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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Furniture advice

20 replies

K8eee · 10/01/2014 21:55

Am nearly 30 weeks pregnant, and am looking at furniture for the nursery but just after some advice as to what I should keep in mind. All I can think of at the moment is:

Cot bed: teething rail, height adjustable mattress, possible storage underneath

Changing unit: doors/covered storage underneath (I was thinking doors to cover the underneath so as when baby is crawling/walking it isn't as easy for it to pull out anything underneath.

Wardrobe: unsure what to keep in mind.

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weeblueberry · 10/01/2014 22:00

Our wardrobe has one side of it as a hanging area and the other half is shelves at the top and drawers at the bottom. Was perfect for us.

Rockchick1984 · 10/01/2014 22:08

Wardrobe - get a full sized one or a chest of drawers, the baby sized ones are useless within 12/24 months.

Cotbed - don't get one with storage underneath if you're putting the cot against the wall, otherwise you will constantly be moving it to rescue dummies / teddies that get dropped between the wall and cot.

Changing unit - not essential, far safer to change baby on the floor on a changing mat. Generally more useful if using cloth nappies due to more bits like inserts etc can all be kept together. Once baby out of cot (any time from 12 months+) you couldn't safely keep creams etc in there anyway so short lifespan.

BobPatSamandIgglePiggle · 10/01/2014 22:13

We bought a wardrobe - totally useless and honestly cant see me ever hanging DS' clothes. Wish we'd bought 2 sets of drawers instead. but fecking mamas and papas have discontinued them

Changing table - we bought a cot top changer and never used it. (you can have it if you live near me!) but my friend used to go upstairs to change every nappy so hers got lots of use.

Original poster

K8eee · 10/01/2014 22:23

Bob where do you live...?

Never considered that about making sure you can get underneath for lost teddies etc. useful hint

OP posts:

ShoeWhore · 10/01/2014 22:28

Cot top changers not good with boys who can wee a looooong way.

I liked my change table and used it lots but know many people don't get on with them - depends how wriggly your baby is I think - seem to remember it was used for a shorter time with dc3.

I spent ages testing out the drop sides on cots and whether they could done with one hand but could prob count the number of times I actually used it on the fingers of one hand.

My dcs are all at school and have very few clothes that need hanging up. Lots of drawers much more useful. Bear in mind that you might want to keep other furniture much longer than the cot.

BobPatSamandIgglePiggle · 10/01/2014 22:31

I'm in Sunderland!

Original poster

K8eee · 10/01/2014 22:37

Bit too far! I'm on the south coast thank you though!

I have got a spare set of drawers so some clothes can go in there.

Any reliable shops you can suggest or are they all pretty much the same? Babies r us, kiddicare, mothercare & mamas & papas...?

OP posts:

Truffkin · 10/01/2014 22:37

It's going to depend on personal choice, which is difficult until the baby arrives!

We have a chest of drawers with changing table on top and use it a lot still (26 months) although not much in the first few months as we did most changes with the mat on the floor as he couldn't wriggle away. We have a shelving unit next to the chest of drawers to store wipes, cream, nappies & nappy bags at reaching height for changes, medicines on top and then towels & bedding lower down.

I hang a lot of stuff and our wardrobe (M&P) has 2 hanging rails, which I find really useful for hanging current clothes on the top rail and stuff to grow into on the bottom rail. Plus shoes in boxes and the Trunki in the bottom of the wardrobe.

Teething rail is an excellent idea for the cot. It didn't even cross my mind, hence DS's cot is stripped of the top layer at one end!

My favourite buy was a hammock for storing soft toys. DS has about a million and would keep them all in his cot if possible but this means they look nice, are out of the way but can be rotated into the cot regularly so none get left out. Yes really, left out!

