Designing a Nursery On A Budget

Nesting is such a fun part of the pregnancy process. It can be tempting to get every cute baby blanket and rocking chair you see, but no one wants to blow their budget on the nursery. You are about to have a lot of diapers you’re going to have to pay for soon. So we have put together a how to guide and decorating a nursery on a budget. Your kids bedroom can be adorable and last you a long time with a few of our tips and tricks. Keep reading to learn how you can design an adorable and affordable nursery room.

Buy Second Hand:

The fact is, babies grow into toddlers very quickly. Which means newborn specific items are easier to find gently used at second hand stores or through online sale platforms like resale pages on Facebook. Don’t be afraid to shop resale, you will be amazed by the quality gently (or never) used products you can find up for resale.

If you are worried about germs, stick to buying hard surface items like crib frames or plastic toys that can easily be sanitized. Or items that your little one won’t be in direct contact with, like wall decor. This is a great way to get quality products for a fraction of the cost you would buy them new.

Think Long Term:

Instead of choosing a dresser that has sesame street character on it, choose furniture pieces that are classic in design and can grow with your child for decades. This may feel like more of an investment upfront. However, if you really pick a classic design on a quality piece of furniture, you won’t find yourself buying yet another a new Ikea dresser in 5 years. This includes newborn specific furniture with built in features for changing tables and such.

Neutral Wall Colors:

The classic scene from all the movies, a pregnant couple locked up in their child’s future bedroom painting the walls a soft pink or blue. Or if you go on Pinterest there are pages of posts full of adorable murals you can paint on the walls of your child’s bedroom. The truth is, you can have an adorable nursery room without the cotton candy pink walls or an entire mural of Noah’s Ark.

The truth is that faster than you can imagine your little one is going to be a toddler and then a big kid and they are going to outgrow their nursery. Instead, paint the walls a color that goes well with your decorative colors but can also work for the next stage in their lives, and perhaps the one after that as well.

Wall Decals:

If you are really set on having a special design on the walls for your little one, take a look at wall decals.

Their are plenty of high quality wall decals that are now easier to put up and take down without damaging wall paint.

This is a cheap option to put up and a cheap option to take down as well. Although, some larger decals will be more expensive than a couple paint cans, so it all depends on how you want to spend your money.

Pick a Color Palette:

Just because we suggest using neutral colors on the walls does not mean your nursery has to be lacking in color. If you have a color scheme that really calls to you, go for it.

Picking a color palette helps to unify the room and make it feel unified, even if you are purchasing pieces and linens from different places.

Keep in mind that there are more colors than just pink or blue. Picking a gender neutral color palette is also a great way to reuse the room if you decide to have a second child, or just to be a little bit different.

Less is More:

Sweet little baby things are so much fun and warm our heart. However, overwhelming a room with decorations and lots of colors and patterns can really overcrowd the room.

Not to mention how buying every cute nursery decoration you come across can cost a lot. So before you buy anything, come up with a plan and design before you hit the register.

Find out where and what photos or decoration you want/need in the space and then purchase accordingly. Over shopping can quickly crowd a space and use up all of your money.

Storage & Organization:

One way to keep your life as simple as possible is buy having a designated space for everything you need. A practical part of designing a nursery for you and your little one is to have enough storage for everything you’re going to need. While hanging clothes can be great for storage, when it comes to daily wear it is much easier to grab a new onesie out of the changing drawer than it is to go to the closet and get on off of a hanger. Keep things like this in mind while you’re organizing the room.

Also, make sure everything you do is flexible and can be changed rather simply. You will likely find out after your baby comes that perhaps your original ideas of how you wanted everything arranged and organized no longer suites your needs in reality. So having the ability to move and change things around is vital.

Shop Online:

Isn’t shopping online great? You can do it from the comfort of your own home and compare prices in 10 different places before moving from your comfy spot or talking to a single sales person.

This is a great way to find the best prices for whatever you are looking for. In fact if you are out shopping and find something you love, hop online. Break out that smartphone and see if you can find that exact items for a cheaper price online. However, beware of shipping charges, they can be a sneaky way to make an item look cheaper and then bump up the price on your way to checking out.

Buy Cribs New:

While we love buying used and second hand furniture whenever possible, the safest option for getting a crib is to buy it new.

