Preparing For Your New Baby!
(Part 2)

Furnishing Your Nursery

Are your rugs safe? Not only should your rugs be steam cleaned to remove any allergens, pet hair or viruses, you should also make sure that they have a skid free backing so that nobody is in danger of slipping while holding the baby. Kidscarpet.com has a great selection of these kinds of carpets.

A bassinet or cradle. Usually made of wicker or wood, these smaller cradles are used for rocking or playing with your baby. Ablebaby.com has some gorgeous ones including:

* The fluffy pink ruffled Graco Heirloom Bassinet

* The hooded white Ultra Lite Vibe Rocking Bassinet

* The Eddie Bauer "B is for Bed" maple rocking Bassinet

A crib. This is a larger bed for your baby that has high bars and a real mattress. Buy a strong durable one that can be used as a place for your baby to sleep until he or she is three or four years old. Here are some online sources that can help you decide what kind of crib is best for you.

* A charming classic white crib with simple round spindles can be seen at Ablebaby.com.

* The Altea Baby company makes a beautiful stylized maple crib that can be viewed at Babyuniverse.com

* Jenny Lind also makes a very ornate wooden crib with knobby spindles You can also see this one at Babyuniverse.com


Crib mattress. Just about every mattress company in the word makes a crib mattress and a pad that will fit a baby crib. Ones you might want to check out at Ablebaby.com are:

* The Pediatric 1000 Crib Mattress

* The Cradletyme Deluxe Mattress

* The Baby Dri Crib mattress

* The Ultimate Mattress which is mattress and crib pad in one.


Crib Pads. Crib Pads are used to prevent your mattress from staining. Here are some popular brands.

* The Sealy Stain Crib Protection Mattress Pad (at Ablebaby.com)

* The Quilted Mattress Pad (at Amazon.com)

* The Areo Sleep System that is a pad and snap on sheet in one (at Babyuniverse.com)


A baby blanket. The baby blanket is what replaces your embrace when you are not around. The following companies make some gorgeous ones.

* Comfort Silkie makes colorful "Security Blankets" that look like home made quits.

* The lavender satin Cuddle Bee blanket

* The Classic "Pooh" Throw Blanket

* The Koala Baby Blue Clouds Fleece Blanket


You can find these and more at Ablebaby.com


Nursery Bright is a fantastic company that sells everything you need for baby's nursery in popular pastel colors including sheer and heavy drapes for your nursery windows.


Changing Table. You might have been planning to change your baby in the crib, but believe me this item makes a new mother's life much easier. Many of them come with built in organizers for baby supplies as well as side pockets for storing extra diapers, baby wipes and other essentials. Try to choose one with a safety belt that secures baby on the table to prevent accidents. Changing tables come in all kinds of different styles. The following ones can be viewed at Ablebaby.com

* The freestanding Leonardo Changing table with wooden spindles.

* The Jenny Lind Maple Changing table which is intended to lean against a wall.

* Annabel's Changer which is baby blue and supported by a chest of drawers.

* Leipold's gorgeous circular wicker changing table.


Diaper Pail. Get yourself a nice big plastic diaper pail with a lid on it. Don't get a metal one - they rust! This is where you will be discarding "used" diapers. Place it right next to your changing table to make life easy.


An organizer for baby supplies. This can be a chest of plastic drawers or an elegant hutch depending on your budget. One solution is to go to a hardware store and buy a plastic tool chest organizer! This is where you will keep all those stray necessities such as:

* Q tips,

* safety pins

* baby wipes

* baby oil

* Kleenex

* diaper rash ointment

* Vaseline

* thermometers

* spare nipple caps

* pacifiers

* cloths for burping baby


Chest of Drawers. This is where you will store baby's clothes.


Baby Monitor. A baby monitor is like a walky talky that allows you to hear your baby's movements in the crib while you are elsewhere in the house. Popular brands are:

* The Baby Call Nursery Monitor.

* The Clear and Near Monitor.

* The Crystal Clear Monitor.

* The Sweet Dreams Monitor.

All of these can be viewed at Ablebaby.com


A Mobile. A mobile hanging over the crib keeps baby amused at night and perhaps will buy you a few extra hours sleep before feeding time. You can purchase these at any toy store or at Babiesrus.com


A Humidifier or Vaporizer. If you live in a dry climate you might consider buying one of these to keep baby's breathing passages open and clear. One that is designed especially for nurseries is Hamilton Beaches True Air Cool Mist Humidifier which you can find at Babiesrus.com


An Air Cleaner. Air cleaners are expensive but they might be worth the investment as most of them remove almost 100% of viruses, allergens and other pollutants in the air. This leaves your baby less vulnerable to illness. Three good ones that are designed especially for nurseries are:

* The Hamilton Beach Air cleaner (Allergybuyers.com)

* Bebe Sounds Air Cleaner (Babysupermall.com)

* Honeywell Compact Air Cleaner (Comforthouse.com)


A night light. This is so mom does not have to stumble around in the dark late at night while attending to a cry in the middle of the night.


Curtains. You should outfit your nursery windows with two types of curtains: sheers that can be pulled across during the day to keep glaring sunlight out of the nursery and heavier drapes that can be pulled shut to keep the room dark during baby's nap time.


A Rocker for Mom. This one is for you and baby! An old wooden rocker is the perfect place for mom to sit while nursing baby.

Click here for Part 3 and learn more about Essentials for bath time, Baby feeding items and other Must Haves!