Planning Baby’s Room: Your Ultimate Nursery Essentials Checklist

The crib is the focal point of baby’s room—Matyas calls it the “visual anchor”—so it’s a great first piece of furniture to choose. And Press is a big fan of Babyletto cribs. “They're stylish without breaking the bank,” she says. And I can vouch for it—my family has used the Babyletto Hudson 3-in-1 for years, converting it into a toddler bed and back with each child. It’s held up beautifully over seven years, with only a few scratches and dings. The crib has four adjustable mattress heights, which is handy for getting baby in and out without wrecking your back. It’s also GreenGuard Gold certified to support good indoor air quality, and comes in a slew of colors and finishes, so you can really build the look of your room around it.

A firm mattress is a must for safe sleep. Parents in our research rave about the Newton Baby mattress, which has a firm-but-airy core that’s designed to support airflow to lower the risk of suffocation. (Of course, as Fisher stresses, you still need to follow safe sleep practices—no mattress core is a substitute for keeping the crib free of other objects.)

And while firmness is important, it’s not the only thing you have to worry about. Babies have a tendency to make a mess in their sleep—the dreaded nighttime blowout is going to happen—so you want a mattress that’s easy to clean. Like a lot of crib mattresses, the Newton Baby has a removable, machine washable cover. But unlike other mattresses, the Newton Baby is 100% washable. The inner cover can be spot cleaned, and even the core can be washed in the shower or with a hose.

I have a stack of crib sheets in my linen closet, but this Burt’s Bees option is the one I consistently reach for. It’s soft, GOTS-certified and made from 100 percent organic cotton. It also works well against my daughter’s sensitive skin—a fact I’ve seen other parents mention several times in the parent groups. The elastic is strong, and does a nice job of hugging the corners of my daughter’s mattress. Once it’s on, the surface is nice and smooth—I’ve never felt like the corners would pop up or the fabric would get bunched. We’ve had these sheets for over a year, and they’ve held up beautifully under near-weekly use.

The right blackout shades can make all the difference between baby taking a much-needed nap and an over-tired afternoon tantrum. “Opt for blackout roman shades to control natural light and help support consistent sleep schedules,” Matyas says. “They add a tailored, elevated look to the space while keeping the room dark for naps and early bedtimes.” These curtains from Target’s Pillowfort line offer the elegant pleats of a roman shade at a relatively affordable price.

Blanka, a first-time mom in Texas, also recommends having a glider, "especially if you are planning to nurse.” But one of the problems parents run into when they shop for a recliner is that they can be so expensive. And while this type of furniture is never going to be cheap, the DaVinci Suzy Recliner and Swivel Glider rings up for notably less expensive than many of its competitors. Our product tester Audrey found that the upholstery is soft and stain-resistant—spilled formula wiped-up easily and didn’t leave a mark. This chair has a quiet gliding motion and swivels 270 degrees, giving you plenty of options for gentle movement to lull baby to sleep.

A side table can seem like an afterthought, but you’ll be glad you made the investment when you need someplace to stash your stuff while tending to your little one. I like this Lumi side table for its soft, kid-friendly design (no sharp edges here!) and hidden storage that little ones can’t easily access. While your newborn is unlikely to try to open drawers, they tend to be toddler magnets. As your child becomes mobile, your appreciation for this table and its smart design will only grow.

Price recommends looking for a diaper caddy made from a hard material like acrylic, for one simple reason: It cleans easily. If your caddy happens to get messy (and they almost always do at some point), simply wipe it down with all-purpose cleaner or scrub it in the sink.

This option from OXO Tot has plenty of storage space to keep you well organized, and can be easily toted from room to room thanks to the moveable handle. The included changing mat is a nice bonus too (a mat you can roll up and stick in your diaper bag is great for on-the-go changes), although you’ll probably want something more secure for your dedicated diaper station.

The Secure Grip Changing Pad from Munchkin is designed with safety in mind, from the non-slip rubber grips on all four corners, to the contoured edges to block accidental roll-offs, to the buckled safety strap that keeps your little one in place. What’s more, our product tester Erin loved this changing pad—she had high praise for the removable, machine-washable cover (which she described as “super soft”) as well as the safety features. Erin tells us, “[It] stayed put while we changed our daughter, so our hands were free to focus on her and not a wiggling changing pad.”

