The baby room is finished enough to share with you now, I think. It’s not perfect or what I intend her “real” room to be like, but it’s a “for now” sort of situation since we will be moving soon (this fall). Don’t ask me where we’re moving. We don’t know; it’s up to the Navy. But once we get to our next house, I’ll paint the walls and make curtains and do other more “permanent” stuff. Plus my sweet husband is going to make some low shelves that will double as a bench… we have lots of plans for the NEXT room.
But for now, this one is super-sweet anyway.
Our baby will be sleeping in our room in a mini co-sleeper for the first several months (honestly, likely at least until after we move), but when she graduates to her own room, we’ll be trying out the Montessori Floor Bed* thing. I also think having the floor bed will be great for naps together, nursing her to sleep, “tummy time” (especially with the mirror there!), etc. Plus if my husband has an early flight and NEEDS sleep, the baby and I can sleep in here if she’s having an especially fussy night or something.
Our floor bed is just a regular twin mattress which I got a vinyl cover for, so that in the event of accidents we will only have to change the sheet and wipe the mattress, rather than dealing with mattress pads and such.
The blanket currently on the bed was mine when I was little. It has big tulips appliquéd onto it, and I remember running my finger around the edge of each one to trace them.
The rug is from Land of Nod, and while I hoped and thought it would be more YELLOW, I decided it’s yellow enough to keep… mostly because of how soft it feels! Stepping onto it is like a dream, and I’m sure it will get lots of use as a comfy place to play.
This is the right side of the room, with the dresser/changing area and a small shelf for some books and toys. I’m not too concerned with actual childproofing at this point (which is super-important when you have a floor bed) like making sure there are no exposed cords, bolting shelves to the wall, etc… because we will be moving before the baby is too mobile. So this works for now. I LOVE the dresser/changing area.
The duck on the wall was in my room when I was a baby/small child, and I had saved it for years and years. How cool that my daughter gets it now!
Top shelf: A music box I’ve had since I was 6 I think. It plays “It’s a Small World” and has two trains that go around in circles. The little critters are “Spoka” night lights from IKEA and they slowly change color. The horses were mine when I was a kid, and the crocheted house is just something I made several years ago (it was on TV! In the intro to a show called Uncommon Threads — I also made the flowers in the intro) and kept because I think it’s cheerful.
Middle Shelf: Some board books and a soft interactive book from IKEA, plus my Peter Rabbit books from when I was little, a wooden horse my oldest sister’s friend made for me when I was a kid, and a bin of rattles, soft toys, etc.
Bottom Shelf: A couple toys that our baby likely won’t be old enough to play with or understand until after we move, but I like them there, so there!
The dresser is from IKEA, but I bought 12 different knobs from Anthropologie (not a cheap upgrade, but worth it!) to make it more interesting and special.
The aircraft prints are from 1949 or 1950, an artist’s renderings of experimental Navy jets from the time. Pretty cool if you ask me. The mirror is from an antique store here. The little green potty is for elimination communication, which we’re going to try/do (in conjunction with cloth diapers) and I’m sure I’ll write more about that later after we’ve given it a go for a while.
I can just imagine our baby examining each lovely drawer knob as she starts to pull up and stand, noticing details, and choosing a favorite, comparing the designs…
From the bed, facing the door to the hallway…
And my “nursing station” which needs to be a bit more organized and contained. Another experimental aircraft art print, plus a photo of me and my husband, a photo of Zora, and our baby’s first ultrasound picture (the one that looks like she’s waving to us). Do you have any advice for what I might need or want to have at the “nursing station”? Right now I have the breast pump, an ipod/iphone charger/dock/clock/speaker thing, a basket of burp cloths (on the floor), a couple books, and the galactagogues I’ll be taking.
The pennants over the window and closet door are something I made a while ago. I have a tutorial on how to make a bunting if you’re interested.
*For more information/experiences about Montessori Floor Beds, read these posts and articles:
- No Crib for a Bed
- Preparing the Home to Welcome the Newborn — GREAT article from Michael Olaf
- The Floor Bed
- Montessori Floor Bed in Action and a later Update After a Year
- Floor Bed Thoughts from a Dad, photos of their child’s Beautiful Serene Room and more Floor Bed Posts and Updates
- And of course, Finnian’s Montessori Room — beautiful room by Meg and my first introduction to the floor bed.
