Guest Blog:
Designing a Nursery That Can Help Keep Your Baby Healthy

There's so much to do when you find out you're having a baby. For example, you must purchase clothes, a car seat, and everything else a baby needs. You may have to buy a bigger car or house. And then comes designing your baby's nursery.

Preparing your baby's nursery is one of your most critical tasks as a parent. They'll spend much of their time in this room. So, you want to ensure it's as healthy as possible. Growth-inducing and comfortable too.

These 7 tips will help you design a nursery that keeps your baby healthy from infancy on up.

Choose the Best Location

You probably have an idea of where you want to put your baby's nursery. But before you make a permanent decision, make sure it's really the best location for a nursery health wise.

There are rooms in your home that house more dust and pollutants than others. A nursery in one of these rooms is dangerous because air pollution, smoke, and dust can cause health issues in children, like red eyes. 

Be sure the nursery room and location are void of smoke, pollen, pet danger, chlorine, dust, and other known allergens to ensure your baby's eye and general health aren't in jeopardy.

Make Sure It's Structurally Sound

Before you move anything into the room you've chosen for your nursery, hiring a home inspector is a good idea. This is especially true if it's a new home or you've just recently done some renovations.

A home inspector can go through your home and nursery to examine its major structural components, ensuring they're functional and safe. A good home inspector will guide you on how to correct the structural details that aren't.

So, take advantage of this opportunity if you can afford it. Asl for referrals from friends and research potential fits online. Once you find a good match, ask questions about what you can expect from them before making a final decision. 

A thorough inspection will comfort you because you'll know your space is structurally sound for your baby.

Keep It Gender Neutral

Aside from securing your baby's physical health, ensuring their nursery is psychologically and emotionally safe is essential. They need the space to grow up most authentically. In other words, they need the freedom to be who they are.

You can support this from birth with a gender-neutral nursery. Start with a monochromatic design with neutral-colored walls and accessories. Then, as your baby grows, you can fill the room with things they love rather than things that a boy or girl should like.

Stock Your Nursery With Items That Encourage Learning

A healthy baby is a growing one. Your nursery should help your baby grow physically. But it should also help them grow intellectually. You can inspire intellectual growth by stocking your nursery with items that encourage learning.

For example, you could add baskets and buckets to teach toddlers how to sort, count, and identify colors. You could put a kid-sized bookshelf in the room to encourage your toddler to choose books and read them. You could also include a small table where you can sit down and do many activities, like drawing, eating, and storytelling.

Incorporating learning tools into your nursery will help your baby’s cognitive development as they age.

Baby Proof the Room

Once you get everything into your nursery, make sure you baby-proof it. The last thing you want is for there to be a whole bunch of opportunities for your baby to hurt themselves in a room that’s supposed to be safe for them.

Baby-proof your nursery by:

• Avoiding floor lamps
• Installing window safety locks
• Using cord stops for loose cords
• Getting rid of looped cords on blinds
• Using safety plugs to block all outlets
• Keeping small objects to a minimum and high up
• Using bumpers to cover sharp furniture edges and corners
• Locking up medications, cleaning supplies, and other hazardous materials

Do your best to work through this entire list. The more you can do to baby-proof your nursery, the better.

Stay Away From Clutter

As much as you want to include everything in your baby’s nursery, you can’t. Clutter can be hazardous to your baby’s health. It sets the stage for slips, trips, and falls, and it can also make it easier for dust, pollen, and other pollutants to settle in.

Keep your nursery design simple. Aside from accessories and interior design elements, only include things that are absolutely necessary for your baby to thrive in the room. Also, be sure there are organizational and storage elements in your nursery so that “no clutter” can be a long-term mantra.

Strive for Calmness and Comfortability

Simply put, your baby needs to grow up in a space rooted in calmness and comfort. They need a room they can find peace in. A room where they feel at ease. A room that also inspires creativity, experimentation, and learning.

Strive for calmness and comfortability in every design element, and you can achieve this. Greens, blues, and purples are known to evoke serenity. But you don’t necessarily have to go with these colors. Instead, go with what makes your baby calm and comfortable, whether pink paint on the walls, motion-sensor lights, or a musical mobile above their crib.

Your baby’s health is most important. So, if how you design your nursery can impact that, take it seriously. Start with the tips above to design a healthy nursery that inspires an even healthier baby.

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