Things to consider when decorating your baby's room: top tips to plan ahead.

When a new little person is arriving into your life, three important questions spring to mind: where should I put the baby, how much is it going to cost and will it look like me. If it is your first one, the challenge ahead is bigger: there are endless lists of what you "need" on the internet and friends and family also have boundless knowledge and suggestions - regardless of whether they have had a baby or not.
If you are at the stage where you are thinking of preparing a room for your little one here are some simple tips that may help.

Invest in good curtains. Your baby will be doing plenty of sleeping over the first stage of his life so it makes sense to invest in curtains that have a "black out" & fabric layer and a lighter layer. These are known as "double curtains" and are fitted in a double rail which provide the flexibility of giving your baby plenty of darkness shall they need it, whilst also allowing light to come through when they are awake. You may also want to invest in a new set of curtains for your own bedroom because you may want to relax during the day with your wee one in the comfort of your own bed. Make sure the curtain cords are not too long as they may end up in the baby's mouth once it starts crawling, which can be dangerous.

Make all electrical sockets baby proof. To achieve this, you needn't move the electrical sockets upwards, you just need to get baby proof protectors. A good website for baby safety gadgets is: http://www.safetots.co.uk/ you can find the electrical socket covers here.

Industrially clean your living spaces. Take some time and invest some cash in an industrial clean of floors and walls. This is particularly important if the baby's room is carpeted as when babies start crawling, they lick everything.

Keep the room's colour scheme simple. When choosing blankets, paint colours, rocking chairs, and other accessories try to stick to a neutral colour. Babies are attracted to bright objects during their first months of life and there will be plenty of greens, reds and yellows from toys, nappies, clothing motifs and all the presents that you will get from generous friends and relatives. If you're not careful, before long, you may end up with room full of contrasting, un-matching colours that resemble a box of crayons or even worse, a rainbow.

Choose the happy baby motifs carefully. Having just made the point of keeping it simple with accessories, there are certain infant motifs that can cheer up a room and create a welcoming and cozy environment. A good choice is fabric adorned with animals or playful motifs, which can be used for your curtains or to upholster a key piece of furniture. The left over fabric can be used to either make some matching cushions or even better, your matching nursing pillow!

Reuse and re-fit furniture. What furniture will give you the best value for money? Are you planning on investing in a super expensive baby changer or could you use an existing piece and customize it? Remember you could always spend the spare change on a thousand other items.

Get a rocking chair or rocking moses. Either will help with the important task of setting your baby to sleep and feeding!

And now the serious stuff - you will have a myriad of other expenses to consider prior to childbirth. Here are some tips to help you plan ahead:

Set an overall budget. This should include decorating the room plus all other costs including nursing/child minder fees.

Make a list of all items that need to be purchased. Itemize everything you need (excel works fine) and get a price comparison from three retailers. You will be amazed at how much prices vary from shop to shop.

Plan ahead for the sales. Instead of getting that gorgeous cardie, could you save some cash on bottles or other key ‘baby tools’ by waiting till the end of the January sales? Ask the retailers if they have special sales planned especially for baby stuff, or try to fish out information on when the best times of the year to shop are. Use the cute belly factor wherever possible!

Babies are not fashion oriented. Be clear about what you are buying in order to please yourself, your partner (or impress the neighbours for that matter) and what you are buying that you actually need! It is key to be strict and not get carried away by status anxiety. For example if you walk a lot a super good pram makes sense. If you drive a lot, then you can afford to be less picky. 

If you can, get a nurse. If it is your first baby, will you be treating yourself to a home nurse for the first few days? Childbirth is overwhelming as is a stay in hospital so perhaps there is room for this in the budget. Your partner is likely to be exhausted too (from all the celebrating and cigar smoking, if anything!).

And finally, our advice is to keep it simple and practical. Remember that you are likely to make a mess of the room with all the talc, nappies and what not. We have been having children as a species for eons and did so without zillions of gadgets. Also, in terms of cost there are the school fees to think of, and the new trainers and the pocket money and so on. You get the picture!