The goal of this site is to explore all of the possible elements that go into making up your dream nursery but no item can be more important than a baby safety monitor. Unlike most of our parents, we are at an advantage with all that technology has to offer from DVRs to record our favorite shows, internet-on-the-go and now highly sensitive monitors like the BT Baby Monitor that will watch over your baby while they sleep all while providing you with peace of mind as you go about your daily life.

So what makes BT Baby Monitor different than all the other monitors on the market?

Many folks are probably under the assumption that all baby monitors are the same. This couldn’t be farther from the truth and I’m happy to share my experiences with you and tell you why they indeed are not all the same. First off, one of the great benefits of the BT monitor is the microphone sensitivity level.  The sensitivity is simply amazing and I have found that there is zero hissing. The enormous benefit of this feature is that the unit can be adjusted to filter out background noises in the room and just pick up the important noises of your crying distraught baby. This is especially valuable when you’re a new parent and are on high alert to every little noise coming from the baby nursery! Best of all, this feature can be regulated remotely from your portable parent unit from your bed in the middle of the night.

The other invaluable feature provided with this monitor is the intercom. With the intercom I could remotely talk to my child and instantly provide reassurance.  As my baby gets older I still find this feature to be tremendously beneficial as I can tell her to go back to sleep when she wakes in the middle of the night, which she sometimes does.

Another benefit that I would be remiss if I didn’t mention is the lullaby feature.  Easily activated by the nicely spaced out buttons and easy to navigate menu, the lullaby feature has also proven to be invaluable for a fussy baby in the middle of nap time or the middle of the night.

And finally, from our own our experience, I have to share that the temperature display and alarm are terrific. When my baby was only a newborn (and into today), anything above 76 degrees and she’d start getting fussy! Prior to becoming a mom, I never thought how temperature would affect my hot-blooded child but I’m so thankful for this monitor and the alarm to help me keep the room regulated before she prematurely wakes up!

All in all the BT Baby Monitor is a great monitor and I highly recommend this important finishing touch to any nursery!

If you find that you are lacking space in your new nursery, consider the baby armoire as a practical option. Many armoires are outfitted with shelving, drawers and pre-installed rods to hang clothing. The drawers are a perfect place to store baby’s clothes. The hanging rod will give your baby’s clothes a place to hang and the shelves can be lined with pretty baskets to catch things like toys, diaper changing essentials and books. The shelving can also store items like extra nursery linens that need to be within easy reach in the middle of the night.

If you find that you are blessed with room then an armoire designed in a whimsical baby pattern would lend itself to the perfect decorative piece. There is certainly something magical about an armoire, regal even, and one that is decorated for a nursery is even more so. Many children shops and baby boutiques offer baby armoires that are often painted in infant pastel colors or are decorated in detailed custom themes like fairy gardens, sailboats or even your favorite sports team. Because these items aren’t mass produced, the cost may be a bit more than you’d like to pay.

If a custom armoire is not in your budget, the solution to this would be to purchase an unfinished piece that can be finished at home. Alas, if customizing and finishing a piece at home isn’t what you envisioned, there are also mass produced armoires for purchase either as part of a set or as an individual piece.

These beautiful pieces of furniture make the perfect addition to any baby nursery. Not only are they a practical piece of furniture but they are beautiful.
To get an idea as to what is available, consider starting your search online. From a practical point of view, as your belly gets bigger and your swollen feet and ankles are harder to get into your shoes, online shopping is a great option to get to know what is available.

• Find the Room

Whether you’re lucky enough to live in a large home with a few rooms to choose from or a small home where space is limited, you can turn your space into the perfect nursery.

• Measure Your Space

By taking measurements you can combine the baby nursery of your dreams with the reality of the space you’re working with. And don’t forget to make sure you have these measurements with you when shopping for baby furniture, nursery bedding and nursery accessories

• Select Your Style

There is no limit to baby furniture and nursery bedding to meet any design style you may choose. Toady’s moms-to-be no longer have to choose from just pink or blue nursery rhymes; that’s so yesterday. Even if you are into the most contemporary/minimalist style there is a nursery bedding theme for you.