A good diaper pail is a must for keeping odors at bay. Ubbi’s steel diaper pail is a Bump favorite for its ability to balance function and fashion while keeping diapers out of view. It also comes recommended by Matyas, who calls it a “design-minded choice” thanks to its neutral finishes. I’ve used my Ubbi for years and appreciate its sleek look and space-saving construction. But one of my favorite perks is that you can use regular trash bags inside this, ultimately saving you money that you would have spent on specialized bags.

As you’ve probably noticed, our experts are big on dual-purpose furniture. But which one to choose? Meaghan, a first-time mom in New Jersey, raves about the Storkcraft dresser that she chose for her child’s nursery (with a Keekaroo Baby Changer mat on top). “It’s the perfect length for the wall I placed it against and has six large, deep drawers with plenty of storage,” she says. “I actually still have two drawers I haven’t filled yet, so it’s been such a great pick for maximizing space.” The scalloped base creates a fun vibe too, and it comes in five different finishes.

If you wind up with extra space like Meaghan did, Maytas suggests using a drawer for overflow of your diapering essentials like diapers, wipes and creams. You can keep a few of each on top of the dresser in your caddy, and the rest within easy reach if you forget to refill.

The Lovevery Montessori Playshelf has been a buzzy accessory in the parenting groups for years. Alyssa, a mom of two, acknowledges that when she bought this shelf it was a bit of a splurge. “And honestly,” she says, “it’s been worth it. I wanted something that looked nice but was still super functional.” She especially liked the hidden storage in the back—she tells us, “I can tuck toys away and rotate them every so often.” Made from 100 percent birchwood, this shelf is sturdy enough to last for years. Even better: It’s not an obvious piece of “baby” furniture, so you can repurpose it later.

Meaghan included a House of Noa play mat in her daughter’s nursery “to make the room feel inviting and functional at her level.” And we can vouch for the performance—our product tester Niki found this mat to be very heavy-duty and high quality. She said it was firm, but well-cushioned, with a versatile, rug-like design that can be used nearly anywhere in your home. Interlocking tiles make it easy to fit the mat to your space, and when I’ve used this mat, I’ve found it to have a nice, comfortable feel for babies and adults alike. And it’s perfect for tummy time, too.

Of course there’s no one toy you should buy for your child—in fact, you’ll be buying plenty of them over the course of the coming year. And newborn babies aren’t exactly interactive for the first couple months, so your first toys will be as much about decorating the room as anything else. That being said, the Melissa & Doug Stacking Train is practically an institution, thanks to its classic design and durable build. I have one that we got when my oldest child was born, and it’s held up beautifully through three more kids. The train offers different blocks kids can stack and play with separately, and it can be pushed or pulled. When play time is over, you can simply display it on a shelf or tuck it away.

My husband and I got these after my oldest child discovered he loved pulling out the outlet covers we used to use. Thankfully these models have a unique design with a hidden pull-tab that’s tricky for kids to figure out, keeping them firmly in place. The covers also blend in well with existing outlets, so they don’t create an eyesore. I have these all over my house and love them. The bargain price is a nice perk, too.

The Nanit Pro is a massively popular baby monitor—when we surveyed our readership and asked about their monitor of choice, a full 20 percent of parents said they rely on it to keep tabs on their little one. What’s more, our product tester Janelle used the Nanit Pro over the course of seven months, and found that it has top-tier video and audio performance. “The camera and audio quality are excellent,” she says. “It picks up background sounds from other rooms and even the sound machine. We can clearly hear and see our baby day or night, including details like her eyes.” This performance, coupled with impressive sleep tracking and smart insights, earned the Nanit Pro a Best of The Bump award for best WiFi baby monitor two years in a row.

As an added bonus: Fisher recommends keeping tabs on the temperature in your baby’s room to make sure it’s not too hot or cold, and the Nanit monitor has a built-in thermometer to make this easy.