15 Nursery Essentials: Creating the Perfect Baby Room

Your baby’s nursery plays a vital role in a smooth transition into parenthood once you bring your little one home. Useful nursery essentials and how comfortable you feel in the room will determine how much time you’ll spend here.

What are the most important pieces needed to fill your baby’s room? We’ll help you make the most of your space with our list of baby essentials every nursery should have.

Whether you have a large bedroom reserved for your baby or are rearranging a small bonus room, the key to the perfect nursery is picking functional furniture and baby items that work well for first-time parents. You want a baby nursery that helps you stay organized and is a comfortable place to spend time with your little one.

Here’s our checklist of nursery essentials:

After your baby’s arrival, you’ll need to rest. Comfortable seating in the nursery will allow you to care for your newborn as your body recovers from giving birth. 

A glider or rocking chair is the perfect place to snuggle and bond with your little one while breastfeeding, reading bedtime stories, or relaxing while you use your breast pump to prepare bottles for the day.

Your entire nursery may center around the spot where your baby sleeps. Even if your baby starts in a bassinet, a crib will be the safest place for your baby to sleep throughout most of their first year of life. 

A high-quality, convertible crib holds your baby for every sleep through infancy and transitions to a toddler bed when your child is ready.

A firm and well-fitted crib mattress is an important element in creating a safe sleep space for your baby. If the mattress leaves gaps inside the crib frame or is too soft, the risk of entrapment or suffocation greatly increases. 

To find the best crib mattress for your baby’s bed, also consider the materials and safety certifications of that brand before purchasing.

Decide on a dresser that’s multifunctional. You’ll have plenty of baby supplies to fill any number of drawers, and the right dresser can double as a changing table. 

When you top the nursery dresser with a changing pad, use the top dresser drawers to store diapers and wipes for easy accessibility. You’ll save time, money, and hassle with this single piece of furniture.

An organized nursery will create a relaxing atmosphere in your baby’s room and make it easy to find everything you need—even in the middle of the night. 

Use storage baskets on a bookshelf , dividers in the dresser drawers, or pick multipurpose pieces with a hidden space, like a storage ottoman and trundle storage under a nursery daybed .

Life with a new baby includes plenty of late-night feedings. A soft, glowing night-light is nice to have in the room so you can care for your little one without overstimulating them. When you and your baby can stay in dim lighting, you’re both more likely to fall back to sleep quickly. 

Try a wall plug night-light with an auto sensor or a dimmable table lamp with an easy on/off switch to gently illuminate your baby’s nursery.

Babies sleep often—including during the day. You can ensure your baby’s naptime will not be interrupted by sunshine with blackout curtains. These lifesavers will completely block sunlight from streaming in the windows of the nursery, so your little one can take the nap you’ve been waiting for all day.

Circulating a little moisture in the air can be especially helpful if your child is dealing with a cold. A humidifier in the room will help your baby to breathe a little easier as they rest and recoup from an illness. 

A cool-misthumidifier is safe to use in the nursery, but be sure to keep it away from the crib and out of your baby’s reach.

You’ll find peace of mind with a live stream of video and audio of what your baby’s up to when you’re not in the room. A baby monitor will let you know the instant your little one wakes up and needs your attention. You’re also more likely to catch them when they’ve reached a standing or climbing milestone and need their crib mattress lowered.

A fitted crib sheet is the only thing your baby needs in their bed during the first year of their life. Crib sheets made of 100% cotton will create a soft barrier between your baby and the mattress and help maintain a comfortable sleeping temperature .

Protect your investment by covering the crib mattress with a mattress pad. Even with inevitable baby messes like spit-up and diaper blowouts, your baby’s mattress will stay clean and dry. Simply remove the soiled mattress pad and throw it in the wash.

Diaper changes are part of the job description for all new parents, so let’s make it as easy as possible. Consider a contoured changing pad in your diaper changing station. A changing pad will help you keep your squirmy baby comfortable and in place while you clean them.

Drown out the loud and distracting noises that might wake your baby from a peaceful sleep with a sound machine. Many children and adults can go to sleep more easily and stay asleep longer with the white noise from a sound machine or fan in their room. 

With a sound machine, you don’t have to stress about keeping your older kids quiet or whether your delivery driver will ring the doorbell.

Your baby’s nursery isn’t just for sleeping. Create a room that is safe for your baby to play and explore. You can set the boundaries of the play space with a playmat on the floor. Easily move the playmat from room to room for tummy time anywhere in your home.

Whether you choose to breastfeed, bottle-feed, or a combination of both, you can use a nursing pillow to support your baby comfortably. With so many feeding sessions in a day, use the pillow to give your arms a break and focus solely on bonding with yourlittle one .

Some items marketed as baby products should still be skipped for safety reasons.

• Non-standard crib mattresses may cause gaps between the mattress and the crib frame, risking entrapment and injury.

• Pillows and plush toys in the crib pose a risk of suffocation if they were to block your baby’s airway.

• Blankets and flat sheets in the crib can also cover your baby’s face or become tangled around their body.

• Secondhand cribs may have missing hardware or damaged pieces that affect the integrity of the bed.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies sleep alone in a crib free from loose, soft items.

A tidy room allows you to fully utilize and enjoy your baby’s nursery. Keep these tips in mind when organizing your baby’s room .

• Use all of your available space. Whether you have a big room or a small nursery , make the most of every space. Try putting shelves on the walls, storage under the crib, and dirty clothes hamper behind the door.

• Assign a spot to everything. Keep baby clothes and swaddles in the dresser, burp cloths, bibs, and pacifiers in a basket next to your feeding chair, and baby diapers and rash cream in the top drawer of your changing station. Don’t forget a diaper pail to trap the stench of every dirty diaper.

• Sort baby clothes by type, size, and season. Designate one dresser drawer to pants and another to socks. Hang up onesies and sweaters in the closet according to the size your child wears now and what size they’ll be in next. Any clothes out of season can be kept in the bottom drawers of the dresser or a tote in the closet.

Of course, you can start at any time, but many parents decide to set up their baby’s room later in the second trimester or early in the third trimester of pregnancy. By this time, you’ll have had the opportunity to start planning for your baby’s arrival , create a baby registry, and even receive gifts from your baby shower.

Creating the perfect room for your new baby starts with the best baby essentials, and  Nurture& is here to help. Our collections of premium nursery furniture are designed to be exactly what new parents are looking for. Nurture& offers practical nursery essentials with a clean, modern aesthetic.

Check out our virtual catalog to order the finest pieces of nursery furniture for your baby’s first bedroom. Visit our Journal to read more of our best tips and advice on everything parenting.