| |
|
Budgeting for Baby >
Planning for Your Baby |
| |
| |
Planning a Nursery
|
| Like many aspects for preparing for your child, planning and
budgeting for your child’s nursery is all about getting personal.
The Nursery market is especially hot – with growing numbers of
interior decorators specializing in creating your perfect nursery
and designer furniture lines adding new nursery collections, the
opportunity to splurge has never been greater. With all these
options, planning a space that is both comfortable and calm for your
baby, and functional for you, can be overwhelming. Here are some
tips on where to start. |
| |
| |
Plan a budget
|
| More so than food or clothing, the nursery is the place where
you can really splurge or save depending on your budget. An upscale,
full furniture set bought new at a designer baby boutique can cost
thousands of dollars. If a high end crib catches your eye, if it is
part of a set you may be tempted to pick up the matching pieces. For
your nursery, it is best to first determine how much you want to
spend. From there, you will be able to plan what items you will be
picking up new, and at what price point, what items you already own
that you can re-purpose for a baby, and what items can be bought
used or passed down from family and friends. |
| |
| |
Pick a few central pieces
|
| Don’t become bogged down by matching crib, rocking chair,
changing table, bookcase and dresser sets. Pick a few key pieces
that you want to focus on – maybe an antique dresser that has been
in your family can be seen as a worthy investment of time and money
to be refurbished. A timeless piece like this, with sentimental
value, can always be updated as your child grows, and will be a
better investment that a new, trendy piece. Which brings us to our
next point… |
| |
| |
Stay away from trends and age-specific décor
|
| Fads come and go, and your newborn baby will be a toddler and
then teenager before you know it. Be careful about allocating funds
to pieces that will only be useful for a short time, or popular
images that will be outdated. Having a room wall-papered with a baby
specific image would be wise only if you have the budget to
re-decorate as your child reaches school age. |
| |
| |
Use your imagination to decorate and re-purpose pieces
|
| Rather than buying a new rocking chair, an old wicker chair with
a fresh coat of paint could be substituted. Nursery appropriate
drawer pulls and doorknobs can be an easy and inexpensive way to
update furniture you already own, as can slip covers (which have the
added benefit of slipping off for easy cleaning). Decoupage, paint
crackle kits, and stencils are a few other ways you can easily and
inexpensively update your child’s nursery and furniture. |
| |
| |
Research Convertibles
|
| A high-quality crib that turns into bed as your child grows
could be an investment piece that would work well for your child.
Changing tables with removable pads to be taken off once your child
is out of diapers are another recent addition to the convertible
furniture market- allowing your child to have a dresser or desk that
will last for many years. |
| |
| |
Safety is most important
|
| Do your research into what is safest for an infant, crawling
baby, and walking child. Many nice décor pieces aren’t the safest
bet for your baby (a mobile, for example, isn’t recommended once
your child is old enough to start pulling itself up). Some pieces of
older furniture won’t be child-proof (or will take some work to get
there), and while they do tie your colour scheme together, Health
Canada recommends that soft mattresses, bumper pads, pillows,
comforters, and stuffed toys not be used in cribs. As well, it warns
that any cribs made before 1986, or any without a label, are not
safe to use, and are illegal to sell. You can find a label found on
the frame of the crib (often under the mattress) to determine when
the crib was made. All new cribs, regardless of price, are required
to meet current safety standards. |
| |
| |
Don’t be too serious
|
| The nursery is one place in the house where you can let loose
and experiment with décor, especially colour and paint. Pick some
colours that you might never get to use elsewhere in your home, but
that make you feel happy, and enjoy putting them together in your
baby’s room. Painting is the best, most inexpensive way to really
put your signature on your child’s nursery – and it can always be
redone later. |
| |
| Lastly, keep in mind what is most important to your baby – time
spent with you – and ensure that the nursery is a place where you
can be comfortable spending time with you baby. |
| |
| With these tips in mind, planning a nursery that grows with your
child and sticks to your budget should be an enjoyable experience,
and a fun part of planning for your new arrival! |
|
|
|
