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Lessons of motherhood, No. 1:
Inexpensive ways to furnish a baby's room
Editor's note: This is the first of a series of
practical observations by an Aggie student who's a new
mom.
By Errin Stevenson
January 9, 2008 | After I found out I was pregnant,
I thought, it is time to go out and buy everything my
baby needs! After looking around town and in catalogs,
I found that everything was quite expensive, and my
husband and I couldn't afford everything. So I found
ways to make a baby room for very little money.
The first piece of furniture you will need for your
little one is a place for sleep. You will have to spend
money to buy a crib or bassinet. Just remember, lead-free
paint can always do the trick if you can't find an inexpensive
crib in the right color. Bedding for cribs is offered
in 10-piece bags at local stores also. Some stores I
would suggest are Target and Ikea.
You will also need a changing table. A dresser with
a changing pad on top works great! You can find changing
pads at stores and dressers just about anywhere, includng
garage sales. Staining and painting may be required
but it will turn out great. A dresser offers you drawers
to put anything you want in it also.
If you are ready and in the mood to make some crafts,
then let's get started. A popular baby décor is to spell
the baby's name on the wall with large wood letters.
I suggest to get the tallest and widest letters you
can find. Some fun things you can do to the letters
include simply painting them and adding either antique
spray or glitter spray, cutting out pictures of your
baby and adding them to the letters, or using stickers
to make them fit your room.
From my experience in decorating, I think pictures
are always the perfect accent to a child's room. Frames
can be found at Ross or TJ Maxx for around $5, and photo
prints can cost as little as 9 cents per picture at
snapfish.com.
You can also make your own pictures if you want. Baby's
feet and hands in paint on a white piece of cardstock
is always a favorite.
A lamp is also a must-have. My husband and I found
lamps at Deseret Industries for $3. They may not look
the best when you get them, but a little spray paint
does the trick. Rust-Oleum spray paint offers a lot
of textures and colors.
Remember you will always need books, toys and stuffed
animals and these all look great on shelves.
MS
MS
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