7 Baby Nursery Essentials To Keep The Room Simple

1. Crib

2. Mattress

There is a wide range of crib mattresses.  

And with this range, you can find hefty price tags. 

We used this mattress. It made it through 4 kids using it every day for about 8 years.

3. Waterproof Mattress Pad

Pick up 2 waterproof mattress pads.

Babies spit up or blow out of their diapers.  While you have one in the wash, you can have the other in the crib. 

My favorite was when a poop explosion happened in the middle of the night.  Having the backup made it easy to change the bed, and let me go back to bed. 

Your sleep is precious with a baby around.

4. Crib Sheets

Make sure you grab 2 – 3 crib sheets.  

You will want multiple of these for the same reasons as the multiple mattress pads. 

Somehow, we ended up with 8.  No, you do not need 8 crib sheets!

5. Dresser

You are going to need a place to hold all the cuteness that is baby clothes. 

Using a dresser is a great way to stay organized.

And, you guys, this dresser is beautiful!

6. Hangers

There are small hangers made just for baby and kid clothes.

These hangers make it so much easier to hang your little one’s clothes, and they are cheap.

Someone first offered them to me and I asked, do I need them. Yes, yes you do.

7. Night Light

When you have to get up in the middle of the night with your baby, do you want to turn the top light on? 

Nope, not me!

I wanted to get the baby back to sleep as soon as possible so I could go back to sleep. 

We have these night lights in multiple rooms of our house.  

They are dim enough to get a good night's sleep but light enough that you can see what you are doing.

8. Chair

An incredibly comfortable chair is so nice to have in the baby's bedroom if you have space for it. 

My husband and I took turns spending countless hours with our babies in this comfy chair.  

I liked that ours had an ottoman since I nursed.  It was just comfier for me.

9. Night Stand

A nightstand right next to a comfortable chair is helpful.

You can keep a bottle of water on it, your book, a snack, and is a great place to set your phone down. 

If you have a low dresser next to the chair then you wouldn't need a nightstand.  

This was used multiple times, daily.

10. Laundry Bin

Babies make A LOT of dirty laundry.

All that laundry will need a place to stay until you can get to the wash.  

A basket or hamper will take care of that for you. 

I opted for this basket slid under a bed we had.  

An upright hamper would be great also as it can stand easily in a closet.

11. Sound Machine

To be honest, I did not use a sound machine with any of my kids.  We did use instrumental lullabies though.

I got introduced to this sound machine with one of my daycare kids and it rocks!

12. Twin Bed

All babies will need a different bed when they outgrow or start climbing out of their crib. 

We knew that we wanted to have multiple children and only wanted to buy items once if possible.  We also have a small house and space is a commodity. 

For this reason, we went with a twin bed instead of a toddler bed.

13. Waterproof Mattress Pad

Pick up 2 of these waterproof mattress pads.

Toddlers may still blow out of their diapers.  They may also wet the bed during potty training time. 

Having the backup made it easy to change the bed, and let me go back to bed. 

Your sleep is precious with a child around.

14. Sheets

Make sure you grab 2 – 3 sets of sheets.  

Just in case you need to change the sheets in the middle of the night, it is great to have extra on hand.

I can easily get by with 1 extra set per bed at my house.  

When it is a normal sheet wash day, I like to remake the bed right away with the extra and move on with other tasks.

15. Pillow 

According to this article, it says to:

“wait to introduce pillows to your little one’s sleep routine until they reach 1 ½ years old (18 months).  This is for your child’s safety."

With that recommendation in mind, I bet you are wondering what kind of pillow you should first get for your kiddo. 

We used pillows like these for all of our kids, which are on the flatter side.  

They have little bodies and their neck/head area does not need that much support. 

Bonus: they are machine washable.

I have had to wash the pillows multiple times now and they do hold up nice to it.  

Just make sure to reshape them as soon as the pillow is done in the dryer.

16. Blankets

Your kiddo will also need a blanket when moved to a big bed.  

We had received these blankets from our wedding and ours kids love them on their beds. 

I also have been able to make a quilt for each of my kids' beds.

1. Nursery Decor

Baby décor is cute and all but does your baby really love it.  No, they don’t even know it is there.  

I know that your baby’s room will look bare for a bit but you will not have to find a place for all the baby décor to go in a few years.

I hung up a nice, soothing painting that my sister made for our first baby.  It is still up and loved by my daughter. 

For my boys, we have a picture displaying a cabin scene.  That is still up as well.

Save: $$-$$$, the sky is the limit on this one. YIKES!

2. Changing Table

We have small bedrooms, so no room for a changing table.  But it was not missed.  

We bought this floor changing mat that could be wiped down with a disinfectant wipe. 

I am glad that we did not get this table.  Now that our babies are out of diapers, I do not have to find a new home for it.

Save: $$$

3. Crib Liner

Your baby will eventually move around when they sleep.  

Even though a crib liner will prevent your baby from sticking its arms and legs through the slats of the crib, this item is not necessary. 

Save: $$

4. Crib Skirt

Most crib sides go down pretty close to the floor, which means you cannot see what is under the crib.  

If you are looking to cut something off your wish list or baby registry this is it.

Save: $$

5. Character Sheets and Blankets

Even though they are so cute, skip character sheets and blankets.  Kids change their minds about their favorites often.  

Having a neutral blanket and sheets is something they can grow with. 

Try character clothes instead.  My kids are more excited to show off their cool character shirts or socks than talking about their sheets or blankets.

Save: $$ - $$$