Nursery- Thoughts a year later- Furniture Painting Tips

It has been *almost* a year (sniff, sniff) that we have been using and enjoying our baby boy’s nursery. I thought it would be fun to check back in and share things that I have changed and what has worked and what hasn’t. Including painting his crib- how that has held up. When I designed Finn’s nursery I selected almost everything online. I get asked often how I dared to do that.

This are my tips for ordering pieces online-

• Look at what the product is made out of- is it a hard wood or plastic? Is the fabric a natural fiber or made of synthetic material.
• Read reviews! My husband teases me because I buy things and eat things based off of how many reviews there are on amazon or yelp. I trust what others say!
• Check measurements. Compare the lamp to one you already own. Or compare the seat height and seat depth of a chair or sofa to one you have.
• Google the item- look at different images there are out there to get a better view of the piece.

All that being said. We have really loved everything we got for the nursery. No negative reviews just a few tweaks.

What has worked in our Nursery

We really have loved THIS rocking chair. I didn’t have that high of expectations, because it is a tight back and tight seat (meaning no cushions) but it has been really comfortable. I like that I can sit cross legged in it. Having THIS leather ottoman also helps with the comfort of the chair- especially for all those feedings you do in the first year.

One thing that I did change was the side table. Originally I used a white table that I had from another room. It was really just too tall next to the chair (you can see the original table HERE). I just got THIS new side table that I was planning on using two of in our front room but decided to use one in here. I like that it is lower than the chair and the extra storage it offers for books.

Another thing I changed was I moved THESE hanging lights that were above his crib once he could stand up. I was worried he would pull them down or worse hurt himself. I really like them over by the changing table. They are the perfect accent light to turn on for those late night diaper changes.

I changed up the laundry basket to THIS thinner one. I like that it has handles and is perfect for small spaces. On the other side of his changing pad is THIS sound machine, it is perfectly hidden but can be heard. I didn’t use a sound machine with my girls, I was totally missing out. It is the one thing I think every mother should own.

Besides changing up the art a little above THIS daybed I switched up the bedding on the daybed. We have loved having the extra seating- it gets used a lot, not to mention we have used it for extra places to sleep when we have a lot of guests. I did have someone ask me if I plan on using this daybed as Finns bed when he gets older and I had not thought of that, but that is genius! I think I might.

The bedding I switched it to is THIS Beddy’s Bedding. It is perfect for a day bed. Before I just had a linen sheet because I couldn’t find something that worked until this. I have the same Beddy’s zip-up bedding just in white on my daughters beds. (You can use code NESTING15 for 15% off your Beddy’s order).

Lastly you might have noticed I removed the black rug that was under THIS cream rug. It just felt too busy with the new bedding I put on the daybed. It was also really hard to pull out the trundle under the daybed with the two rugs. So now we just have the one cream rug and it has held up great. I recenty took a wet cloth and scrubbed some spots and it cleaned up really easily. I highly recommend a no shoe policy on any cream rug. Other than those few changes we have loved this nursery.

My Top Tips for setting up a Nursery

• Blackout curtains are a must! Finn naps and sleeps so good, I think it has a lot to do with THESE.
• Have a box or basket in the closet or close by to put clothes in as soon as baby grows out of them to donate or giveaway.
• Decorate with what you have. Pull out those cute blankets and shoes using them to decorate the bookcase or shelves.
• Have one large cloth basket to store toys in that can squeeze in any area and hold those odd shaped toys.
• Buy two sets of sheets for the crib for those accidents you can put one right on when one gets dirty.
• Have two sets of changing pad covers for the changing table.
• A throw blanket over the rocking chair is a must for mom or dad to use- we think of blankets for baby but forget the ones rocking the little babe.
• Create extra spots for guests to sit- everyone wants to be where baby is!

I realized I never shared how we painted the crib. These tips would also work really great for painting any furniture in babies nursery. So here you go!

How to Paint a Crib

• We already had the Jenny Lund style crib in pink (you can buy in most any color HERE).
• The best way to paint the crib is to set it up in the nursery and lay sheets or something to protect your floor under the crib.
• We used Sherwin-Williams Emerald Paint in High Gloss Tricorn Black. We picked it because it meets the most stringent VOC regulations.
• Just a warning painting all those spindles takes hours and hours. And you will need to do two coats of paint.
• I highly suggest sealing the painted crib with THIS. I did a lot of research and that was the best sealer and safest. Make sure to give it time to cure and dry before putting your baby in it. This top coat will help to prevent chips when your baby decides to chew on the crib (because they will).

You can read my original nursery reveal post HERE

I shared Finn’s birth story HERE My Favorite baby products HERE

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