In the "Baby Stuff We ACTUALLY Use" series, I'm talking about things we use for Weston...in real life! When I was pregnant and searching for things online, people would always post about what they "should/could/may" theoretically use, but not what they actually tried-and-true used! So, these posts are all about what we 100% actually use in real life. All of the images and write ups you see are about the ACTUAL item I'm talking about. Remember, these are all my opinions and what works for Weston and us, so these things may not work for you--but, I remember being so confused when I was pregnant--so I thought maybe this would help give direction to any pregnant/new moms out there!
So, when it came to his bedroom, we decided early on on a Woodland theme. We sort of designed the theme around this rug from Ikea, but really...we just like raccoons...and music. So, his room is more like a Woodland Music theme. Anyway, we weren't into buying a matchy-matchy bedroom set, and we got a hand-me-down dry sink to use as a changing table, as well as going with a Pottery Barn chair, so we sort of just decided to fill the room with natural wood colors (someone at work was appalled we wouldn't do blue for a boy's room!), wooden toys, antique pieces (an antique toy chest from my grandmother), and a lot of musical instruments!
Now, initially I wasn't going to post about the crib, I mean...a crib is a really personal decision, as it's not only a safety issue, but an aesthetic issue also. But ultimately, I decided I did want to talk for a moment about his crib. See, we decided to buck beauty and go with utilitarian, but mostly for safety reasons. A lot of the cribs nowadays are made with glues, pressed fiberboard, and unsafe finishes. I pictured my little man chewing on his crib, ingesting the non-food grade finishes, or sleeping with fumes of glues, or formaldehyde emissions from the fake woods...and I couldn't do it. I'm pretty low-key about a lot of things, he can go eat dirt if he wants! But, chemicals, VOCs...? Nah, I chose to go with the safer, albeit, not cutsey crib. After a lot of research, we decided to go with the Pacific Rim Arts and Crafts crib, and we bought it from Goodnight Room NYC (they were great to work with!). It is solid maple, made with food-grade finish, and mortise and tenon joints throughout therefore not needing all the harsh glues. I love this crib! It is solid, safe, and looks beautiful...I also know it will stand the test of time, and be safe for all the children who sleep in it. I thought I was the only crazy mama to be concerned about this, but thanks to the world of blogs, I did see that other moms were just as concerned about the VOCs, fiberboard, and such! (PS. I also felt strongly about the crib mattress, as many of them are made with flame retardants, which are not so good for babies (or adults!) (nor did I want plastic near where he was sleeping!)--if I was going to spend the money on things for the baby, I didn't care about spending it on room decor or toys, I was going to allocate my money where it should be spent, in my opinion--on keeping him as safe as possible! We ended up going with this exact mattress.). PPS. Have you seen the documentary on flame retardants? I did, and it is scary!
NOTE: Our crib doesn't have drop sides (don't know why it does in this photo from Amazon), as all cribs now are not allowed to have drop sides!
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| Pictured: Crib, Carter's Pajamas, Skip Hop Mobile, Pottery Barn Kids' sheets |
As for sheets, we use the Pottery Barn Kids crib sheets. We registered for them and received a good amount--you'll need a bunch! They are soft and all of the designs are gorgeous. Not to mention, they're 100% cotton! They also wash really well. Which you will be doing. A lot. (PS. We don't have nor use the bumpers, just the sheets!)
We have the Skip Hop Treetop Friends mobile, to go with the woodland theme. It doesn't really do much to put him to sleep, at all, but when I have to put clothes away or run downstairs fast, it captures his attention.
When it came to the changing table, like I said, we inherited a hand made piece from my grandfather, and we love it. It's all natural wood, and a perfect size for a growing boy. Plus, it has great storage underneath! We got this organic changing pad, and canvas cover, as a gift from my in-laws when he was born. We love it. It's simple, safe, and he happens to love being changed on it. Seriously. It's weird. (I'll get into diapers, etc. in another post!)
As for clothing storage, we were lucky enough that his room had built ins! We use canvas bins to store and organize his clothes and toys.
This is the artwork we have for his room (which, we still need to hang!), and we have some artwork of birds made by my mother, as well as a wonderful gift of a print of his footprints made by Jenny.
We really didn't do much other decor. We have some old book-ends, I made some artwork using some fabric designed by Jenny, and we have the occasional blankie thrown on the chair. He also has a wooden rocking chair (small) and a wooden rocking horse we bought for $10 at a yard sale. His lamps were a gift from my dad, Pottery Barn Kids. Other than that, it's a pretty simple room. We repurposed an old Ikea side table for a book shelf/side table. It kind of just came together! It's a bright, sweet room, and that's all I care about.
Stay tuned for posts on: clothing, toys, medicines, diapering, bathing, feeding, washing...and more!
