I finally finished Ava’s nursery. This is my first child, so I had a lot of fun creating a special room just for her. This is how I went about doing it:
The first thing I did was pick out a bedding set because everything in the room tends to match it. I looked at various baby stores online and soon came across a beautiful set called Sugar Plum by Cocalo. I fell in love with it right away. I loved the quilt design, various colors and butterflies. I was also pleasantly surprised to find out the bed set was just one item in a huge Sugar Plum themed set. This really made my life easier and is perfect for a busy mom-to-be! I didn’t have to go through the trouble of finding things to match the set. I bought the matching, wall decals, lamp, hamper, shelf, and wall border. Delivery was fast and I was extremely happy with the quality of the bed set. The only thing I was not impressed with was the shelf. It came with glue 🙁 Once, I screwed in the screws the areas I had glued detached. Not smart.
The obvious next step was picking out and buying paint for the walls. I decided to buy a low VOC paint because I read it was best to put on the walls of a baby room. I used CIL’s low VOC paint. This paint was absolute garbage. I got my husband to paint the room while I was away and once I came back and saw the room I had a pregnancy breakdown. The color coverage was horrible and patchy. It looked so horrible I thought my husband had done a half-ass job. I got so mad! Poor hubby 🙁 Anyway, I soon realized after applying two more coats (on top of the first two) that this paint was crap. It also smelled worse than the BEHR paint I used in all my other rooms. The smell stayed for days too. Luckily, only the tops of the wall would not fix because I bought a border to cover that area. The border by Cocalo was great, but I didn’t buy enough roles. So, I had to get more.
Okay, lets get on to the crib and dresser. I knew what I wanted right away! I wanted the crib to have a design carved out of the wood. Finding, this was not so easy. I went to countless baby stores and eventually believed it would be impossible to find. One day, I was driving on the highway and I happened to notice a baby store. I decided to check it out and was floored when I found exactly what I was looking for. I couldn’t believe it! I must have passed this particular store countless times without noticing it. The brand is Munire and the set name is Savannah. I really love that the set is not too babyish and will convert nicely into a toddler / Teen set. It was a little more than I wanted to pay, but how could I say no to the crib of my dreams? I also bought the matching dresser.
I suggest buying the crib early because most stores have to order it and that can take a long time. I was so happy when I received the crib that I did not notice how many cracks and problems it had. I think it was defective because the design in the wood was also messed up. I called the store and they replaced the crib. They had to order it again! So, I had to wait for it again! That is another reason I suggest buying the crib early. I know other girls who had the same problem with other brands. Anyway, the second crib was everything I dreamed of and I am super happy.
I wanted to organize her closet perfectly too. I found a great organizing system at Babies ‘R’ Us. I love it! It’s great quality and I love that it hangs with metal pieces. There is an area to put cute sundresses and other clothes at the top. Under are six cubbies to put other things. I put her shoe collection. Yes, even baby girls need a shoe collection 😉 On the other levels I put washcloths, receiving blankets, bibs, medical accessories, wipes and diapers. My closet also fit a portable bath tub that hangs up.
Lastly, I should mention purchasing blinds can be complicated if you have big windows like me. I couldn’t find blinds to fit anywhere. I looked at specialty shops, but they wanted to charge me an arm and leg. Finally, I found an online store called Select Blinds that sold blinds at a cheaper price. They came well packaged and are good quality. I did have a problem with the wand though. It would not open and close the blinds. However, they had a representative come and fix it fast.
Creating a nursery for your baby doesn’t have to be complicated. I found it super easy besides dealing with the crib and blind issues!
