Unless you live in a 5,000 SF mansion adding a new baby to your household comes with a certain amount of displacement. If you're not sure what 'displacement' means; think of a full glass of water... in order to add another drop, some water has to spill over the side. In my case, my stuff spilled out of the house and into boxes in the garage.
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There are 3 key furniture pieces necessary for a baby's room. They are a crib, dresser and glider. (Sure, you can have more .. but these are the essentials and the ones that you'll have to negotiate into a standard room.)
Crib:
We opted for a hand-me-down crib. I figured any piece of furniture that has survived the upbringing of another child, would survive mine. Plus, the price was right. The biggest issue with the hand-me-down crib was the 'drop-down' side which apparently was designed with the best intentions in mind for ease of loading and unloading of a baby into the crib without sacrificing your lower ribs in the process (assuming you haven't had your bottom two ribs removed for 'professional' purposes).
Leaning over a crib may be a bit uncomfortable; however, you may want to take this opportunity to start training for you new role as caregiver by easing up on the cheeseburgers and maybe one less six-pack per week and maybe try lifting up a bag of groceries a few times. This will get you in prime shape for lifting a baby from the crib and may buy you a year or two to see your kid graduate college or maybe get married. Practically speaking, having to lean over a normal crib height side railing is not the end of the world. It helps that when your baby is a few weeks old and ready to graduate from the bassinet to the crib the mattress height will be closer to the top of the railing so you don't have to lean as far.
But I digress, back to the crib. So this well intentioned feature of a drop-down side railing, in the hands of the incompetent or super-strong child led to some accidents which made them fall out of vogue. Many were also recalled. Of course, my wife had me mechanically secure the drop-side in order to avoid any possible malfunction. I say pick the crib you like and go with a color that matches your decor. Once you have the crib, you need a mattress and a crib bumper. The bumper is yet another accessory designed to keep your kid from sticking his arms and legs in between the slats of the crib and accidentally giving him/herself an MMA arm-bar:
I must admit, pretty useful, since Alejandra started rolling around her crib with little regard for where her arms and legs end up.
Dresser:
Glider:
This is the mom's equivalent to the Dad's Lazy-Boy. This is where mom will spend many hours breast-feeding, holding and rocking her baby. The key to any glider is comfortable arm rests, and a gliding foot-rest. Repeat, a gliding foot-rest. We opted to move one of our leather arm-chairs into Alejandra's room. We've since lived to regret that move and have wished for a glider on many a night.
You can pick one up for a few hundred dollars at the second-hand store or buy yourself a brand new one. It's up to you. Just make sure the glider system is good quality and doesn't squeak or bind up. At 3 or 4 am you don't want to be searching for the WD-40 or grease to silence a squeaky chair. Another key feature is the ability of mom to get in and out of the glider with ease. When you have a sleeping baby in your arms, you want to 'glide' out of the chair with minimum effort and set the bundle of zzz's ever-so-lightly in her crib.
With these 3 pieces of furniture in place, you'll be ready to welcome your baby home. Also, If you have a home with hard-wood floors, I suggest an area rug or something that easy to cleans and is nice to the touch. At some point your baby will try to eat it and, like Alejandra, will find the texture fascinating to the touch. You'll spend lots of time on it as well encouraging your baby to crawl (tummy time), so make sure you like it too.
9 comments:
It's all about looking for the right furniture for your child. It's not just design but function as well.
F.S.I.L.A., you forgot to mention the safety features of any baby furniture. When we purchased furniture and equipment for our kid, we first considered safety.
Another crib safety tip is to avoid placing it under a window, or near draperies or wall-mounted decorative accessories with long cords. Instead, place it on a sidewall to keep your baby from being awaken by the light shining through the window.
Safety, more than the form or function, is essential in designing your house. Edgy cabinets and the sorts have lost its flair when people realize how bad it is for kids.
Cribs should not be placed under a window, or near draperies or wall-mounted decorative accessories with long cords.
I like those tips that you shared there. However, I think selecting and using a crib is a lot easier than you made it sound in your article.
The crib that my son is using is the same one that belonged to my grandfather. It is still as functional as before and I wish my grandchildren will still be able to use it.
Get just about the right dimensions of your furniture for its intended users. That way you get to maximize space and your budget.
The baby furniture and crib dresser shown here is excellent. Have a look at it
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