Hey, mama! I am so excited for this new journey of motherhood that you have begun. If you’re reading this post, you are probably searching through the many, very long lists of what you’ve been told your new baby needs in their nursery. While I do think there are some key things to have in a nursery, take heart that I don’t think you need quite as much as they say.
When I was first pregnant, a few moms shared their nursery must-haves with me and I found it to be really helpful. So, if you’d like some nursery suggestions from a mom (and her friends) who didn’t have a lot of money but wanted a cute and simple nursery with quality essentials, read on, my friend.
Baby Nursery Must-haves
1. Quality, safe, inexpensive crib: Lucie’s List helped me find this highly recommended crib. It’s fairly inexpensive, quality, safe, and order-able from Amazon.
2. Glider: every nursery needs a glider or arm chair to feed with and rock your sweet babe. We got ours off of Craigslist which may have some good local options for you. This rocker and this one both come recommended off Lucie’s List and are in the best-value (aka cheaper) category.
3. Changing table or dresser: again, doesn’t need to be new. Ours was a friend’s aka free but it fit the bill as a place to change diapers and clothes. I recommend checking Ikea or Craigslist again for options!
4. Diaper organization cart: we found ours off ikea (perhaps you’re sensing a pattern here!) and it is super handy for holding all of our diapering supplies.
5. Diaper pail: we were told that this one was way better than the diaper genie so we went with it. No complaints here!
6. Rug: we wanted a rug to make the room feel a little warmer and the hard wood floors a bit less cold. Got ours on sale from wayfair.
7. End table: you will probably need a place to put that waterbottle you are chugging from while you nurse. I wanted something sturdy in our nursery that wouldn’t tip over when baby got a bit older and started to explore his room. Something like this could be helpful!
8. Book shelf: I wanted one that our son could get books from himself, hence this low standing book shelf made the cut.
9. Video monitor & shelf: I didn’t realize until later that we would need a stand in order to place our video monitor over the crib. One quick amazon purchase later and voila. **I feel like technology changes so quickly that it was better to link the Lucie’s List updated video monitor recommendations rather than the one we purchased 4 years ago. Baby monitors are so helpful but they all have their quirks.
10. Minimal nursery decor: both decor items in our nursery come from good friends. One of our students, Kaity, made the elephant art on wood panels that I just love and my friend, Tasha, owns a design business and made this beautiful nursery map. Tasha also made a thumb print tree for a “guest book” at our wedding, so to have her make some centerpiece art for our first baby felt really special. Check out more nursery pieces at The House on 10th.
11. White Noise Machine: your baby definitely needs white noise to sleep and this one won’t stop after a few hours. It’s simple but it gets the job done.
12. Hatch baby grow: I wanted a diaper changing spot that was wipeable for the inevitable leaks and blowouts that would happen upon it, and then I found this one that was around the same cost as a wipeable one but also had a scale built in that connects to your iphone. I planned to breastfeed and was worried about how I would know how much my baby was eating, so having a scale as a changing table was a game changer.
So those were the main items in our minimalist nursery! I’ll say that Lucie’s List is an unbelievable resource when it comes to discerning what we chose to buy and why. My philosophy was buy everything quality, but reasonable, knowing that I hope for all my babies to use the same things. So far we’ve had two babies go through our supplies and they are holding up well!
Obviously, this supply list is just the essentials for the nursery itself. Baby will need a car seat and stroller, possibly a carrier, bath supplies, crib sheets & swaddles, a few feeding supplies, some clothes, diapers, a humidifier for when they get sick and a couple of play items/books, but hopefully the list above and additional links here get you started. Some of our thought processes for purchases came from books we read, so check out the books we read here, in case you’re looking for more ideas!
Happy nursery planning, mama! If you’re an experienced mom, share your wisdom with us–anything else you’d add to this baby nursery list?
