The Nursery
We moved to our new home two years ago, with plenty of space for the children we planned to fill it with. We now have our fist child on the way and amongst all the excitement and eagerness of becoming a much longed for family of three, comes the start of a whole new world involving decisions about baby equipment, what is best for the nursery and when to start the decorating.
So when is the right time? I have known people to hit the baby shops within the first couple of weeks of finding out they are pregnant and have everything ordered and installed very shortly after that. I have also known people who have left their nursery decisions to the very last minute and have bought only a Moses basket and the basics to tide them over until the baby eventually requires a bit more space. The latter option is sometimes due to being relaxed, sometimes down to being disorganized or sometimes down to plain old superstition. Is it tempting fate by buying things for this as yet, unborn person and where do you draw the line?
I have a couple of months to go and I really do not want to be in a position where I will end up having to panic buy. Some might call it nesting, but I do feel that I really need to be as organized as I can possibly be. I want to be on top of my game so that I can sit back and wait for the carnage and chaos that will inevitably ensue upon the baby’s arrival without having to worry about furniture and shelving and hideous flat packs when I will already be up to my eyes in dirty nappies, muslins and sleepless nights.
Having appointed myself as Senior Interior Designer for the baby’s room – I could not be happier. I am like a child in a sweet shop. Traditional is not me – stencils of Teddy bears and Bunny Rabbits are just not my bag. And, like most expectant couples, we have not found out what make of baby we are having yet, so we cannot just go with the regulatory gender colours. I wanted something a little bit different, a bit unisex, a bit bright without being overpowering buy most of all fun. With lots of research and trawling through magazines and surfing the internet, (and with a little help from my friends) we are now in possession of a fantastically beautiful and funky nursery. Furniture is now on the to-do list and decisions about cots and changing tables are afoot (to match or not to match)?
I have come to discover that like weddings, this nursery thing can get a little out of hand with regards to price tags. This is a baby we are talking about after all and they will have no idea if they are sleeping in a cot that cost £600 or a cot that cost £100. And frankly, I can’t tell the difference either!
I am now almost finished – but I haven’t yet assembled any furniture of painted the changing table. I still need the staple garments such as blankets, muslins, babygrows and bibs. But I really will leave these until the last minute. Well, I guess I am a little bit superstitious and that’s where I draw the line.