Getting the Nursery Ready: A Calm, Practical Guide to Preparing for a New Baby

Getting ready for a new baby isn't just about buying more things. It's about creating space, simple systems and a home that feels calm before life gets a little busier.

Jo de Serrano OBE DUniv

4 min read

A cozy nursery with a white crib and armchair.
A cozy nursery with a white crib and armchair.

Last Updated: August 2026

Getting the Nursery Ready: A Calm, Practical Guide to Preparing for a New Baby

Key Takeaways

  • Preparing a nursery isn't just about buying baby things, it's about making space for a whole new way of living.

  • Starting early gives you time to organise without adding unnecessary stress in the final weeks of pregnancy.

  • Baby items rarely stay in the nursery, so it's worth thinking about storage throughout the house.

  • You don't need the "perfect" nursery before your baby arrives. A calm, practical space is far more important.

  • Creating simple systems before your baby arrives makes those first few months feel much more manageable.

Contents

  1. Why Preparing a Nursery Starts Before You Buy Anything

  2. Making Space Before the Baby Arrives

  3. Handling Gifts and Hand-Me-Downs

  4. Creating a Nursery That Grows With Your Baby

  5. What a Nursery Organising Session Looks Like

  6. FAQs

Why Preparing a Nursery Starts Before You Buy Anything

One of the most exciting parts of preparing for a new baby is choosing all the lovely new things from the cot, the tiny clothes and the blankets that somehow seem impossibly small. But one thing that often gets overlooked is making space for them.

Most families aren't starting with an empty room waiting to become a nursery. More often, it's a home office, a spare bedroom or the "dumping ground" room where everything has gradually ended up over the years.

So turning that room into a nursery isn't just about moving furniture... It's about deciding what stays, what needs a new home elsewhere and what has simply reached the end of its usefulness.

Starting that process early makes a huge difference, not because everything has to be perfect before your baby arrives, but because it's one less thing to think about later.

Making Space Before the Baby Arrives

Warning: baby things don't politely stay in the nursery. Before long, you'll probably have muslins in the living room, nappies in the downstairs loo, bottles in the kitchen and a changing mat in several locations across the house. All of that is completely normal.

So thinking about a few practical storage points around the house before your baby arrives often makes everyday life much easier than trying to find homes for everything once you're already sleep-deprived.

You really don't need elaborate storage systems, you just simply need things to be easy to find when you need them.

Handling Gifts and Hand-Me-Downs

Babies have a wonderful way of attracting wonderfully generous friends and family. Before you've even met your little one, you may already have bags of clothes, cuddly toys, blankets and baby equipment arriving at your door.

Which is all incredibly kind, but it can also be a little overwhelming. One thing I encourage parents to remember is that you're under no obligation to accept anything at all, let alone keep absolutely everything... Some items may not suit your space, and others may not fit your plans. That doesn't make you ungrateful, it simply means you're creating a home that works for your family. When offered hand-me-downs, get into the habit of saying no. I know that can be very difficult, but trust me, it will save you a lot of headaches in the future. Why store things you don't need or want, when there are plenty of others who might need them and a charity could also do with the money?

If you are accepting second-hand items, it's also worth checking current safety guidance for things like cots and car seats, as recommendations and product lifespans do change over time.

Creating a Nursery That Grows With Your Baby

One of the biggest pieces of reassurance I can offer is this... Your nursery doesn't need to be finished before your baby arrives. In fact, it probably won't be.

Babies grow incredibly quickly, and you'll naturally discover what works for your family as you settle into life together so rather than creating a room that's perfect for one particular stage, I always encourage parents to think about flexibility. So that can be simple storage, furniture that can adapt, and room to grow. Think IKEA extendable beds, for example.

Those things tend to serve families far better than trying to create the perfect nursery from day one.

What a Nursery Organising Session Looks Like

A nursery organising session usually starts before we even think about baby clothes or storage baskets. First, we look at what the room is currently being used for then we'll being to work through everything together, deciding what belongs elsewhere, what can be donated and what still has a place in your home.

I'm there to help you make decisions and create practical systems that make everyday life a little easier, and by the end, there will be a calm, welcoming space that's ready for real life with a new baby.

Becoming a parent comes with enough new things to think about so if I can make your home one less thing to worry about, then I've done my job.

FAQs

When should I start organising the nursery? I usually recommend starting around the beginning of your third trimester if you can. It gives you plenty of time without everything feeling like a last-minute rush.

What if the nursery is currently my home office or spare room? That's incredibly common. We'll first work out where those items are going to live before creating space for the nursery.

Is second-hand nursery furniture safe? Many second-hand items are absolutely fine, but it's always worth checking the latest safety guidance, particularly for cots and car seats.

How do I stop baby things taking over the whole house? Accept that some things naturally will and will be impossible to contain to one room. Even Marie Kondo had to reassess her home when she had kids. The key is creating a few practical storage points in the rooms you'll use most, rather than expecting everything to stay neatly in the nursery.

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