junk on the floor. So there are a few more things you might want to invest in:
Feeding chair
You could sit on the couch or on your bed, but your back will probably thank you for sitting upright in a proper chair. Something that rocks and has a footstool is a bonus.
Listen to me and do not use a beanbag. Sure, it’s comfy, but there’s no chance in hell you’re getting out of that thing with you and the baby in one piece/asleep.
Somewhere to display all those adorable books and keepsakes that people will shower you with when the baby arrives. SO MUCH STUFF.
NOT AT ALL ESSENTIAL
Oh my god the crap you think you need. Here are some things you can totally live without. I promise. You will not be a total failure of a parent if your child does not have these things in their room:
A nappy, sausage making machine bin
These bins that hermetically seal your nappies in a long sausage of human excrement. No. Take that poo bomb and walk straight to your outside bin. Better yet, go to the toilet, scrape off the toxic sludge and flush it away (the poo, not the nappy) because the world does not need a plastic wrapped shit-capsule to remember your child for the next 300 years. Besides, the idea of keeping those crap packs in the baby’s room for days on end makes me want to gag.
A wipe warmer
When you’re changing your baby in the middle of the night, you will have moments where you feel awful for having to undress them and whacking a cold, wet wipe on their tiny little bottom. Easy and free fix? Stick that bad boy down your bra for a minute and your red-hot boobs will toast that thing up nice and warm. FREEE.
White noise machine
I myself was fooled and spent too much money on a machine that had an automatic cut-off after 45 minutes, which meant my child would wake up after 45 minutes. EVERY TIME. That stupid thing was tossed pretty quick and we download a FREE white noise app on an old iPhone and it has been our little hero. You could also just get an old radio and turn the dial a little bit off station and you’ve got static forever. You’re welcome.
So now you’ve got the list, go forth and furnish that room!
Super Amart has a stocktake sale running from May 20 – June 2. There’ll be huge savings across most of their most popular homewares, so head over and check out what they have to offer today!
27 comments
A wipe warmer? bahahaha oh how things have changed xx
It’s a real thing and I nearly convinced myself I needed one because my boy was a winter baby. Until I discovered how speedy my boobs were at warming shit up.
I have to confess to having and using the poo sausage bin but hadn’t actually thought of it like that until now, I’m so thankful mine are now beyond those years because I now feel sick thinking about it. That is exactly what it is! I used it out of laziness I couldn’t be bothered going down to the wheelie bin every time I changed a nappy. But now wipe warmers, what?
Oh heaps of people have the poo sausage maker! I was fairly certain I needed one, but the more I thought about it the more I realised I could live without it.
Beurk! Sausage pooh machine. Beurk!!! Never wanted that one. I’m sure there are so much more non essential stuff that they are trying to sell us! pfff… Poor parents! xx cathy
We are ripe for the picking Cathy! They know that new parents will buy ANYTHING because they have no idea if they’re really going to need it or not. We are always in a panic and think we need it all!
SO MUCH STUFF – you are so right! I was given a nappy sausage bin thingy and found the real trap was buying the replacement bin bag cartridges. Those things are super expensive especially when money needs to be spent on more important things – like actual nappies. To the “not at all essential” list I’d add stuffed toys. Step away from the fluffy bunny or bear because you’re most likely to be gifted 50 stuffed bunnies, bears, giraffes, hippos, dolls, etc that will take up all the space on your bookshelf and gather dust. Ok – my stuffed toy rant is over! As for kiddie rooms on Instagram – they are beautiful but not real life. That’s what I tell myself anyway. A kid couldn’t possibly live in a room like that. They might want to play in it and get it dirty.
SO MANY STUFFED TOYS. SOOOO MANY.
I’m so glad everyone feels the same about the nappy sausage! I was speechless when a friend showed me how wonderful hers was. Ick!! Awesome decorating tips Thudster. We’ve grown out of nappy changing tables and the likes now but I’m scared the minute I pass them on I’ll get pregnant seconds later…. Lol!
A nappy sausage machine! Whatever next?! (Actually, don’t answer that one!)
No shit sausages here. We have a man that comes and cleans our wheely bins and makes them smell pretty once a month for $13. Best $13 I spend! No shit or food residue and imagine a bin that actually has a nice fragrance…it’s a talking point in our backyard. Ha!
That’s genius. I need that man to come to our house. Meanwhile – that’s a SHIT job. But he’s smart. I’d pay more than $13 for that!
Oh those nappy machines are so gross! We were given one when we had our big boy (yep awesome present) but I could’t bring myself to use it. Great list.
We were given one too. A hand me down one. I thought it would be great but then I saw what they did and it freaked me out that the poo would just be sitting there, in the room, for DAYS. I have a really sensitive nose and I just didn’t trust it could seal it that well.
A nappy sausage making machine!!?? WTF? That should be illegal. Yucko!
I looooved my feeding rocking chair. Yes, it’s not an essential, but it’s very relaxing.
xo
Oh yeah, a good rocking chair is the best. Especially if you have a baby that wants to sleep on you all the time, then you want to be as comfortable as possible.
I love this post. It’s the best advice but unfortunately I don’t know a lot of mums to be who actually follow this kind of advice. They think it will stay nice and neat and the baby will love using their lovely furniture! !! NOT! !! I have 3 kids now and I have chucked out soon much baby stuff because you get sick of all their crap every where than they never use. I changed all my kids on the floor as they always tried to bungee jump off the change table. I just recently bought my 11 month a high chair and I still don’t know how she takes the belt off and jumps up in the seat ready to dive! And a cot! She ONLY sleeps next to me on the boob all night. I officially stopped breeding. Lol
Oh yeah, I have a bungee jumper myself! So unfortunate when you’ve got a toxic nappy that needs to be changed. Argh!
I disagree about the nappy bin, but my outside bin is quite a hike (it’s a shared skip for a townhouse complex). Also, I set up the change table and bin in the bathroom. It’s a bit cramped but totally worth it – I can’t imagine doing changes in a room where there is no soap & water.
P.S. Only recently discovered the blog and it’s my new favourite!
That’s actually genius Tess! I was going to get a fold down change table to put in the laundry downstairs so I didn’t have to walk upstairs every time. I forgot…. Baby brain.
Thanks for stopping by Tess!! xx
OMG I had zero intention of having more children until you just informed me of a wipes warmer! I totally want one!!!
Last year I gave my friend who had her first baby an iPod with the app “Sleepy Sounds” installed. She thought I was nuts but now she gives the same present to her friends!
Jacinta you are the best friend ever!!! That is a genius present. I love it.
I feel like this post comes with an implied CC to me. Lol!
BAHHAHAHHAHHA! Take notes, Lauren. Take AMPLE notes.
Haha! No, just for all the mums to be 🙂
ewwww. That nappy bin. Thankfully I never got one of those. Gross!!
urghh… The nappy sausage machine! I was gifted one! Biggest non-essential ever!