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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

In wondering what the point in a nursery is?

155 replies

Snowberry86 · 22/05/2016 19:31

Baby will sleep with us for first 6 months- so what is the point in getting nursery all decorated and sorted before they arrive?

I have found lots of boys decor and lots of girls that I like. But nothing gender neutral. So I'm swaying between finding out the sex so we can get organised, or not decorating the nursery/child bedroom until they are born and I can choose something I really love.

AIBU? Do I really need a nursery that is all ready for baby's arrival?

OP posts:
inlovewithhubby · 22/05/2016 20:58

Teacher - that made me laugh! It's mental isn't it. We tried sleeping DD on my front for 48 hours and yet i dreamed of jerking awake and throwing her off (to her death obvs) for about 2 years afterwards - as ratios go that's pretty out there. Lack of sleep is hideous. Which is why OP it's best to be prepared and have a room (nursery? pah) ready - you may be so desperately, desperately tired that you couldn't give two shits about SIDS for a few hours of sleep. Genuinely.

yummycake123 · 22/05/2016 21:01

We didn't have a nursery. When we had DS, we lived in a 1 bed flat and stayed there until we moved to a bigger place (when DS was 18 months). His cot was in our bedroom, and it was never a problem.
Maybe paint the room now, but get the furniture/other decorations you want once the baby is here?

Andbabymakesthree · 22/05/2016 21:01

The most useful thing you can do with a "nursery" is stick a single bed in it!

BennyTheBall · 22/05/2016 21:05

We had a baby's room (for some reason 'nursery' makes me cringe) all newly decorated and furnished when I was pg.

We never set foot in it for 6 months and then I appreciated the sofa bed in there as I couldn't bear to leave ds alone and I was still bfing.

namechangeparents · 22/05/2016 21:05

Do I really need a nursery that is all ready for baby's arrival?

No. My son slept in my spare bedroom until we moved house when he was 1. Then he got his own room and eventually my husband redecorated it for him.

sherbetpips · 22/05/2016 21:08

Managed six weeks before we moved our ds! It's different for everyone so best to have it ready just in case x

LikeASoulWithoutAMind · 22/05/2016 21:09

I don't really see anything wrong in making your baby's room nice for them. And you will have loads more time to do it now than you will have for years Wink

For us, dc1's room needed decorating and furnishing anyway, as we'd just moved in from a much smaller place. He did sleep in with us for a fair while but not until 6 months (if you read that research linked to upthread, not sharing a room is a relatively small risk factor compared with the biggies of front sleeping and smoking) We were disturbing him and him us, noone was getting any sleep.

But if you don't want to specially decorate then that's fine too. The baby really won't notice. You'll just need somewhere to store clothes, nappies and later toys and books. And somewhere set up to change them. (Useful to have a second changing mat/supplies downstairs too)

purplebud · 22/05/2016 21:10

My dd was in her own room at five days old. She was a noisy sleeper and her room was only a few footsteps away. I found it too stressful having her so close at night.

KayJBee · 22/05/2016 21:11

3 kids, never had a nursery. 1st went in to the spare room at 6m. Only baby related thing in the room was the cot.

Moved house when 1 and 2 were toddler and tiny, still no themed room, just plain with kiddy bedding.

Finally when they were 5, 3 and 6m, we rearranged the bedrooms and they did actually get kiddy curtains and stuff on the walls so it was clearly children's bedrooms rather than just spare rooms.

Sparrowlegs248 · 22/05/2016 21:12

Ds hasn't got a nursery. We have a spare room that he has been in about twice. He sleeps in my room, in his cot for the first part then in my bed for the rest of the night. The spare room was decorated in a neutral was a couple of years ago. I will get nice bedding/curtains etc once he moved in there.

Hicks123 · 22/05/2016 21:15

We decorated ours in a neutral colour and got furniture before baby arrived and then bought accessories like curtains and a border when baby was born. We used it daily for nappy changes, some naps, to escape to when too may visitors arrived, feeding etc so baby was used to it when she was old enough to sleep on her own.

allowlsthinkalot · 22/05/2016 21:17

We have four dc and have never had a 'nursery'. Mind you, dc4 is 18 months and still in with us.

TopazRocks · 22/05/2016 21:20

Having brought up 4 sons in not very much space - so no nursery! - I'd say get the room decorated if you can beofre the birth. Nice walls, nice carpet etc. Lots of lovely neutral stuff out there. Later you could add a border or whatever, some pictures.

