My First Nursery

When I first got pregnant with Diari, I was obsessed with nurseries because I spent all my time watching home shows and scrolling through Pinterest. I always knew that if I had a house, I would want to do a nursery. With Diari, we lived in an apartment so we weren’t able to do a nursery because we used the second bedroom as a guest room. Fast forward two years later, we found out we were pregnant just four days before we closed on our new house. All I could think about when I did my first walkthrough of the house was…are we having a girl nursery or a boy!? Shortly after our move, I got the opportunity to work with IKEA and it was a dream come true.

When IKEA first came to Indianapolis, I was so excited that I visited on the day of the Press Preview and even wrote a blog post about it. I could have never imagined that just a little over a year later, we’d be working together to make my nursery dreams a reality.  IKEA has something for everyone and it’s one of the best stores to get lost in. You can literally walk through IKEA and map out your whole house. When you walk into an IKEA store, you just want to take each room “as-is” and put it in your house. 

With my nursery, safety and organization were important factors and IKEA is huge on safety. In fact, IKEA has an impressive range of child safety products that I was able to add to my nursery. Throughout the process, I definitely got the sense that IKEA’s baby items are measured to a really high standard of safety. Whether you’re into minimalism, plants, textures, or bright colors, you can find furniture, decorations, organization tools, and accessories for your style. 

The Process

Before I went to the actual IKEA store, I took pictures of the bedroom I wanted to use for the nursery as well as the measurements to help visualize the space that we have to work with. I highly recommend you do that when you’re working on a room in your house. IKEA has so many different styles to choose from and it can be overwhelming, but their team members are always there to answer any questions and point you in the right direction. There were certain key items that I wanted in my nursery. For example, it was important to me to have a white crib, and a mirror was a must to be able to capture certain mommy moments and baby selfies! I also wanted a nursery chair and a book nook with wall shelving.  

One thing that I loved was that IKEA has room sets that show what is possible. They can help with space planning in rooms like kitchens, closets, and bathrooms. You can jump on a computer and play with the layout or you can ask one of the IKEA “yellow shirts” to help you. This can be really helpful when you have a blank canvas and you didn’t study interior design (like most of us) lol. IKEA helped me schedule delivery and assembly, which were both really smooth. This is a small cost compared to having me pick everything up and fit it into my car. They also assembled it in the room and made sure everything was safely secured to the walls. They literally took care of everything. The whole process was so hassle-free, I’m planning to do it all over again for the rest of the house! 

Bonus tips: There’s a ton of options for shopping at IKEA. You can go in-store, but you can also browse and shop online. You have the choice to request delivery like I did or you can just order everything to the store and go pick up the items when they’re ready, it’s called “Click and Collect.” If you’re handy enough to put it all together, IKEA pieces are pretty easy to build with simple instructions, but if you’re like me, you can just request the help of the assembly team, TaskRabbit. This far into my pregnancy, I am no longer walking – I’m basically waddling, so it was great to know that I have this option! In the end, I opted out of online order and pickup because, despite the fact that I’m pregnant, I’m a busy-body and I love to be involved in the process. 

Warning: You will never want to leave IKEA. There’s even a restaurant and if you haven’t heard about their Swedish meatballs, you’re missing out. Seriously, I highly recommend getting lost in an IKEA at least a few times in your life. It’s an adventure! 

My IKEA® Nursery

Looks

I love the minimalistic vibe! The KALLAX storage can be used for storage and seating thanks to the cushions (80 lb limit). Also, the SOLGUL crib is simple with a modern look thanks to the white color. 

I love the hints of pink, like the carpet, the throw, and the blinds, that frame the room but are not overwhelming. 

I love the seating area and bookshelves, which will allow me to easily pull a book and read to Diari and the baby in the comfort of the chair with my feet up. The STRANDMON chair and ottoman are exactly what I wanted for the reading nook. 

The SOLGUL changing table and the RASKOG organizational cart are every mom’s dreams. The changing table has a lot of space to store and organize the baby’s item. The cart is great for diaper and shower needs because it has wheels so I can push it from the nursery to the bathroom and back.

Safety

All the items that are hanging, such as the STOCKHOLM mirror, are secured so well, it makes me feel so much better about having hanging decorations in the room. More importantly, even furniture items that can fall on the babies (the KALLAX storage, play kitchens, dressers, etc.) have a hook on the back that requires you to secure them to the wall. Isn’t that amazing?! 

The IKEA team made it clear that they NEVER recommend putting any images over the crib to avoid any accidents.

All the outlets are covered with IKEA childproof outlet covers, and the team got me enough to use for Diari’s room too!

Highlights

The dresser and mirror area is one of my favorites. I get to use the dresser for storage but that gorgeous mirror will be the perfect photo op for so many little moments! I love the small finishing pieces such as the plant, the FADO pink illuminating lamp, and the SNIDAD basket. The whole room has such a serene vibe and it’s currently my favorite room in the house!

New Baby, New Nursery

My family and I are so excited to welcome our new little girl into her new IKEA nursery. This whole experience was a dream come true. Not only did I get the nursery of my dreams, but I also got the awesome opportunity to work with IKEA for a smooth, satisfying, and affordable process. As a pregnant mom in her third trimester, there is nothing better than being able to say, “I want this…this…and this,” and watching my dream turn to reality. The only thing I lifted throughout this whole process was my finger to point out what I wanted!

Have you ever been to IKEA? If not, what are you waiting for?! What are some of your favorite IKEA products?

               In Partnership with IKEA USA! All views are my own.