Do I Need a Dedicated Nursery?

With the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending that babies sleep in the same room as a parent for at least the first six months—and even up to a year—you might be wondering if you even need to set up a nursery. Well, the right answer is: It depends.
 

Do you have space for the must-haves? 

There are some amenities that are really, really nice to have when you have a new baby in the home and, if you have a nursery set up, this would be the most logical place to keep them. So, the question is, do you have room in your living room or bedroom for these items, or would you be better off setting a room? 

• For example, you’ll want at least most of these niceties: 
• A rocking chair or armchair with ottoman for feeding and soothing 
• A changing table, or at least a specific area where you keep a changing pad, diapers, wipes, cream and other necessities 
• A dresser to store all those adorable clothes 
• A portable crib or playpen 
• A baby swing or bouncer 
• Toys and other gear 

If you decide on a nursery 

If you’ve realized that you really don’t have the extra space for all that baby gear around your house, then go ahead and set up a nursery if you have a spare room to do so. Just keep in mind that as baby grows, so do certain pieces of their gear. For instance, even if you have plenty of space for a small crib right now, keep in mind that you’ll need to move in a toddler bed (and eventually a bid kid bed) in the not-so-distant future.
 

If you decide to wait 

If you have plenty of room for baby things elsewhere in your home, you might choose to wait on setting up your baby’s room until he or she will actually be ready to sleep in it. If so, you’ll be able to start fresh and deck out a “big kid” room that suits your toddler’s personality and independent spirit.