Perhaps, for now, get a nice chair to sit on for feeds. But what you will need most of all is storage space. If this is your first, take it from those who know!!! You will have clothes that fit/clothes that have to be grown into/ toys - ones he/she uses now, ones to use later. You don't have to call it 'the nursery' either. But having a place to put his/her stuff is brilliant. And even my budget babies needed storage for their kit.

TheKitchenWitch · 22/05/2016 21:23

We did ours when ds2 was 3 months old because we moved house. Ds1's was ready ages before he was born and I loved doing it.
I found it useful to have it ready especially for when they start crawling. We put rugs and playmats down, a few toys etc. and had a baby gate at the door to stop the dogs getting in.
But I've never been one for toys in the living room, so everything baby related went into the baby's room straight away.

frikadela01 · 22/05/2016 21:25

We've done the babies roo already (33+5 today) because it used to be the cats bedroom and we basically had to get him used to sleeping elseehere. The walls were already yellow so I've stuck up some animal wall stickers and my in laws paid for some gorgeous furniture despite me telling them that ikeas cheapies would suffice. It actually been really nice getting it all ready and I've enjoyed putting the clothes away and sorting all the bits out. I hate cleaning so I consider this part of my nesting thingGrin

BackforGood · 22/05/2016 21:26

Doesn't need to be decorated as a Nursery, but you might find it very useful to have somewhere for them to sleep in what might now be your spare room, so you can take turns to get a decent night's sleep in your own bed, whilst the 'on duty' parent sorts out the lo in a different room. Can be a lifesaver if you get a night owl.

mrsmugoo · 22/05/2016 21:33

If it makes you feel good then fine but it's really not essential!

We only have a 2 bedroom flat. Our DS was in with us for 6 months then had a cot in the spare room complete with all its existing furniture and still has a double bed in it. No "kiddy" decor whatsoever. He is oblivious.

Number 2 is imminent and will spend as long as it takes to sleep through the night in with us then will take the cotbed in the spare room and DS will go in the double bed!

I suppose eventually we will put bunk beds in there and re-decorate, but for now we can't see the point.

Buckinbronco · 22/05/2016 21:34

Easier to do whilst you have the time/ money.

Ffion3107 · 22/05/2016 21:39

You definitely won't NEED it.
DD's was ready when she was 3 months, we started putting her in her cot at this age for daytime naps. She was sleeping in her own room at 4 months.

ipsogenix · 22/05/2016 21:40

Ours nursery was gender-neutral. Just apricot walls and a white ceiling and wooden furniture. Baby never slept in the cot, so it didn't matter really. He was definitely a co-sleeper from day 1. Took me a while to realise it though.

idontlikealdi · 22/05/2016 21:41

I have twins so we did it before they were born as couldn't imagine having time to do it after. Yellow walls, white furniture. Two cots. Not much has changed 4.5 years later!

I think the name nursery is so outdated how anyway. I never referred to it as the nursery - it was just the babies' room.

paxillin · 22/05/2016 21:56

Ours left our bedroom and moved into the kids' bedroom (shared) aged 2. Nursery would have been somewhere to store his clothes. No need in this house.

ollieplimsoles · 22/05/2016 21:59

DD is 7 months and still in our roo, no plans to move her as we are all happy.

Mil was adamant that the baby needed a nursery and bought loads of decorations and crap for it. That was enough for me to really not want it.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 22/05/2016 22:08

We painted the spare room cream, put in a deep yellow carpet and cream curtains and put up Winnie the Pooh wall stickers, put a cot, changing table and comfy chair in it. We severely underestimated the storage space needed for all the clothes and teddy bears etc we were given, plus bedlinen, muslin squares, nappies etc, so had to get a big chest of drawers in there for all that stuff too after DC1 was born. He only stayed in our room for a few weeks (I somehow managed to miss out on that particular guideline and we only had space for a moses basket). It was a lovely relaxed place to do feeding and changing, plus play with him as he got a bit older as it was a lovely sunny room with a nice view from the window. Apart from removing the wall stickers and changing the furniture for a bed and wardrobe we haven't had to redecorate, it is a 10 year old's bedroom now and the decor is still fine.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 22/05/2016 22:09

We never called it a nursery either, it was always just DS's room then later DD's room (DS moved to another bedroom before DD was born).

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