Whether you have a large or small nursery, designing your perfect room is something most expectant parents look forward to. I certainly did and got a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and blogs. I’m about to design the nursery for our second baby, due in November. It’s a small room and I will be blogging about the process of creating a functional yet stylish nursery in a small space. But first here are some tips to make the most out of your space for your new arrival.

Small can be beautiful

Small spaces can work really well when you spare some thought for each piece of furniture and products you buy.  

SMALL COTS

If you don’t have a spare room for the nursery and you are using the corner of your bedroom for example, then choose furniture that can be multifunctional. Choose a small cot – the smallest standard cot on the market is 120 x 60.

CLEVER COTS

Some cots double as storage such as the Mokee Mini Cot having a drawer underneath, creating a simple storage solution for bedding and blankets, etc.

STORE HIGH

Shelving is essential in small spaces and particularly in nurseries where you don’t want to take up too much floor space. I found myself playing a lot with my son on the floor of his nursery before bedtime so keep storage high. Also, shelving above changing stations means you can have everything you need to hand.

GET ORGANISED

Think about what you need and where it needs to be stored. Do you need winter clothes in summer? Think seasonally and move unneeded items out of the nursery or into the loft.

CLEVER CHANGING STATIONS

Changing tables aren’t essential, in fact, I think they are pretty much a waste of money – a chest of drawers with a changing mat is perfectly fine. Mokee goes one better though with a top-cot changing mat that fits on top of the Mini Cot and can be easily stored away when not in use. There is also Mokee’s Pokee, the Cot organizer which straps to the side of the cot where you can store nappies, cream and wipes.

DON’T BE AFRAID OF COLOUR

In small spaces, it is easy to veer towards whites and light colours. But strong colours can actually make the space look bigger and lighter. Don’t be put off my patterns or wall stickers too.

Make the most of large nurseries

If you are lucky enough to have a large nursery for your newborn then make use of all of that space and make it more than a nursery!

A NURSERY FOR DAY AND NIGHT

You don’t want to spend all of your time in the nursery but you will be spending quite a bit of time in there, so make it somewhere the whole family can enjoy both day and night. In my son’s room, we have a large library shelving unit which he uses daily. If he wants to read a book, he’ll go up to his room and quietly read meaning his nursery is both somewhere he can sleep and relax. It’s nice to make the space relaxing with bean bags and cosy rugs so it can be an enjoyable space for everyone.

DON’T FILL IT

It could be tempting to fill it with a lot of furniture and decorations but from experience, it’s worth staying minimal. You’ll soon collect more and more items for the room as your baby grows up so allow some space.

DON’T LET IT SPREAD

With a large, two or even three-storey house it could be tempting to have baby stuff everywhere. With our son, we were in a three-storey house and I didn’t want baby stuff to take over and be in every room. Downstairs there was a storage basket with essential changing items such as nappies, muslins, wipes and creams meaning I wasn’t up and down the stairs all day long and the house still kept its identity and it wasn’t one big nursery.

KEEP BABY MOBILE

With a large house it could be helpful for baby to nap where you are- the kitchen or living room for example. A Moses basket is a great way to carry your baby around the house without disturbing them.

STYLISH STORAGE

With all of that space, it’s worth investing in some stylish storage.  Boxes and baskets have been a lifesaver for our nursery, keeping everything organised and it means it’s easy to move favourite toys into other rooms.

A cot is probably one of the first things you will buy when expecting your first baby and it’s one of the most important. When I was looking for our first cot I spent a lot of time on the internet trying to find one that wasn’t too pricey but would be a feature of the nursery and had style. Stumbled upon moKee Mini Cot and almost 3 years later my son is still loving it!

When searching for a cot I also came across Moses Baskets – but why do I need a moses basket if I have a cot I thought? Well, I wish I had bought one as with hindsight it would have made life a lot easier. So, here’s the low down of everything you need to know about cots and moses baskets.

Moses baskets are useful from the first day.  

You probably won’t put your newborn straight into the cot, unless the cot is with you in your room. Current NHS guidelines recommends keeping your baby in the same room as you in a separate cot for the first six months. For us we moved our son out of our room at around 12 weeks – we all slept better but for the first few weeks in our room he was in a travel cot. Now this is where a moses basket would have come in handy; they double as beds for day naps as well as sleeping at night - useful from Day 1.

Moses baskets can help your baby sleep better.

They are designed to make baby feel safe and because they are smaller than cots and most travel cots, they really do give babies the feeling of security. With high sides they are also designed to reduce noise. If babies are sleeping in the moses basket during the day and at night then they will become used to the basket which can only be a good thing and make for peaceful naps!

Moses basket means mobile baby!

Moses baskets can be carried around and being able to move baby from one room to another without disturbing their sleep means happy baby. They are also great for travelling and make overnight trips easier- there’s no bulky, heavy travel cots to lug around and assemble.

Keep baby high.

Some moses baskets have stands you can sit the basket on which makes it easier picking up baby at night. Stands are also good for elevating babies away from excitable, nosy pets!

Cots can last years (if you choose the right one).  

Most cots today can be used up until your child is 3 and some have a removable panel meaning the cot can be changed into a toddler bed.   Our Mokee cot has lasted for almost 3 years with our son and with a new mattress it will be changed back into a cot when the new baby arrives. Great value and less waste!

Moses baskets can be useful for storing other things than babies!

Once baby has grown out of the moses basket it can be turned into a cosy place for the cat to nap or a toy box. Mokee’s WoolNest is particularly cosy with it’s soft, natural wool felt material and I’m hoping baby number 2 will agree!

Any new parent will fret over how hot or too cold their newborn is. Even before baby arrives, parents are inundated with information at antenatal classes which explain how newborns cannot regulate their body temperature. It’s a constant worry during those first few months and I can remember checking the variety of thermometers in my son’s room and still wondering if he was too hot!

As the days get shorter and winter fast approaches, here at moKee we thought we would try and explain the universal TOG rating and how and why this is important for all parents to understand.

What is the TOG rating?

The tog is a measure of thermal resistance of a unit area, also known as thermal insulance. It is commonly used in the textile industry and is a European warmth rating and has nothing to do with weight; the higher the tog rating, the warmer the product.

How many TOGs should I use?