• Create an Idea Book

A simple binder with page protectors and notebook pages is a great way to start collecting baby nursery ideas. In your idea book you can jot down ideas, draw floor plans and even carry around cloth and pattern samples.
In no time you will have all the elements you need to make your baby nursery one of a kind and welcoming.

Car Nursery

When you think of little boys, it doesn’t take long for your mind to go to toy cars. Decorating a baby nursery in cars is very easy to do as wallpaper, borders, nursery bedding and nursery accessories abound. When your baby boy outgrows his crib, there are even car shaped beds to take its place. And have you seen the cute little area rugs with streets printed on them; great now for decoration and in years to come for hours of entertainment.

Nautical Nursery

Think sailboats and striped wallpaper.  Or, think denim blue walls accented with white wainscoting and red curtains with nautical ropes for tiebacks.  A nautical room is easy to do with bright colors of red, blue and yellow. For a fun touch string maritime signal flags around the nursery. These flags have many bright colors that will visually stimulate your baby.

Sports Nursery

A sports-themed room is very easy to set up for a baby’s nursery.  You can combine items from football, baseball, basketball, soccer and hockey – which are all easy to find. A great addition would be if mommy or daddy has some trophies from their glory days, these would make wonderful accents.

You’ve found out that your darling baby girl is coming home. Design the nursery that is fit for your preference with these great ideas for baby:

Princess Nursery

When I think of princess I think of pinks and whites or royal purple and white.  In a princess themed baby nurseries imagine light organza, netting or lace that can be adorned with ribbons tied to wall knobs and cornice hooks.
Dance Nursery

Maybe you envision your baby girl to grow up and be an accomplished dancer? Surround her now with whisper light pink or periwinkle blue and white. Hang a shelf with your worn tip-toe ballerina shoes.

Flower Garden Nursery

The Secret Garden would be a beautiful baby girl nursery. Beautiful sage greens and pretty pinks abound in this fairy tale room. A cast iron bed with pretty green bedding accented with flowers would be just stunning.

Using these ideas as a starting point is a great way to get going on the baby nursery of your dreams.

A Crib

For the first few months your baby will spend most of everyday sleeping.  The average newborn sleeps a total of 16 to 18 hours a day waking every three to four hours for feedings and socializing.  To accommodate all of those sleeping hours, you will need a crib.  When choosing a crib, the most important things to keep in mind are safety and comfort.

It is vitally important that you make certain the crib is in good shape, and is fairly new (to avoid potential for lead paint). Antique cribs should be avoided.

• Measure the space between the slats. The gap should be no more than 2-3/8 inches apart according to Federal Safety Standards, Industry Voluntary Standards, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Also, make sure there are no slats missing.

• Be sure to check the rail height. To do this, lower the mattress to its lowest position and raise the sides of the crib. Then, measure from the top of the side rails down to the mattress support, to ensure there is at least 26 inches between the two.

• Check the four corner posts to make sure they are even with the end panels. They can be as much as 1/16th of an inch above the end panels, but no more. This lessens the risk of baby’s clothing catching which could be a strangulation hazard.

A Changing Table

Next, you will want to consider a baby changing table. Although you can change a baby’s diaper on any flat surface with a protective pad, changing tables can make diaper changing more convenient, since they raise the baby up to a comfortable height and provide a place to store diapering supplies.  If you don’t have the room or you don’t have the extra money a small dresser or bookshelf can also double as a baby changing table but just make sure the top of the furniture can accommodate a standard sized changing pad.

A Comfortable Chair

You also will be spending quite a bit of time in the baby’s room so you will most certainly want something that is comfortable. Most parents choose a rocking chair as sometimes you’re just too tired to walk with a fussy baby, and rocking will let you cat nap while holding them but the choice really is a personal preference.

Nursery Bedding

For the first few months of baby’s life the only nursery bedding items that you will really need are many fitted crib mattress sheets.  It is dangerous to put things in a crib with a newborn so fitted sheets are a must and let baby sleep in warm pjs or sleep sacks.

So, for the beginner, there is no need to be confused or overwhelmed as to what you need in a nursery.  A few pieces of baby furniture and some baby nursery bedding is all you need to get started on the nursery of your dreams.

