Preparing for a baby is an incredibly exciting time filled with a wide range of emotions. Although adding a new member to your family is a beautiful experience, it can also be an expensive one. Babies are small, but they require a lot of stuff. Thus, there’s an assortment of items to budget for, including clothes, strollers, car seats, diapers, etc. The list of essentials for a little one can seem endless.

Before your child’s arrival, you also need to set up a nursery. Designing a room from scratch can be an expensive endeavor, so you need to know how to create a beautiful space for less. Continue reading to learn about some helpful strategies for designing a nursery on a budget.

Buy a Convertible Crib

An easy way to save money when designing your nursery is to invest in a convertible crib. A convertible crib can transform into a toddler day bed and a full-size adult bed. Thus, your one-time purchase can potentially serve your child for decades. A convertible crib may cost more than a regular one, but the initial investment is worthwhile.

Keep in mind that some manufacturers include the necessary hardware and accessories for conversion, and others don’t. If you need to buy additional pieces, you should purchase them when you buy the crib.

Once you’re ready to transform the crib into a toddler day bed or the toddler day bed into a full-size bed, you don’t want to find out the manufacturer no longer carries the necessary parts.

Skip the Changing Table

You’re going to perform thousands of diaper changes throughout the first few years of your child’s life. Thus, you may think you need a dedicated changing table in your nursery. However, changing tables have limited use, so they’re often not worth the investment.

Instead, you can add a cushioned changing pad to the top of a dresser to create a multi-functional piece of furniture. Many changing pads have a safety harness and a contoured design to always keep your baby secure. Plus, when you use a dresser as your diaper-changing station, you have easy access to essential items, such as diapers, wipes, and diaper cream.

To make your nursery dollars stretch as far as possible, you should skip the traditional changing table and opt for a more budget-friendly alternative. Plus, once your baby starts to roll, you’ll probably feel more comfortable changing their diaper on the floor than on the changing table.

Avoid Baby Bedding

Many companies offer beautiful, expensive baby bedding. Although you may want to create a luxurious, cozy place for your infant to sleep, it’s actually dangerous. To ensure the safety of your child, you should avoid baby bedding. Plus, you’ll save money by skipping the pricey sets.

Although crib blankets, bumpers, and pillows are widely available, they can potentially suffocate your baby, so you should never have them in the crib. For safe sleep, your child needs only a firm mattress, a thin, waterproof mattress cover, and a fitted sheet. The fitted sheet should fit tightly over the mattress to avoid dangerous untucked corners. Since bathroom-related accidents are common during the first few years, you should have several changes of sheets.

If you live in a cold climate, you may be wondering how your child will stay warm while they’re sleeping. Invest in a safety-approved sleep sack or swaddle wrap to always keep your little one warm and cozy.

Use Paint

Another strategy for designing a nursery on a budget is to use paint to your advantage. You may want to create an elaborate wall treatment, but a gallon or two of inexpensive paint can work wonders. Plus, you can use paint in unexpected ways to create a big impact.

Have you ever considered painting the ceiling? This simple design choice packs a big punch. You can also use stencils to create a beautiful pattern on the wall or paint a mural if you’re artistically inclined. When choosing the perfect paint color for your nursery, you should pick a calming, neutral shade, such as gray, light blue, light green, or ivory. These colors promote relaxation and calmness, which can help your baby fall asleep.

Add Artwork

One of the easiest ways to increase the cuteness factor in a nursery is to add an array of artwork. Luckily, beautiful art is available at a variety of price points, so you can find pieces that fit your budget. If your nursery has a theme, do your best to find prints or paintings that match the overall aesthetic.

Although large-scale artwork can be out of your price range, you can fill the space by creating a gallery wall with smaller pieces. To add visual interest, choose pieces in an assortment of sizes and use a variety of frames.

If you’re having trouble finding the perfect artwork in stores, you can always search for an inexpensive digital download and print it yourself. Once you add a frame, no one will know it’s DIY artwork.

Use Existing Decor

You don’t need to completely reinvent the wheel when it comes to your baby’s nursery. In fact, the nursery should feel cohesive with the other rooms in your home. There’s no need to start from scratch and purchase every item brand-new. Instead, you can take stock of what you already own and incorporate those pieces throughout your child’s bedroom.

Using furniture or decorative items you already have will help you maintain a consistent style throughout your home. Plus, you’ll be able to save a significant amount of money by shopping your own inventory.

Incorporate Greenery

Adding a plant to your child’s nursery is another inexpensive way to make a big impact. Greenery provides a calming, homey feel. Plus, an indoor plant adds color to your space without a lot of effort.

Since having a baby doesn’t leave you with a lot of free time, you’ll want to make sure you choose a low-maintenance plant. Look for a variety that can thrive in any type of environment and doesn’t require a lot of water. Plus, when the room is no longer a nursery, you can move the plant elsewhere in your home.

Looking for even more ways to create the nursery of your dreams? At Simply Nursery, we offer beautiful and modern baby furniture sets designed to grow with your child. We make all our furniture with solid wood from renewable forests, so you can bring a piece of nature into your home. Our furniture is nontoxic, eco-friendly, and built to last. Browse our selection to find the perfect pieces for your little one’s room.