
Beta Corner
Originally uploaded by wavybrains.
As promised in my last post, I did take some pictures of our progress getting ready for Beta (click the picture for the full set, and to see the details with notes). As I uploaded the pictures, I realized that I'm really proud of what we've done. I bring you the $60 nursery.
Doing a cheap nursery means letting go of your expectations. This is doubly so if the "nursery" is actually going to be a part of your room. A Pooh Theme has no place in your bedroom, unless of course, you've already got the king-size Classic Pooh bedding, in which case, go for it. But, I really think that the baby won't care. Making a space for baby is more about YOU feeling ready than the baby coming home and rejecting your choice of decor. It's already traded spaces--and if it's not a womb, it's not really interested in whether the carpet matches the drapes.
Instead, it seems to me that it's more important that you find a way to work the baby's stuff into what you already have and how you already live. Yes, having a couch and TV as key "nursery" design elements won't make the next issue of Better Homes & Gardens, but Freak and I spend a fair amount of time in the "sitting room" part of our master room. We enjoy watching movies together, and I imagine that I might want to do the same while nursing. Also, having our own TV area helps with sharing the house with my brother, and I think I might like having the option of watching a movie with Beta while Freak and Uncle Monkey kill people on the X-box upstairs.
But, I still wanted to signal that the area was "baby central." I cleared off the existing shelves and assembled all the "baby" stuff we already owned: kids books, stuffed animals, games, toys. Just collecting it all in one place and nicely arranging it on the shelves made the area look more "ready." I'm a big fan of grouping like items together and repeating design elements--it can make a space look more finished even when you haven't removed or added a thing.
Once this was done, I was able to think about the "big" items that we'd really need. A place for Beta to sleep, a place for Beta to be changed, and a place for Beta's clothes. A friend gave us a great changing table for upstairs, which I'm keeping in my office for easy access to the bathroom. I really didn't want to buy a changing table just for downstairs, but I wanted something. I had a dresser that wasn't being used, so I cajoled Freak into painting it a fun "kid" color, and I found a cheap changing pad at IKEA. I added a knitted box that I made last year, and put all the changing supplies in that.
Also at IKEA, I got two fun hampers that add a lot of charm to the space. One hamper will hold clean cloth diapers and the other will hold dirty clothes. As for the clean clothes, a few months ago, I made my smartest decision as a bargain queen. I said "yes" to every offer of free stuff, even though that "IF, IF, IF" jinx feeling haunted me. I just said, "Yes, thank you!" and stuck all the boxes in a closet until I was ready (okay, forced into) sorting them. Do not be picky about the freebies--you can sort them at home and donate what you really don't like/want/need. I'm thinking that when all of the "cute clothes" are in the washing machine, I'll be really glad I said "yes" so often. Clothed is better than naked.
I said "yes" to both boy and girl stuff. If I need a receiving blanket, I'm not going to be fussy about color. As for clothes, I just washed all the "girl" stuff and packed it away separately. If Beta's a boy, I can just find someone else who needs the girl stuff, and if Beta's a girl, she's going to have a huge wardrobe of both pink and blue stuff. I have no problem putting a girl in blue. I'll knit her a bunch of pink hats.
I sorted the clothes and put the smallest stuff in the drawers, and put the rest in the closet labeled by size. I had a vintage cradle, and while it's not Beta-approved, it's perfect to hold linens. For the actual sleeping Beta, I got a moses basket on Craigslist. It's not a long term sleep solution, but it seems perfect for a tiny baby (we're planning to get a crib eventually, don't worry!).
When we went to IKEA, I tried to focus on getting useful things (the hampers) that also made the room more "baby friendly," and added the mobile to enhance that vibe. I'm doing similar things upstairs to try to incorporate the baby stuff in pleasing ways. Without jinxing myself. *
*We are so, so lucky to have gotten so much stuff for free/cheap/long-term loan. If you're one of those people who have given us stuff, know that you made my weekend much more fun! Yay for hand-me-downs! And if you're ever in a position to get rid of baby/kid stuff--try finding friends, neighbors, friends of friends to pass the love onto. Behold the power of "yes."