31 Comments
[…] to Emily for the […]
[…] we had our first baby, Anneliese, I carefully arranged a special room just for her, even though we knew we would have her in our bedroom with us most of the time. With a 3-bedroom […]
Adorable…simple and sweet!
[…] Toddler Room Tour Posted on June 16, 2012 • 0 CommentsI’ve had the Montessori baby room tour linked in the sidebar of the blog for…forever. But we haven’t even been living in that house […]
[…] Nearly Finished Nest by Megan Boley -Â Â Â Finnian’s Montessori Room by Meg McElwee -Â Â Â Baby Room Tour — Hanford, CA Home by Emily from […]
Great room! We have the same small yellow table you have at your nursing station. Once baby A gets old enough, you can paint the top with chalkboard paint and it can double as her activity table and drawing board. We did this for our now 5 year old. He uses it to do his school work and scribble on with chalk.
I love your pictures of the jets!! Do you have more information on those you would be willing to share. I would love to put some in my little boys room! Thanks!
Is that a crocheted dollhouse in your daughter’s room? I would love to know where I could get a pattern for something like that.
Thanks,
Erin
not really a dollhouse, but a crocheted house, yes! I made it for a TV show intro (uncommon threads – didn’t really go “big”). No pattern, just crochet some rectangles, add embellishment (doors, windows, bushes, vines) and glue to a cardboard base for structure.
Thanks!!!
[…] may or may not have noticed, but I briefly mentioned a while ago that I was interested in trying elimination communication with Anneliese. Basically, it’s the […]
We are doing a co-sleeper (although he mostly just sleeps in my bed next to me) and eventually doing a floor bed as well! Also I have that mirror and yellow table. But your nursery is amazing and gives me legit pangs of jealousy.
I am so jealous of your Symphony! That's what I used in the hospital, and it was so much nicer than my Pump in Style. LOVE IT.
I echo the neck pillow that someone else said, but also tissues or a hanky (so that if you need one, you don't need to move), magazines (books can be surprisingly heavy and you don't want to risk dropping one on that little girl), a baby reference book (The Baby Book by Dr. Sears is great), and a blanket for your legs. A water bottle & snacks are also a great idea.
The nursery is adorable! I love it. Thanks for sharing it!
OH, and a pile of cloth nappies – while we did not go the cloth nappy path but had them for wiping up spills/vomits etc. My eldest is now 12, the youngest 3 and they are still the best wiping up rags you can find!
If you've got a 'chucker' you will go through reams of them and have one permanently over your shoulder!
Water – I remember every time one of my boys would attach the sensation of being completely parched would wash over me. So a bottle of water.
A clock/watch
A notebook
I know this sounds bizarre, but every single one of my boys was different when it came to feeding. One was both sides for 20 minutes each side, one was 5-7 minutes one side every two hours, one was 10 minutes one side every three hours and one was 5-7 minutes both sides every four hours.
It was so good having a notebook where I would jot down the time of the feed and which side they fed on. You do come to just 'know' which side they need to feed from first but when you're exhausted/it's the middle of the night/your milk is just coming in it's really handy to be able to have something to refer to.
And wow, Montessori claim that floor thing as their own? We just did it because we figured it's a good idea when moving a kid into a bed so if they fall out they don't have far to fall!
[…] Afterward, did your baby sleep in a crib or a floor bed? […]
COOKIES, and snacks in the nursing station, plus a bottle of water but thats a given right? I would find that since I would nurse for anywhere from 45mins to 1.5 hours I'd get really hungry and I didnt want to distrub the babe, so its nice to just reach for a cookie or muesli bar or something
The room is beautifull and can't wait to see pics of your baby girl xx
Ps Good to see the floor bed as well 😉
(Miss_Melr)
(Cause sometimes we're looked at like freaks… haha)
Such a lovely room — and refreshing to see another room without a crib!
(Cause sometimes we're looked at like freaks… haha)
I agree, keep the breast pump by the nursing station, with extra parts. I would nurse on one side and then pump the other, that way, you'll have extra to freeze for date-nights and other times when friends or loved ones will need to bottle-feed your little one.
