Author: David Hayes

Some parents know exactly how they want to design their new roommate’s room. Some have no idea. We’ve created a ‘cheat sheet’ of sorts, a list of must-haves and “OMG DON’T DO THIS”!

Don’t do this-advice from parents who know:

1. Do NOT style your baby’s room to be super GORGEOUS but not so functional. EEK! Make SURE wherever your changing table is…EVERYTHING you could possibly need is within arm’s length(or agile toe-grip) away. This happened to me with my first born. I had the changing table STOCKED with wipes and fresh clean diapers. It looked SO CUTE. But that’s it. Little did I know I would desperately need burp cloths, FRESH clothes, (because man oh MAN did my little man have a gift of covering himself with poop!) hamper, changing table covers, and I cannot stress this enough: a poop bucket with lid, a pacifier, books or favorite toy to occupy this poop monster while you clean up the aftermath. UGH.
2. Decor for the walls. Are you thinking of beautiful wallpaper or paint? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD make sure whatever you select is WASHABLE. I mean, there are times you wish you installed a drain in the center of the room and could just hose it down with hot water and disinfectant.
3. Don’t get suckered into ‘crib sets’. For the first one to two years there should be NOTHING in your babe’s crib. NOTHING but a fitted sheet, oh and the baby. *wink*
4. Babies are small. And their rooms should be too. They don’t need a lot of room. More room, means more possibilities of shenanigans. Believe me. BELIEVE ME.
5. And I cannot stress this last point enough. Babies do not give one iota of how their room is decorated. They don’t care. They care about a full belly, a dry bottom, quality sleep and endless amounts of love. Remember this.

MUST HAVES:

1. STORAGE. Think you might have ‘too much’ storage? Uhhm no. Toys multiply like rabbits. And don’t forget clothing storage. And do yourself another favor. LABEL storage containers. When your children become older, instill the joy of cleaning out their clothes and toys for donation. The younger you start this semi-annual event, the more you’ll be impressed with the generous spirit you’re molding.(This means you too, parents! Make it a weekend event and EVERYONE hoes out their closets for donation!)

2. Educational activities. Nope I’m not talking about those expensive trendy monthly pre-boxed activities that arrive by mail, or computer games. I’m talking about color, shape, artistic, spatial relations, digital-manipulation exercises! You are ONE trip to your local hardware store away from your very own ‘Busy Board’, sort-by-color activity, and color wheel activities!

3. Blackout or Room-Darkening CORDLESS shades. You do not want to put your sweet babe down for a mid-afternoon nap without one. You can wrestle all you want, trying to put a silk sleep mask on your precious angel, but it ain’t happening. (DON’T do this, I’m KIDDING!) Be sure to have cordless or motorized blackout shades in every nursery/children’s room. This way, you can darken the room at naptime. And YES, take nap with your wee one. I cannot encourage this enough. Naps are good. Cordless or motorized shades are a MUST. Imagine, lulling your baby to sleep in your great-grandmother’s rocking chair…and you can’t get up to lower the shades. AHA! Remote control shades. BOOM! You’re welcome.

Symphony Cordless Shades come in 2 different operating systems: traditional cordless and cordless top down bottom up, which means you can also lower the shade from the top for extra control of privacy and light. This particular shade is available in double-cell light-filtering, single cell light filtering, and in single cell blackout fabric. If you have any questions regarding child safety or your fabric options, reach out to a member of our design team today!

service@symphonyshades.com