Tag: nursery

Kiddo bedrooms and nursery Decor inspiration!

David Hayes Leave a comment

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!

These & SO MANY MORE IDEAS ON OUR PINTEREST BOARD
And what can be better than washable markers/crayons and a large cardboard box?! Brill.
All these are on our Pinterest Board!

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.

CORDLESS SHADES

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

Sleep is important. DUH.

Erin Moriarty Leave a comment
If the average night’s sleep is 8 hours, a person sleeps for 1/3rd of their life.
And let’s say, you live to be 75 yrs old, you’ll be cozy in bed, snoooozing for 25 years.
9,125 days.
An average of 25-33 yrs of our lives in bed. WOW!
SOOooo, making yourself and your bedroom as comfortable as possible is super duper important.
After your bed, your bedroom window treatments are the most important choice you’ll make.
ZealousFlawlessKakarikis-max-1mbLet’s get you sleeping sweetly!
Symphony  Blackout Shades have superior light-blocking fabric that we acquire from Comfortex.
Our Blackout Shades were specifically designed to help you enjoy the most restful night’s sleep.
I don’t know about you, but I am SO light sensitive. Sleep masks don’t work. Putting a pillow over my head, makes me feel like I’m suffocating; not sooo calming of a sleep environment.4GDY
And think about, sleep deprivation is used as torture. GAH!
Research has proven that sleeping in a dark, quiet room can help manage not only sleep, but also mood and energy. The results of a good night’s sleep include feeling more refreshed and alert.
To encourage a solid night’s sleep, other tips include: 
  • Reduce light(blue light) exposure in the evening Blue light, which electronic devices like ipads, smartphones and computers emit in HUGE amounts, is the worst for sleepy time. Say goodnight to your devices an hour before you hit the hay. I know, I know, but it’s a great habit to start. Your brain will thank us. Reducing light in the evening will have a major impact on your circadian rhythm. When you are exposed to massive amounts of light in the evening, that light is tricking your brain into thinking it is still daytime. EEK! It will actually reduce your natural hormone response of melatonin, which helps you relax, mellow out, chill, and get deep sleep.
  • Don’t drink or eat caffeine later in the day  We ALL love it. Some of us can admit to being addicted to that dark, rich seductress, coffee. giphyA single dose will enhance energy, focus, mood, and energy. Here comes the bummer news, when enjoyed later in the day, coffee, that dark addictive lord, (and other caffeinated products) stimulates your nervous system and stops your body from naturally relaxing at night. In one study, consuming caffeine up to 6 hours before bed,  significantly made people toss and turn! Your quality of sleep WILL plummet.
  • Create a solid sleep pattern you can stick to:
    We’ve already talked about your bod’s circadian rhythm functions . Well let’s get them on a schedule, people! Try aligning it with sunrise and sunset. (I know it sounds insane, but keep reading)
    Just be consistent with your sleep and waking times. Try it for just a week. Go to bed every night at ___pm. Set the alarm at the same time every morning ___am. This will get you cruising on a super highway of sound sleeping. Ya know, it’s been studied that after several weeks on a schedule, you may not even need an alarm. YIPPPIE!!!!!!
    giphy (1)
  •  Optimize your bedroom vibe:
    When I say vibe, I’m referring to the bedroom environment. Not too warm, not too cool. External lights, outside(or inside) noise factors, and furniture arrangement. Many MANY studies point out that external noise such as traffic, can cause poor sleep and long-term health issues. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP NOOOO!  A study on the bedroom environment of women, around 50% of volunteers, noticed improved sleep quality when noise and light was reduced. Seems obvious to us. Quiet, peaceful = sleepy time! Let’s get your bedroom environment cozy. Minimize external noise, light and artificial lights from devices like alarm clocks. Make sure your bedroom is a quiet, relaxing, clean, and enjoyable place where you want to be. That’s SUPER important.

Symphony Blackout Shades, with our exclusive sidetrack/energy saving system, blocks light from entering along the edges of blinds. The tops of our shades are sealed in by a fuzzy seal to block even MORE exterior light at the top of the shade. The sidetrack system is attached magnetically and is easy to pop off for cleaning the window treatments. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!CELL-305-SlumberShadeHand-NoFuzz

Ok so your quality of sleep will improve being in a nice, daaarrrrk bedroom. The energy saving/light blocking sidetracks are also energy efficient! WOOO HOOOOOOOOO! The tracks block air leaks as well as light. These window treatments have an R Value of almost 7.0 when installed over double-pane vinyl windows!
  • Standard Pull Cord
  • Standard Top Down Bottom Up
  • Smoothy Continuous Cord
  • Smoothy Top Down/Bottom up
Our blackout fabric comes in a variety of colors, and always with the neutral white facing the street. They are best suited for day sleepers, 3rd shifters,  baby rooms and home theater rooms, as well as office environments where presentations are made. Annnnd anyone that enjoys a GREAT afternoon nap. *wink*
Ok so, let’s get you sleeping! I WANNA HERE YOU SNOOOOOOOORE! https://symphonyshades.com/