Your other breast, which is not being utilized by the baby, will leak or straight up squirt uncontrollably if you are really gorged (sorry, can't think of other, more delicate words), therefore you may find, as I did, that it's the perfect time to grab that excess amount on the other side. I also tried to move the baby from one side to the other, but he kept trying to nap, so I'd be 'lopsided'! ;-D
The room is adorable! Thanks for the links to the floor beds. I've heard of this being done but didn't know too much about it.
And I'm curious too on what's needed at a nursing and changing area. For now, I'm holding out on doing too much baby decorating since we'll probably move back to the US a couple months after she's born and she'll stay in our room for that time, but its great to see what others are doing.
for your nursing area…definitely some easy to eat snacks….in the early days i was always hungry and sometimes thats the easiest time to grab a bite to eat! and others have mentioned a big water bottle.
nursing pads, too….a clock, I also kept note of what side the kiddos started eating on and how long they ate–listing start and finish times. I could not remember a thing during those days….
The room looks great! 🙂 Sweet room for the sweet baby!!!! I can't wait to see you as a mom! 😉
Lets see–next to my chair when I nursed–I kept the hospital cup FULL of water (I'd fill it before each nursing session, and before bed so it was ready–you'll drink more water than you ever thought possible while nursing!), baby clippers, lotion for my hands, a good book, my Bible, a couple of children's books, the boppy, the phone, lanolin, baby tylenol (when the kids teethed, they gnawed on the end of that thing like crazy!), burp cloths and then some more, a pen and notepad for all the things I hoped I'd remember for later–but rarely did, a neck pillow for when I'd doze off in the mid of nursing, baby thermometer, nasal aspirator, chap stick, a hair clip…..most of these things are STILL next to my chair, though nursing ended 3 yrs ago!
I love it Emily!!! I like little details and the attention you've paid to decorating the room. The best part is all the knick-knacks you've used from your childhood for little Miss A's room.
As a couple others said, be sure to have some lanolin ointment (Lansinoh is the brand name, I think) handy. You'll want it! And you'll want it right at hand. And any time you're pumping, be sure to have it with you.
Hi Emily!
I used to read you blog a while back, well before you moved to California, and then stopped for some reason. I thought about you a few months ago and wondered if you and your husband planned on starting a family sometime soon. So I looked your blog back up and the first post I saw was one of your pregnancy photo/letters, haha! How exciting that you will be welcoming your little one so soon! The nursery is so sweet and welcoming, even if it is temporary. The knobs are a really unique touch!
While I didn't nurse exclusively or long term (I actually just finished the weaning process this week at 5 1/2 months) I found that one of the most important things to have on hand was the phone! I don't know how many times I sat down to nurse just to have the phone ring and it would be in the next room.
A pillow definitely. The boppy didn't work well for me, so I just used a regular bed pillow of the right thickness. I nursed in bed a lot, so lots of pillows to prop on and get comfy.
I second the lanolin cream – it works wonders.
Something to read or watch. I watched a lot of tv while nursing in the beginning so I wouldn't be watching the clock and becoming impatient with how long it was taking.
A nursing stool would have been nice; the glider ottoman wasn't all that comfortable after a long period of time. In fact, I packed it up in the attic after my first baby started crawling since I was afraid he would pinch his hand in it, and I didn't get it back out when my daughter arrived in January. I haven't missed it.
Lots of absorbent breast pads. Whether you use disposable or washable ones, be sure to have lots of fresh, dry ones on hand so you can change out often.
-Edie
For your nursing station I would add:
water (a water bottle or cup)
wash cloth or wipes
extra pump parts/bottles to pump into
lanolin cream (I think that is how you spell it)
a book (or laptop) to read while you pump- I also sometimes read when I nursed to keep myself awake at those odd hour feedings
pillows (used a boppy or EZ 2 nurse twin pillow, regular pillows work too) one for behind your back and one/two to support your arm and the baby
a nursing stool- I loved mine
That list seems really long but I found all those things really helpful. It can be difficult and stressful to nurse so the more comfortable you are the easier it is to stick with. Best of luck!
Love the changing table and mirror! Adorable! Congrats!
Beautiful