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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Does a newborn need a room?

52 replies

NewKidOnTheBlock99 · 01/11/2021 12:44

Hello,

So we always planned on making our second bedroom the babies room & will at some point but when the baby is born I would like my mum to be able to stay so ideally would keep as is for now, also all our clothes are currently kept in there and I would rather have a massive clear out once I have an idea of what will fit me in a few months time. Just wanted to know what do I definitely need in that room for the baby for the first six months? Atm all I can think of is a small chest of drawers for their clothes with maybe some storage baskets on a shelf? I was going to get a changing table but I think a sturdy mat on the beds/sofa kitchen table should be fine.

Anyone else done this? Did it work out ok?

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Caspianberg · 01/11/2021 19:02

It’s definitely worth having nappy stuff not in your bedroom. If baby poops at 3am, you do not want a) potential poop on your own bed if changing there b) stench in your bedroom.

heymammy · 01/11/2021 19:03

I never had a changing table for any of my dc, just used a changing mat with a muslin on top on the floor. They did have their own room though purely because we had the space so the cot was set up from the beginning and clothes were in their room etc but never used it to sleep in for months.

You totally don't need a dedicated room though, makes much more sense to have space space your mum.

8dpwoah · 01/11/2021 19:15

@Caspianberg

It’s definitely worth having nappy stuff not in your bedroom. If baby poops at 3am, you do not want a) potential poop on your own bed if changing there b) stench in your bedroom.

See we don't find newborn BF nappies a smell issue at all (the toddler on their hand... 🤢) And just take them to the nappy bin in the bathroom, that works for us but everyone does things slightly differently to suit their setup 🙂

Twinmumwithtoddler · 01/11/2021 21:17

@Caspianberg

It’s definitely worth having nappy stuff not in your bedroom. If baby poops at 3am, you do not want a) potential poop on your own bed if changing there b) stench in your bedroom.

Ha we just wing it with the twins. Long gave up on using a changing mat even. We have quick nappy changing skills and just change in their cot or bed...

Wet nappies get thrown in the corner. Poopy nappies in the hallway to be taken downstairs when we go.

Our standards are pretty low but I think that’s what twins and a toddler does to you. 🤣

welshladywhois40 · 01/11/2021 21:24

My second has never had a room as he shares with his brother since 7 months old. We are in a 3 bed house , our room, spare room and boys room.

Second baby just had a chest of drawers for his clothes etc.

As for changing tables don't bother. We have two mats - one downstairs and one upstairs. Baby gets changed in situ. Have a look on Amazon for a 'nappy tidy' great little baskets to keep wipes, nappies etc and you can move them around.

mrscotton · 01/11/2021 21:32

I am creating a room for our baby already but they wont use it straight away. Its going to have all their stuff in so i dont have to find room in my bedroom for their clothes, nappies etc. It will have a changing unit in there which is the main thing we will use for the first six months. We also thought it would be better to buy nursery furniture whilst I am still working so have that extra income to cover the cost of the furniture.

PopT4rts · 01/11/2021 21:56

Hello!

Ah see we got our little girl's room all ready before she arrived. We figured once she was here, when would we have time to decorate/furnish so thought best to do it all up beforehand.

My husband also does morning/night shifts so when she stirred in the night for a feed, I could take her in to her nursery with the feeding chair and be in there for a few hours without disturbing him so it was handy to have that other space.

She eventually moved in from about 4 months (we had a very small house and I was in her room more than ours most nights )

You work it what is best for you. If we didn't have the nursery/other space, we would have made it work a different way. I sometimes went downstairs when she was really upset just for a change of scenery To have your mum on hand to help is great! Xx

RyvitaBrevis · 01/11/2021 22:22

@Classicblunder

We did this and it worked well - we found it really helpful to have a spare room when our baby was little so we could take turns doing night wakings etc. It also meant we could do the room up once we had a better sense of what our child was into.

The only thing I would say about your plans is that I think decluttering pre baby is really useful, you have so much more time now than you will. I get your point about your clothes but I bet there are some things that you already know you won't rewear

Yes, do as much sorting and decluttering as you can now! Honestly you have so much more spare time now than you will post-baby. We waited until our baby was 6 months to finish clearing out and decorating his room and wished we had managed to do more before he arrived.

TopCatsTopHat · 01/11/2021 22:24

It's great not to have baby in a separate room, less far to stumble in the night to care for babyso you wake up less and get back to sleep quicker.

SillyBry · 01/11/2021 23:11

If it helps reassure you, we didn’t want to lose our spare room either. Daughter is currently 7 weeks so still in with us - and eventually, she’ll share with her big sister. But between 6 months and when that happens, she’ll be in the cot in the spare room. That way, if people stay, she can bunk in with us but we don’t limit ourselves by losing the spare bed. Currently she has a chest of drawers in there.
It’s lovely to have a beautiful nursery, but frankly, it’s more for the parents to enjoy than the babies! 😉

Derbee · 02/11/2021 09:55

This is our first baby and we’ve resisted the urge to do a nursery. The baby will be in our room for at least 6 months, and we’re keeping our 2 other rooms as a study and a guest room

JammyRedRooo · 02/11/2021 09:59

We did a nursery room for DD but tbh its mainly just storage at the moment as she is still in with us. She is changed in there as the changing unit has all the nappies and her clothes in it but that's it really.

