I have been dreading it for months – making a decision on nursery furniture. As a first time mother I had a hard time choosing what is really needed in a nursery. After much deliberation and a few YouTube videos, I finally decided on what I would purchase for my baby girl’s nursery. Much of my decision was made on price, research, my visual impairment, available room space and room layout. I will be showing you photos of the products I chose, along with describing where I placed them and why. I will also tell you about the quality of these products and if I recommend them to another expecting mother. I hope this information will help other expecting visually impaired mothers with their decisions on what to purchase, where to place key pieces of furniture and why it is important to do your research before you invest in an unknown territory. Let me show you around!
Crib
The centerpiece of all nurseries – the crib. Although I found out through months of research – that your newborn is best suited for a bassinet until about 4 – 6 months – I ordered the crib anyway. It’s not like I’m not getting the bassinet as well, but from what I have learned over the past couple months – is that you will need 3-4 basic nursery essentials – and the crib is at the top of that list. It seemed like I changed my mind about the crib placement about every single day. I would be in the empty nursery measuring and doing prep and the next thing I knew – the location I had chosen was unsafe across all my research channels!
I really wanted to place the crib under this beautiful window, but I learned this is the most unsafe place to put a crib due to earthquakes and glass breaking – and even the potential for the baby to climb out of the crib and fall out the window. The next place I thought to place the crib was in the middle of the room. However this placement is trendy right now, but it also is very unsafe and I really did not have the space to do this anyway. A crib must be up against a solid wall, therefor removing the potential for tipping over. Even the location I finally chose had some downfalls, but it was of the greater good. So where did I end up placing the crib and why? The cribs final destination in this tiny room, is by the door, against a solid wall and away from objects that she can harm herself with. These objects include, but are not limited to: drapes, wall décor, electrical sockets, overhead lights. I also placed a plush rug underneath incase she takes an interest in the teachings of the late Houdini.
The crib I chose is made by STORKCRAFT and the style chosen is Windward. This is a 2-Piece Nursery in a Box, you get the crib and matching changing table for $259 on Amazon.com. This is also a convertable model where the crib grows with your child. The price really compelled me to buy this particular item. At the time of my crib purchase (May 2021) I really could not find a crib/changing table duo that could beat this price. A crib ran $200-$700 and a changing table could run anywhere from $200-$400. So this set was the most logical purchase to my frugal brain. Another reason I decided to go with this set was due to it’s rating (55 ratings at 4.5/5 stars). It was shipped free to my house within a week and both the packaging and pieces were undamaged. Once my husband separated the crib pieces from the changing table pieces, building was incredibly fast (within 1.5 hours for both pieces). The end result was very pleasing to the eye and had very nice minimalist design and high safety standards. It is sturdy, has 3 adjustable mattress heights, 1′ gaps between slatted sides. It is important to note that in 2010, cribs that had adjustable sides – were banned due to infant multiple deaths. So would I recommend this product? Absolutely, yes!
Changing Table
The changing table was the center of debate in everything I have read or watched during my research period. Some sources were adamant that this was a key piece of nursery furniture – while others said, “You’ll never use it.” The sources claiming that you do not need a changing table – were instead claiming a dresser is all you need (with a changing pad). While I can see the logic in their claims, I figured that the style of changing table I was looking at would offer me the much needed storage space I needed. Additionally, if you read the read the rhetoric above about the crib, you already know the changing table was included with that purchase. Oh! and did I mention that the crib/changing table duo set also included a pad for the changing table? Again, if you are interested in checking this item out, here is the link to the product on Amazon.com
Looking around the web and talking with other mom’s, I learned that the placement of the changing table relies on where you have available space and convenience. There really is not an rules about placing this particular piece of nursery furniture. The crib placement is crucial, but when it comes to the changing area – you can really place it wherever you see fit. I mean I would not place in the middle of the room – but it is up to you. I placed the changing table by the door, against a solid wall and close to all the diapering essentials. The storage bins you may or may not see in the photo, were purchased separately. I was really stoked to find out that a large amount of storage is feasible under the changing table. I have 6 10″ fabric storage bins containing diapers, wipes, creams, powders, bathing essentials, sleepwear and onesies. The quality of the changing table is considerably good, for the price I paid. It did include the changing pad, safety rails and large shelves for extra storage. So would I recommend this product? Absolutely, yes! Again, it must meet your needs – if you do not something like this, at this price point and functionality (with the added benefit of extra storage space) – that is your god given right to say, “You know what, I think a dresser would be more beneficial for my needs.”
