- 1). Paint the walls a neutral, light color. Bright colors may be distracting and can prevent your baby--and you--from getting the sleep he needs. Use a water-based paint and keep the windows open while you paint to air out any fumes. Paint well before the baby arrives so that there will be no more paint fumes left in the room.
- 2). Choose a well-made crib that will last. Many cribs convert to toddler, then twin-size beds, which makes them a worthwhile investment. Look for a crib that feels sturdy, and double-check that the crib you buy is not on a recall list.
- 3). Add additional furniture based on room size and desire. It can be helpful to include a rocking chair, dresser, changing table, bookshelves and toy boxes, but none of these are necessary if you don't want them or don't have the space. Choose the items that matter most to you.
- 4). Hang blackout curtains in the windows. You want your baby to take naps during the daytime, but she may not be able to do this if the room is too bright. Blackout curtains put the room in complete darkness when it's nap time, but you can open them to get light in the room whenever you want.
- 5). Decorate the room in your own personal style. Bedding, lamps, pictures and other items can personalize the room for you.
- 6). Arrange the room in the safest way possible. The crib should be away from the window and anything that might fall onto the baby. You should not have anything in the crib other than the mattress and the sheet. Pillows or stuffed animals can suffocate the baby. Put cords out of the way, and use a plug in any unused outlet.
- 7). Plug in a nightlight. When your baby wakes up in the middle of the night for a feeding or a changing, you don't want to turn on all of the lights to take care of him, which can cause problems falling back asleep. A nightlight allows you to see what you need to see without making the room bright.
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