However I'm glad it's all done and dusted for when she does move into her own room as it was a lot easier to find the time to shop/decorate while pregnant than with a baby.

Tina8800 · 02/11/2021 10:07

It really depends on your baby. Some babies are fine to be separated after a couple of months and some needs more time. I personally made the nursery to be ready now (I`m 30 weeks) as it made sense to sort everything out while I have more time rather than running around shopping with a new-born.
Also depends on your home. We have the bedroom and nursery upstairs (so needed two beds: one next to bed and one for the nursery; and a changing table). As I am planning to spend the daytime downstairs, we bought a crib and a changing table for the living room as well. You might find it more useful to put the different pieces around the house rather than in a nursery at first.

8dpwoah · 02/11/2021 11:03

@tina8800 I might be reading you wrong and I apologise if I am but the guidance us that babies shouldn't be sleeping in their own room until they are 6 months old as a minimum.

8dpwoah · 02/11/2021 11:04

As in, on their own (just to be clear).

RedMarauder · 02/11/2021 11:29

[quote 8dpwoah]@tina8800 I might be reading you wrong and I apologise if I am but the guidance us that babies shouldn't be sleeping in their own room until they are 6 months old as a minimum.[/quote]
Yep due to the SIDS risk

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/

RedMarauder · 02/11/2021 11:31

I never used a changing table- easier to have a mat to move around- and as baby got bigger I just used a towel.

Similar

The problem with changing tables is they can wiggle and fall off from quite early on let alone when they are a fully mobile toddler.

I've had issues in pubs, restaurants and cafes with some of their changing tables.

Blueskiesoutthere · 02/11/2021 11:35

Really depends when you want to move them in to their own room (and you won't know exactly when that will be until it happens), so for me, I would have the babies room done before they are born because I know I don't want the hassle of clearing out and decorating with the baby.

If I was you, I would do the decorating and clearing out now but leave a bed for Mum in there and just buy the cot later! Leave yourself as little to do as poss.

Caspianberg · 02/11/2021 12:08

I think it’s fine to decorate as a nursery if you like. They might not sleep in there 6-12 months but they aren’t going to outgrow a room at 1 year. Our 18 month old now uses his room a lot, but I would have decorated the same for newborn. He won’t outgrow this for at least 5+ years

Etherealhedgehog · 02/11/2021 12:11

still in a one bed flat at 13 months - which was not the plan, but we're surviving! She just has the cot and a small set of drawers (narrow, not a full chest of drawers) in our room. And some overflow stuff in boxes, which is not ideal....but what you're proposing will be absolutely fine

NatMoz · 02/11/2021 12:19

I'm 34 weeks and baby won't have their own room right now even if I wanted them to!

We're in the middle of an extension. The 'baby's room' is my office upstairs and downstairs where the office will eventually be is currently our temporary kitchen space with just a camping table, fridge and cooker.

I do have a chest of drawers we need to build at the weekend to put baby clothes in etc rather than bags on the floor but that's as far as it goes!

BigWoollyJumpers · 02/11/2021 12:31

Completely against the consensus, and before current guidelines, my babies went into their own room at a couple of weeks old, and had all their naps in there. I would do the same now. They loved the quiet calm of their own space.

I think it is really nice having a nice, quiet space, have all their things in one place, and all the changing paraphernalia. I used an antique oak chest of drawers as a changing table, so I am quite eccentric?

When slightly older, they spent a lot of time in their rooms playing too. All their toys in there, they could choose what they wanted, get it all out, and tidied away at the end of the day.

Of course, you need space for that, but we had it, so I used it.

Tina8800 · 02/11/2021 13:23

@8dpwoah @RedMarauder Yes, I know they advise that here in the UK (more like making us scared even more). As far as I know SIDS mostly happens as there are some issues with the baby oxygen intake due to heart or lung issues; unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about it. Of course it can happen due to the fact parents not fallow the guides: baby always sleeps on its back, swaddle correctly, no toys or blankets in the crib, no smoking...etc.
If you fallow the advices and have a baby monitor it is ok to separate the baby earlier. Where I am from most of the babies been put into the nursery in a couple of months, to make sure they don`t get used to someone always sleeping next to them (they say it helps them to fall asleep easier later on, but who knows if that is actually helps).
I believe you will make this decision based on how the baby is and how do you feel about it (I am a very anxious person so probably keep the baby next to me for 6 month) but I also understand if the baby is healthy and well looked after some parent decides to put them into a separate room earlier.

RedMarauder · 02/11/2021 14:00

@Tina8800 the advice isn't just UK advice, I've seen other Western countries similar advice.

Also in my family it is normal to co-sleep with babies and small children as it is easier for the adult taking care of them in the night. This was against UK and other Western countries advice until recently even though research has shown in countries where co-sleeping is the norm with parents, particularly mothers, coupled with mothers not drinking alcohol, not smoking and not taking drugs the SIDS rate is much lower.

8dpwoah · 02/11/2021 14:57

Personally I don't think it's sensible to post things on an internet forum read by lots of FTM that go against all official guidance for UK, whether it's different elsewhere or 'i was ok so it's ok'. I'm not a scientific researcher, nor am I a data analyst, or a policy advisor for the NHS so I'll stick with what that team of professionals suggest after their collective analysis of the data and research available to them, rather than anecdata on an internet forum. But each to their own.

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