Rocking Chair, Foot Stool & Side Table
These three pieces are not necessarily essential together, but are suggested. The only piece of nursery furniture in this trio that most of my sources could agree on was the chair. Most agreed on a few different types of chairs for a nursery set-up: Rocking, Glider or Recliner. As you may or may not see from the photo above, I chose a rocking chair. I just could not resist the adorableness of this unique design. I love the multicolor patchwork and the size of this rocker. I’m 5’2″, medium build and this chair is literally made for my frame. I looked at pretty much every kind of rocker, glider and recliner on Amazon.com, but again I feel in love with this rocking chair. That also meant I had to chose wisely with my décor – I had to search high and low for items that would coordinate with this adorable chair.
In my many months of nursery furniture placement research, I came across a few layouts including chairs – more specifically, the rocking chair. They were mainly placed relatively close to the crib, in a corner. However, I could not replicate this exact layout due to the available space I had – but I did place the chair in a corner across from the crib. There really was not any other place for it, but I think the space turned out functional and cute. The suggested side table I placed to the left of the rocker and the foot stool in front of the rocker legs – slightly to the right. I did this so when I get up for those middle-of-the-night feedings, I will not be tripping over things – harming myself nor baby. The foot stool is just for my comfort preference, but the side table does serve a function. Since I am planning to nurse, I learned that I will need to stay properly hydrated and have snacks ready for frequent milk production. With this in mind, I chose a side table with a small drawer and a shelf underneath – enough room for those snacks and a few bottles of water. (Note: I have one problems with this side table: Screws provided to attach top were too long and if you are not careful – the screws will pop through. Solution: Add washers and be careful!)
Very quickly, the quality of these items are of good construction and material – and I did not have to spend a fortune either. The rocking chair was $189, side table $52 and the foot stool was on sale at $43, all purchased on Amazon.com with Free shipping. I would recommend all of these pieces – these are again just suggested and not necessary for a nursery set-up. If you are interested in any of these pieces I will list them below and link them to the product purchase page.
Dresser
I know what you are thinking, “Why do you need a dresser when you have a changing table?” Well to be honest, I really was thinking more storage, growth of the room and I could not beat the price at $159.99! You see while I was deciding on whether I should purchase a changing table or dresser – I was also comparing prices. I was originally going to just purchase the crib/changing table duo because the dressers were all out of my frugal budget at around $250-$600. It also had to have legs on it and match the rest of the furniture. It was not until I had bought everything you read about above, when I discovered this little gem. I figured I would buy it even though I may not use all the storage space provided. I really just could not pass up the opportunity – it checked all my boxes, price, size and it can grow with the room. A changing table on the other hand, is used for the first year of the baby’s life.
With limited room space available, after placing a crib, changing table, rocking chair, side table and foot stool – it was quite a challenge fitting it all in without limiting safe accessibility for blind momma. So where in the heck did I find the room? After moving the crib off of the adjacent hallway wall and replacing it with the changing table – I had a beautiful space to put the dresser right by the closet doors! The only other place I could think to put it, was in the closet itself but that was going to be a last ditch effort to make it work. However there were 2 very large issues putting this cute little dresser together, the instructions & the dresser came out of the box in a million unmarked pieces. It took my husband 2.5 hours to put together a small 5-drawer dresser. I was really pleased with the end result though, it is just the sweetest little dresser ever! I would not recommend buying this unless you have someone that has patience and experience building. If you would like to check out any of these Amazon.com products, I will list them all below and link them to their respective product purchase pages.
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