Good luck with choosing

greentshirt · 10/01/2014 22:51

I've bought a cheap 5 piece set from Argos (£249 reduced from £499) which is a cotbed with storage underneath (which we need for space saving) chest of drawers, cot top changer and 'wardrobe' (which looks like a big cupboard)

As I see it, we won't be using it for that long so I didn't want to pay mamas and papas etc prices. By the time baby starts sleeping in there it won't really matter if we need to replace it soonish as we didn't pay that much!

greentshirt · 10/01/2014 22:58

Also to add, if I'm really honest with myself, I'm only doing a 'nursery' because I want to and feel a bit like I should, you don't really need one that much, we are having a cot at the side of our bed that would do for months and months before we even needed to consider baby's room!

wispaxmas · 10/01/2014 22:59

I'm even less far along than you, but I've already ditched the idea of wardrobe and changer. We have a 4x4 expedit bookshelf from ikea going spare so plan to buy some drawer and door units for it for storage in the nursery, and have a cot-top changer to save space. It'll mean I can fit a chair into the nursery, which would be useful. I'm not sure why space to hang things is necessary for the nursery, but then I could be overlooking something..

Original poster

K8eee · 10/01/2014 23:00

Greentshirt dh has said the same. Also, he's just suggested that we get a cot bed that has the changing station that sits over the cot to save on space and either a wardrobe or chest of drawers. Baby's room isn't huge, but we already have plenty of storage I just need to be frugal

OP posts:

BikeRunSki · 10/01/2014 23:06

You don;t need a changing unit, just a mat on the floor or on top of drawers. I ended up changing both dc in the bathroom most of the time.
Babies don;t need wardrobes until about age 3. Drawers are fine.

Original poster

K8eee · 10/01/2014 23:08

A wardrobe does seem a bit much for a baby I must admit

OP posts:

notso · 10/01/2014 23:26

I would think about whether you will need a cot bed or just a cot. I've got 4 DC and so far none have ever slept in the bed of the cot bed. DD and DS1 went straight into single beds at their choice. DS2 went into a toddler bed because we needed the cot for DS3 who is still in it and will prob go straight into a bottom bunk.

I have always used a chest of drawers with a mat on the top for changing. You can keep all the nappy stuff handily in the top drawer.

If you're getting a wardrobe then get one that will last throughout childhood rather than one for a little baby. While tiny clothes don't need much room, you can use the space for toys, spare nappies and other paraphernalia. Before you know it the tiny clothes will be massive anyway!

TKKW · 10/01/2014 23:31

In our baby's room (which is the box room in a 30's semi) we had solid pine in varying shades but i think nice together:

Oldish m+p hand down cot from friends, its not cot bed size. Cot bed size is prob a good idea. I bought some large cardboard storage boxes with lids in a lovely sage colour from ikea to store less often used things like light blankets.

Argos pine slatted shelves (fixed to walls as they are quite tall). Books and toys here. Nappy bags and creams stored out of reach.

Mothercare pine changing table via NCT sale.

Mothercare solid pine wardrobe with 2 drawers and top half a hanging space with upper and lower hanging rail.

Either changing unit or chest of drawers but for me, changing at waist height is essential. Hate bending etc and like storing everything.

I think a wardrobe was an essential for us. Nice to have clothes behind a door so not staring at piles of folded clothes on shelves. less dust too. Nice to have a sock and babygrow/ vest drawer.

ShoeWhore · 11/01/2014 10:13

It's nice to have shelves (or at least a shelf) for books and toys as they get bigger too.

hubbahubster · 11/01/2014 18:56

Changing mat on top of drawers has worked really well for us, with shelves on the wall above for nappies etc plus stuff I don't want DS to break like a lovely money box he was given and photos in frames.

We have hooks on the back of the door that we use for hanging a few things that would normally go in a wardrobe (they're on hangers too). There really aren't many so we thought we'd use the dead space behind the door rather than precious floor space in the room. Also unless you have the luxury of a

hubbahubster · 11/01/2014 18:58

Playroom, I'd advise leaving space for toys. DS had so many by his second Christmas that they took over the living room.

(Apols for posting across two messages - flippin' iPhone)

Mrsantithetic · 11/01/2014 19:01

I'm not far from you op. Get yourself to ikea. Malm drawers. The big set. Fab. Absolutely fab.

I wouldn't bother with a changing unit. I didn't get one with dd and just changed her on the floor, bed , sofa etc.

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