When Should I Start Setting Up a Nursery?

The pending arrival of a new baby is always exciting, if not a little nerve-wracking!

You’ll have to start planning what to buy for the nursery, what theme you’d like (if any) if you need to paint, assemble furniture, and so on. Some parents want to get started right away, while others like to wait longer. However, we recommend not waiting until the last minute, as things can get a lot more complicated with a bigger belly and added stress!

So, when is too early to set up nursery? We have all the answers for you right here, so let’s jump right in!

When Should I Start Setting Up Baby Stuff?

Everyone is different, but we highly recommend starting during the second trimester of pregnancy. First, you’re going to have much more energy and motivation to accomplish all the tasks required for the nursery. Painting a room is likely not going to be at the top of your list at 8 months pregnant. 

Second, most parents tend to have their baby shower around this time. That gives you some space to better plan as you may receive certain furniture you need in order to finish the nursery. Once you know what you’re working with, it’s much easier to plan out accordingly. 

How To Plan A Nursery for a Newborn Baby

That brings us to our next point of how to plan the nursery. Before you start shopping around, we recommend first creating a plan. It doesn’t need to be a fully-fledged blueprint, but you do want to have an outline of the size of the bedroom and take some measurements of the space you’ll have to work with.

Once you have those dimensions, you’ll be able to better plan out how much furniture (and what size) will fit, and what won’t. Remember, you’ll want enough space to be able to move around safely. 

List of Nursery Furniture for Babies

Here are some essentials that most nurseries need: 

• Crib/Bassinet 

• Changing Table

• Wardrobe or Chest of Drawers

• Nursing Chair/Glider/Rocking Chair

• Storage

If you find that you’re a bit cramped, there are plenty of smart storage solutions like changing tables that also work as a dresser. You may see that mini cribs have exploded in popularity, which are space-friendly alternatives to a regular crib. 

Here are some non-essentials that you may include if you have enough extra space: 

• Laundry Hamper

• Lamp

• Diaper Pail

• Baby Bouncer 

• Rug

• Mirror

• Alexa (can play white noise to help baby fall asleep, can tell Baby Connect app to log a sleep, etc.)

How Much Should You Spend on a Baby Nursery?

Most people setting up a nursery are going to have a budget, and we advise doing this sooner rather than later. Don’t even go window shopping before you’ve set one - after all, you don’t want to fall in love with a certain piece of furniture if it may break the bank. 

Some great places to find fantastic pieces of nursery furniture is NextDoor, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and local groups. 

How to Plan a Room Layout for a Nursery

The easiest way for most people to do this is simply sketch up the room, taking into consideration the correct specs and placement of doors and windows to scale. There are also some online tools, but to each their own.

As you may be able to guess, the placement of the crib is probably the most important. Make sure that if you have a fan, AC unit, radiator, or ceiling fan in the room that you keep the crib far from it. If you don’t have blackout curtains or something similar, also consider where the crib sits in relation to the window(s). 

Babyproofing a Nursery

This is something that can wait until later if you’re short on time - just don’t outright forget about it until the baby’s there, though!

Make sure to cover sockets, hide wires, put up baby gates, secure all relevant furniture to walls, etcetera. Your baby isn’t going to be up and exploring anything until around 6 months, but it’s still a good idea to take care of it beforehand. 

Things That Can Wait Until Later

There are certain tasks that can be done until later than the second trimester, if you need a bit more time getting everything ready. Here are some examples: 

• Painting closets, doors, or smaller sections

• Putting up art on the walls

• Selecting smaller, less significant pieces of furniture

• Hanging shelving units

• Add decorative touches (pillows, accents, light shades, etc.)

• Placing clothing in drawers (such as baby sleep sacks, onesies, and diapers)

It’s often recommended that infants sleep in their parents’ room in a bassinet for the initial 6 months of their lives (at least), so you may not spend as much time as you think in the nursery. If you don’t get everything done, it’s not the end of the world. 

How Long Does Setting Up A Baby Nursery Take? 

Again, it’s going to vary depending on the size of the nursery, how elaborate you decide to get, how good you are at painting/decorating, how much free time you have, and so on. Generally speaking, though, it could take anywhere from a few days to a few months. 

If the room is full of junk or requires major repairs, that could set you back a significant amount of time. Again, dealing with the bulk of the work during the second trimester is a really good rule of thumb. 

While setting up a nursery may seem like an enormous task, it’s much more manageable if you split it up into a list of less intimidating tasks. For example, your first goal could be to decide on paint colors and paint the room one week. The next week, you and your partner can put together the crib. Start checking off the pending to-do items and next thing you know, you’ll be standing in the middle of a beautiful nursery ready for your little one to thrive in!