Safety feature change and if a crib has been moved several times, it may be missing different parts or pieces. If you do choose to reuse your first child’s crib or buy one from a trust friend or relative, we suggest doing some research. Make sure there are no recalls on the crib and double check all of the nuts and bolts are tight and secure.

Soft Lighting:

Make sure you invest in some lamps and soft lighting options for those late night feedings. We prefer a simple lamp on the dresser. Nightlights are also a great option and prevent accidental stubbed toes and other darkness caused injuries.

For a splurge option, try the Philips Hue – Go Lights. They are much more expensive than your average lamp, however they can be turned on through Alexa, and app on your phone, set as a timer to come on gradually at a specific time. or manually. This lamp may be on the pricier side but it is honestly a game changer.

Our Sleep Guide Nursery:

We put together a cost efficient baby room all from new products found online. We also listed out some of our favorite safety and comfort accessories that are great to have in your nursery. Check below for links to all products seen in the photo and more!

1. nuLOOM Soft and Plush Cloudy Shag – Available at Overstock.com
2. Dream On Me Ashton Convertible – Click for Crib Link
3. Silver Orchid Turpin Window Curtain Panel – Available at Overstock.com
4. Sallie Juvenile Rocker – Available at Overstock.com
5. Picket House Furnishings Brooks 9-Drawer Dresser – Available at Overstock.com
6. SleepyMe Smart Sleep Soother – Get now at Amazon.com
7. Letty Pink Crystal Youth Lamp – Available at Overstock.com

Nursery Room on a Budget – Accessories:

Now that we went through all of the cute design, all of the comfort, convenience, and safety accessories are all important parts of a nursery as well. The following are some of our personal favorites that we think you will love as well.

Sealy Premier Posture Dual Sided Crib Mattress –

Baby mattresses need to be firm enough to be safe and soft enough to be comfortable. They will grow out of them quickly, so you don’t necessarily need to invest in a mini luxury mattress. Which is why we like the Crib Mattress by Sealy. It is a firm yet comfortable crib mattress that has a good price point. We love that it can also work for toddlers, allowing you to stretch your money a little further. Click the link to head to our full review on the Sealy Premier Posture Dual Sided Crib Mattress.

Jersey Knit Crib Sheets by American Baby Co –

These crib sheets are so soft and priced well. The come in a cumber of different colors to choose from the go with the rest of the room. Crib sheets are great items to have multiple of. This way when accidents happen it is easy to throw one in the wash and have another ready to go on the crib. You will likely be washing crib sheets more often then your own. Head over to our full review of these crib sheets to learn more about them.

SleepyMe Smart Sleep Soother – 

This sound machine/night light is adorable on or off. Making it a fun accessory to have in the nursery room. We love having a sound machine to help out little ones fall asleep. We also like that the SleepyMe Smart Sleep Soother has a timer so we know our baby can fall asleep with the help of the sound machine without having it on all night long.

Summer Infant Video Monitor –

There are loads of different baby monitors coming out all of the time. Just like the new phones, sometimes they have brand new fancy features, and sometimes they don’t. We have the 5 inch screen monitor and we really like all of the features and it works well for us. If you want to know more of the details of which model we had and what we think of it, check out our full review at Summer Infant Video Monitor Review.

Blind Cord Safety Wrap –

Blind cords have recently received a lot of negative attention for being a hanging hazard to little ones. Different states have even created laws to help try to prevent accidents from happening. Which is why we always suggest keeping cribs away from windows and using Blind Cord Safety Wraps like this one by Iba Innovations to keep any cords out of reach for little ones.

Designing a Nursery On A Budget

When it comes to designing a nursery on a budget, it is all about finding good deals when you can and knowing when to bite the bullet and buy new. There are a lot of good second hand and used options for babies, they grow out of everything quickly. When you can buy something used at a discount, it is a great way to save money. When purchasing cribs and mattresses, we always suggest going ahead and buying a new one. Safety features change on cribs and you want to make sure your little one will be as safe as possible. Online shopping is another great tactic for finding deals. Make sure you search for recalls before buying anything especially if it is on clearance.

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*When it comes to babies you can never be too safe. While we have several recommendations for items, we are not responsible for any of the items we suggest. If you have questions concerning safety or use we always suggest talking to your doctor for their input.