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Hush, Little Baby: Soothing Nurseries for a Sound Night's Sleep
Help your baby settle down for a peaceful night (and save your sanity) with a sleep-inducing nursery
The first few months after your baby comes home are rarely easy, but if the sleep deprivation continues for months (or even years), even the most patient of parents can begin to go a little mad. Designing your nursery to be as soothing as possible is an important step in helping a little one sleep through the night, along with these tried-and-tested room additions. Few things are more wonderful than waking up refreshed after your first full night’s sleep since baby’s birth. Bring it on.
The wallpaper in this baby’s room adds a little colour without resorting to brights. Keeping to two or three soft colours will be soothing rather than jarring for you and baby alike.
TIP: These clever parents have opted for a foldaway change table – it practically disappears when not in use, and everything you need is within reach.
TIP: These clever parents have opted for a foldaway change table – it practically disappears when not in use, and everything you need is within reach.
Just because you’ve decided on a limited colour palette doesn’t mean the room has to be boring. This starry wallpaper from Sissy+Marley adds a sense of fun, without deviating from the calming colour palette.
See more gender-neutral nurseries
See more gender-neutral nurseries
Block out all the light
Don’t just block out some of the light, block out every bit of it. Light inhibits the secretion of melatonin, which helps us sleep, so the last thing a nursery needs is shards of light sneaking into the room from streetlights, the moon or the sun.
Don’t just block out some of the light, block out every bit of it. Light inhibits the secretion of melatonin, which helps us sleep, so the last thing a nursery needs is shards of light sneaking into the room from streetlights, the moon or the sun.
Blockout blinds wide enough to cover the window frame (rather than sitting inside the frame) are a wise idea to prevent light from creeping in on the sides.
If the room has shutters, add another layer of protection in the form of heavy curtains or a blockout roller blind – this one is barely noticeable when rolled up, so doesn’t compete with the wallpaper.
Keep it simple
It can seem like a long wait when you’re pregnant and counting down the days for your baby to arrive, particularly when it’s your first, but stop yourself from going overboard when decorating the nursery if you can. Just as clutter in other rooms can create fractured energy, a nursery with too much stuff is never going to be a peaceful haven that promotes sleep.
It can seem like a long wait when you’re pregnant and counting down the days for your baby to arrive, particularly when it’s your first, but stop yourself from going overboard when decorating the nursery if you can. Just as clutter in other rooms can create fractured energy, a nursery with too much stuff is never going to be a peaceful haven that promotes sleep.
You can still choose a theme for your nursery, but consider interpreting that theme in an understated way. This nursery has an animal theme that’s fun and humorous, but there’s not a primary colour or jungle mural in sight.
Similarly, this nursery’s wooden animal display brings an animal theme to the room, but it’s in keeping with the room’s organic, handmade feel – and far more gentle on the eyes than bright, plastic toys in stimulating colours.
Do babies cry more in yellow rooms?
Do babies cry more in yellow rooms?
Playing with colourful toys is another matter, of course – play is how we develop fine motor skills and get those neurons firing when we’re young – but tuck toys out of sight in a chest or cupboard when it’s time for bed to set up the room for deep, restorative sleep.
Help the room smell as good as it looks
Babies may be cute but they’re also stinky, and their room can quickly take on an unpleasant odour if it’s where the nappies are changed. Dedicated nappy bins keep smells at bay and mean you don’t have to run to the outside wheelie bin as often.
Babies may be cute but they’re also stinky, and their room can quickly take on an unpleasant odour if it’s where the nappies are changed. Dedicated nappy bins keep smells at bay and mean you don’t have to run to the outside wheelie bin as often.
Give baby a friend
Waking up alone is enough of a reason to cry when you’re new to the world, but a safe soft toy can become a great source of comfort over time. Again, simplicity is key. Give your baby one special toy to bond with rather than a slew of them to choose from, and you just might find they begin to cuddle their toy and nod off back to sleep when they wake in the night without you hearing a peep.
TIP: If your baby is clearly making friends with a special toy, rush out and buy another one exactly the same – then, when your baby or toddler leaves their favourite toy behind at the shops, it need not be a major drama.
Waking up alone is enough of a reason to cry when you’re new to the world, but a safe soft toy can become a great source of comfort over time. Again, simplicity is key. Give your baby one special toy to bond with rather than a slew of them to choose from, and you just might find they begin to cuddle their toy and nod off back to sleep when they wake in the night without you hearing a peep.
TIP: If your baby is clearly making friends with a special toy, rush out and buy another one exactly the same – then, when your baby or toddler leaves their favourite toy behind at the shops, it need not be a major drama.
Provide a focal point
Newborns can’t see very far but within a few months, the whole room starts to become interesting. A simple mobile inspired by nature will keep them mesmerised, and you’ll be more likely to be able to put them to bed when they’re still awake – staring up at a mobile will give bub something to do until their eyelids start to droop.
TIP: If your baby tends to cry the minute you put them in the cot and leave the room, try putting them to bed and staying in sight. Fold washing, tidy up or even read a book until they start drifting off to sleep – they’re less likely to associate bedtime with being left alone then, and you can gradually reduce the time you stay in the room over time.
Newborns can’t see very far but within a few months, the whole room starts to become interesting. A simple mobile inspired by nature will keep them mesmerised, and you’ll be more likely to be able to put them to bed when they’re still awake – staring up at a mobile will give bub something to do until their eyelids start to droop.
TIP: If your baby tends to cry the minute you put them in the cot and leave the room, try putting them to bed and staying in sight. Fold washing, tidy up or even read a book until they start drifting off to sleep – they’re less likely to associate bedtime with being left alone then, and you can gradually reduce the time you stay in the room over time.
Make your own mobile out of bits and bobs you find out in the bush or on the beach, and hang it over the change table – baby will be less likely to wriggle when it’s time to get their bedtime onesie on if they’re distracted.
Decorating for free with beachcomber finds
Decorating for free with beachcomber finds
Rock baby off to sleep
Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you do, your baby just doesn’t want to settle alone. Investing in a rocking chair will take the strain off your back and when it’s already in the nursery, your baby won’t be stimulated by the different sights, sounds and temperatures when you have to carry them out of the room.
TIP: Take inspiration from this nursery and put a rug at your feet – it’s no fun being uncomfortably cold but afraid to move lest you wake up a settling baby. A blanket kept within arm’s reach is also a smart idea.
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Do you have any other tips for decorating a soothing nursery? Do other parents a favour and share them in the Comments!
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Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you do, your baby just doesn’t want to settle alone. Investing in a rocking chair will take the strain off your back and when it’s already in the nursery, your baby won’t be stimulated by the different sights, sounds and temperatures when you have to carry them out of the room.
TIP: Take inspiration from this nursery and put a rug at your feet – it’s no fun being uncomfortably cold but afraid to move lest you wake up a settling baby. A blanket kept within arm’s reach is also a smart idea.
TELL US
Do you have any other tips for decorating a soothing nursery? Do other parents a favour and share them in the Comments!
MORE
Browse more nursery ideas
Soft hues in any room create a more serene ambience but in a nursery, it’s vital. Don’t be afraid to add a pop or two of colour, but stick with soothing tones for walls and floors – you can always add more colour later when your baby gets a little older and has an established sleep routine.