Cute Ways to Set Up an Apartment Nursery

Room Renovations

• Apartments often have rooms so small they seem useless, but even tiny rooms may be converted into a nursery. Instead of a conventional changing table, install a drop-down board that can be flattened against the wall when not in use. If there is no room for a dresser, hang shoe storage bags on the wall to hold diapers and clothing. Paint a stepladder with wide steps in a primary color and use it to hold baby powder, lotions and wipes. Instead of a table lamp, place a tall lamp in a corner or install an overhead fixture and use a dimmer switch to keep the light low while the baby is sleeping.

Privacy Options

• If your apartment is too small for the baby to have a separate nursery, you can turn your bedroom into a bedroom-nursery combination. Sectional screens that fold up when not in use create instant "walls" between the bedroom area and the area where the bassinet or crib is placed, creating a secure, private place for the baby to sleep. To make the screens more nursery-friendly, buy blank screens and decorate them with decals of nursery rhyme characters, rainbows, balloons or other brightly colored designs to stimulate the baby’s senses.

Reflections

• Cover a portion of a wall facing the crib or bassinet with mirrored tiles. This not only makes small rooms appear larger, but the baby can amuse herself with her own reflection as she grows older. Hang crystals from the ceiling well away from the crib to create shadows and flickering effects in the room.

Moveable Decor

• Nurseries in the same room as the master bedroom can make the area feel cramped. Instead of conventional nursery furniture, buy styles designed for travel that fold up for compact storage in a nearby closet. Items in this category include changing tables, portable rockers and sliders, cribs and feeding stations.

Fun Flourishes

• Hang a long vertical picture frame with 12 slots for pictures on the nursery wall. Take a picture of the baby every month to track how her appearance changes during the first year. Decorate the walls with large, brightly colored letters and numbers to familiarize the child with the alphabet and learn how to identify colors.