Nesting on a Budget

Inside my head, I have a dream nursery. The room is tastefully decorated, with a modern/retro flair. The usual pastel tones and animal themes are missing, replaced by unexpected colors and patterns. Every item has a place, artfully arranged in cherry colored furniture and the room is stocked with the must-haves and luxuries of baby care. This nursery is a haven for baby; quiet, calming, organized.

In reality, only one of my babies even had a room of her own. We lived in a 2 bedroom apartment with our first child and she had a sweet little space, shared with the office. We lived with my mom for a short time while my husband finished school, and baby enjoyed a lovely room of her own and a real, toddler dresser. That was the last time we had a stand alone nursery.

Our second baby shared his crib space with the toy room until he grew old enough to move into a room with his sister. We did our best to add some nursery touches and keep things organized within a small budget. When our third baby arrived, putting the crib in the playroom proved impractical, as did placing him in the kid’s room. Once he grew out of the bassinet in the master, he slept peacefully in his crib in the converted dining room, with portable baby storage saving my sanity. Each baby enjoyed special touches to their spaces, including hand made blankets, and artwork.

This time around, we live in a 3 bedroom town home and we’re expecting our 4th. We enjoy an enormous master bedroom, which makes for a tiny family bathroom. I’ve always wished we could extend the bathroom and minimize the bedroom. Now that I’m nesting, I’ve discovered a new love for our expansive room.

Baby #4 is due in a week and I am full-on nesting. We did some rearranging and I now have a special space in our room for baby – and it even has a bit of space to make it feel like his own. With our return to law school, the nursery budget is tight (non-existent really). Luckily, we already own many of the baby essentials we need, as well as a variety of storage options to use creatively. I know I’m not alone in nesting on a budget and thought I would share a few ideas from our mini nursery.

1. Consignment Store Finds. Our town features a variety of consignment stores, including one that always boasts a healthy clearance section. I like to keep my eye on their children’s bedding section, especially for sheet sets and baby decor. This is also a terrific place to find baby storage solutions,nursing items, clothing, bouncy seats, monitors, and more. I plan to use these car and plane hooks I found in a clearance nursery set for under $5 to hang baby carriers. If you’re patient, you can find a variety of gently used baby items for a steal.
2. Re-purpose. Fabric can be expensive, as can nursery decor. I learned from a good friend that well cared for sheets make for some of the most affordable fabric. I watch for sheets at consignment stores and garage sales, converting them into blankets. You can also take old receiving blankets and easily cut them into cloth wipes or burp rags, serging or sewing the edges. I’m also enamored with the idea of purchasing discounted bedding sets and cutting up unsafe bumper pads to make new baby items.
3. Rethink Storage.While we would all love to have matching furniture and coordinated containers, this might not be possible on a budget. Visit your basement and see what you can consolidate to make plastic storage drawers available for your nursery. Watch the sale sections at your favorite stores, especially at the end of the season, to pick up storage items such as colored bins and coordinating baskets, at a discounted price. I followed a tip from my friend Jill at Life is Not Bubble Wrapped and converted an unused toy storage bin from Target into a diaper/wipes/nursing pads/blanket storage  that is just right for our space!
4. Make the Most of a Small Space. If I’ve learned anything about baby spaces, it’s that little people don’t need a whole room or a ton of accessories to be happy, healthy, and well cared for. Your home might have a room just for baby and that rocks! I’ve had friends convert walk in closets or makeshift spaces over the years, with some of these “nurseries” being my favorites.

   

   

5. Save Some for Later. Remember that you don’t need to  have all of your baby gear out at once. Cribs, larger strollers, bouncy seats, etc., can all remain safely stowed away until baby is ready developmentally – especially if space is tight! Many parents are also prepared in advance with clothing through toddler hood. Consider filling your dresser with clothes baby needs right now and then organizing and labeling the rest in storage tubs in your closet or basement. This will help you evaluate what you have and easily transition between sizes.
6. Don’t Save it All. I learned this the hard way, keeping girls clothing “just in case” for 8 years and simply moving clothes from drawers to bins without sorting some to sell or donate in between children. My mom came to visit last month and helped me finally sort through an embarrassing number of boxes. I can not tell you the relief I felt in consigning and donating an insane amount of clothes. I am determined to never let this happen again. When baby outgrows these clothes, they will be sold/consigned/given away. When the big kids outgrow, they will be sorted before any are saved for a younger sibling.

Are you in the midst of nesting? Do you have small space solutions that have saved your sanity? I would love to hear about them!