Decorating For Baby The Eco Friendly Way
Expecting a baby is a wonderful time. It can also be a stressful time, and one of the things you may want to consider when getting a little one off to the best start in life is to help them decorate for baby in an eco friendly way.
The best advice is to strive for healthy over your ideas of perfection. Babies are not going to remember most of the items they encountered before the age of 2 or so. Although baby may be in with you for the first few months in a Moses basket, they will eventually need their own space. There will be lots of expensive things, so check to see what you can up cycle from friends and family, charity shops and consignment shops.
The Room And Floor
This room will be one in which you and your infants will be spending some considerable time, so invest in a comfortable chair in which you’ll spend hours feeding, reading, and helping your offspring learn to enjoy life.Go for safe on the wall by using paints which can be washed down, but which are baby safe. Apply the same logic to buying the furniture you will need. Farrow & Ball were the first in the industry to move to entirely water based paints which are even safe enough to use on toys. Hardwood floors are the safest flooring for the baby’s room, and a switch to bamboo flooring will make it an even more eco friendly option. Though it may seem loud as the kids grow, it is easy to get the dust and dirt out. Combine an easy care floor with a natural fiber rug which can go into the wash for cleaning is pretty much all you’ll need. Rag rugs can be used to add color and texture as a feature on which many childhood memories can be made. If you have a creative bent or have friends who are, having one made by hand with love makes it all the more precious.The last room essentials are black out curtains, which can ensure that the room is as dark as possible. Just make sure your track is quiet too so that you don’t wake baby when closing them.
Essentials in the Room
Eventually, you will need a bed for baby. Again, this is an opportunity to upcycle one, and use a baby friendly paint if needed to refresh it. Organic options for cots and children’s beds are now readily available. Remember to get mattresses, carpets and other soft furnishings deep cleaned so that everyone can rest easy.A changing table which can keep everything you need to have at hand and out of reach of little fingers is another essential. If you can, ensure it has high enough edges to prevent items from falling off. Here is where you need to strive for pragmatic practicality. You will also need a bathroom sized swing in or pedal bin which closes tightly for those nappies too. If you already have one for the bathroom, just move it in with baby rather than buying new.Sleep routines also set the scene for getting a good night’s sleep, so develop one, including sounds and perhaps smells which become habits. From machines noises just after birth to relaxing nature sounds, the “white noise” will help the brain relax, aiding the drift into sleep. A few drops of essential lavender oil into bath water or into a mister or reed diffuser can also help signal that it is time to sleep as your eco friendly option over plug in and electronic diffusers.
On The Walls
Whilst you may want to keep your baby’s room calm, the walls can play a part too. Here is an area where you can really get creative, using pictures of the whole family to help young children remember those that love them daily. You may also want to consider pictures which will inspire them.Also invest in a child safe mirror, preferably one which is long enough vertically for them to see themselves on their own as well as when they are being held. Remember not to put it reflecting the door to them, or you may find they know when you are peeking in on them.
Other Useful Stuff for Decorating and Beyond
If you are doing your list of things you’d really like to have in your baby’s room, ask your friends and check online for the best baby picture books to read with them. Investing is a child level bookcase which will also store some of their toys is also a useful thing to prioritize. For bedding you may want to invest in some quick wash bedding, but for something special, there is nothing like a homemade quilted blanket for kids to enjoy. If any of your family or friends are feeling generous, they may gift you one made by hand. Whether you go for homemade or not, children love to have their own blanket to snuggle under.Expecting dads who want to enjoy splitting the parenting duties may want to consider getting bold and to put the Mama Breast or breast feeding vest on the list of essential. Although these are not strictly eco friendly, they do provide more opportunities for essential parental bonding, which in itself is important.
Baby Takeover Of Your Home
Many homes may look and feel like baby’s quickly take over the entire household. However, decorating for baby also means making it safe for the little one from the moment they are born through to the time they leave the nest. One essential to make your home safe is to block plugs and put child proof locks on cupboards so that little ones can’t get up to mischief. You will also want to use stair gates at both the top and bottom of the stairs. If you have animals, you may also want to put use that stair gate initially to ensure the baby’s room is off limits until they get used the changing family.Many essentials for getting through young life with a minimum of disruption, including a safe baby bath, potty, and feeding chair can be up cycled from friends, families and free cycle groups.The bottom line is that the most important start to your children’s life is to have parents and family who value them, spending time with them to help them discover their own purpose in life.
Taking Baby With You
A final word on staying eco friendly as you venture forth. The one item which should be a priority is a worthy car seat and or stroller, depending on your public transport options. If you cycle or run to your childcare, there are chariot options which will do double duty, and may be all you need.Becoming a good parent may take more work than you expect. Coping with persistent lack of sleep, a shortage of time, money or both can be very stressful. Do try to leave it at the door and make your home as stress free as possible. Establishing the emotional connection with your children, and your other relationships is more important than making everything perfect.Making eco friendly part of the family, could be one of the ties which binds you. Welcome life as you mean to go forth and engrain becoming eco friendly as second nature to your thinking.