Who has/ will have a nursery? Esp. First timers?

[maveta]

Just wondering if everyone makes up a nursery for their baby in advance? We have only got as far as thinking the baby will sleep in our room for the first few months and that we will change rooms when it seems to become necessary.
We aren?t preparing in advance because we have 2 bedrooms, one of which has a door opening on to stairs leading up to the attic and roof terrace which we leave open for the cats to wander in and out of.
For this reason we are currently in the other bedroom as we also feel it is the best room for the baby when it comes. So ultimately we will need to move ourselves into the other room and make the current room the nursery BUT while the baby is with us we want to stay where we are.
I?ve made that so much more complicated than it really is!!! But the question is, are we normal to think the baby will sleep in our room for a time??

yes you totally are

I never bothered with a nursery. Or a bunch of stuff really, like a pushchair (bought one when ds was a few months old)

Co-sleeping/room sharing is, IMO, a good idea anyway but even if not-babies don't notice fresh paint on the walls! Do what feels right for you and your family.

I agree with doing what suits you and your family.

BUT dh & I did decorate the spare room months before dd arrived and we fitted it out with furniture and nursing chair etc. We enjoyed doing it as it allowed us to get excited and to plan for our arrival. DD didn't sleep in her own room until she was nearly a year old so co slept with dh & I but her room was used daily as I would allow her to play in there etc so she got used to it when it was time to move in her own room..it didn't come as a shock to be in a newly decorated etc room. Also dh would help with night feeds and enjoyed being in dd's room alone with her giving me peace to sleep more.

We are expecting ds2b's arrival in Jan 07 and we have just started on "nursery number 2". Again the same will happen as with dd BUT it allows all 3 of us the chance to plan for the new arrival.

BUT then again dh & I are the type that prefer to be prepared iykwim. I would rather be decorating now than trying to do it with lack of sleep and with a newborn to contend with as well.

We have to clear everything out of the house that we can part with, and then I still think I may have to rent some storage to even find space for a baby. We have two bedrooms but the second is full of boxes, mainly of books. I think if we can clear out other clutter we don't need some books will fit elsewhere, but I'm not sure all of them will.

I have a job which provides excellent maternity leave and I plan to go back to work for the required 6 months after making the most of that, and pluck up the courage to have another go before I get too old (I'm already 37).

Then, my aim is to move out of London, hopefully to Leeds where I was brought up. My mum now lives in the rather posh and expensive area to the north of Leeds but I'm looking for an area where I can get to work and hopefully out to visit her without too much difficulty. Armley in west Leeds still offers some 4 bedroom terraces and 3 bedroom semis for less than we can get for this one, so there would be a chance of cutting our mortgage.

My partner has quite a lot of doubts although he's reticent to express them but he's trying to see the upside of this project. I just can't see us ever affording more space in London, and this house is a bit small even with one kid.

Luci

Thanks HTFSC, it does feel right for us to leave things as they are and play it by ear but it´s good to hear other people think the dsame!

Shhh..I can totally see what you mean, I do think that if the layout of the house was different maybe we would prepare a baby room, I can imagine that it would be quite exciting and give me a project to work on and focus on during this long, long wait. We´ve still got a few months to go so if boredom kicks in...

Elkiedee..isn´t it fun..one minute we think we´re just wanting to have a baby and the next we have to move house (which we´ve just done, although it is rented), get rid of clutter, buy a load more things etc etc? Of course, I wouldn´t change any of it...Good luck with your decisions, I am sure they will fall into place, especially if you have another and it becomes just as obvious to your partner as to you that your current house is too small..