The Classic Baby Nursery

The classic nursery is the traditional American baby’s room.  The classic nursery is comforting and familiar.  In this style you will find the traditional pastel colors of blue, pink, green, yellow or lilac. Or even more classic, blue for boys and pink nursery bedding for girls. The nursery furniture is classic and timeless like a rocking chair with matching ottoman, rocking horse or the awe inspiring sleigh crib.  Here you might find familiar characters like Winnie-the-Pooh or favorite nursery rhymes like the cow jumped over the moon.

The Vintage Baby Nursery

The vintage baby nursery is inspired by the nostalgia of time gone by.  The vintage nursery would include time worn pieces and furniture like a Jenny Lind style crib. Sweet and sophisticated, the Jenny Lind crib has been a favorite for well over 100 years. This style of crib, characterized by its knobby, vertical bars around all four sides, adds a touch of nostalgia and a vintage feel.  But keep in mind that while favorite vintage finds and heirlooms placed in a nursery can add wonderful charm, in many cases they should be used for display only and not intended to come in direct contact with baby.  Colors you might use in a vintage nursery could include bold blues and bright reds or pastels reflecting the 50’s era. And the themes for a vintage nursery are endless from baby blue birds to cowboys to Victorian pink lace.

The Eclectic Baby Nursery

The eclectic baby nursery encompasses a variety of periods and styles and is brought together through the use of color, texture, shape and finish.  In an eclectic nursery you’re likely to find mixed period pieces of furniture, like your favorite Aunt Edna’s old dresser turned into baby changing table paired with a new convertible crib along with your Grandmother’s favorite rocker and a thrift store toy box.  Also, in an eclectic nursery, it would not be unusual to find a funky  mural paired with a zebra rug and maybe a monkey mobile.  Bright colors, deep colors, lime green colors are all great colors that inspire in the eclectic nursery.  The most important thing to remember when doing an eclectic nursery is anything goes but find a continuing theme bring it all together by a common color, texture, shape or finish.

The Modern Baby Nursery

When you think of the modern baby nursery think of clean lines and basic form-meets-functionality. A few subtly related decorative objects are sweet in here — but in a modern nursery you wouldn’t find an overall commercial “theme”.  Modern design is synonymous with bright color so don’t be afraid to be bold in your selection.  You can’t go wrong with lime green and steel gray or bright orange and giraffe yellow for the nursery bedding and window treatments.  And in today’s modern world there is no limit to the clean line furniture that’s now available to the modern mommy.

If you have several rooms to choose from for your baby’s nursery, some things to consider are windows providing natural light throughout the day and the proximity of the room to daily living activities of the house. You’ll really want to familiarize yourself with your available space.  Spend time in the room, walk around, sit, and look at how the sun light affects the room at different times of the day.

The room may look great first thing in the morning with the bright sunlight streaming in but unless you want your baby waking up at dawn you may want to consider another room or consider window treatments that will block out that light. Is the room north-facing? If so, you will find that you don’t get much light at all in this room and the things you’ll need to consider are color scheme to brighten and add warmth to the nursery as well as window treatments that are adequately lined to help keep the room temperature comfortable.

What is the proximity of the new baby’s nursery to the rest of the house? Will it be in a high-traffic (i.e. noisy) area? While you don’t want to tip-toe around a sleeping baby you also don’t want to sabotage the baby’s nap-time or evening sleep time. If the room you choose for your nursery will be near the center of family life, you will need to think about sound buffers.  A quilted wall hanging will provide noise insulation while a soft playing CD of nature sounds will provide white background noise that can block out other sounds.

If you live in a small home or studio apartment you may only have one extra room or be limited in where the baby’s room will be.  That’s ok, you may need to get a bit creative and think outside the box but just about any space can be transformed into a small scale nursery.  Consider that even small alcoves

can provide ample space for a crib, changing table and small dresser. For that matter, the dresser can also double as your changing table. Or how about a walk in closet connected to the master bedroom? By reclassifying a space you can have the nursery of your dreams.

Once you’ve picked the best spot for the baby’s nursery you can now start incorporating your design style to the space.