Little girl’s nursery – Location inspiration!

Since September is the most common month to have a baby, that means many near due baby bumps are living loud and proud right about now. It also means that many mammas have the “decorate nursery” bullet on their to do list nagging them constantly. Knowing where to begin can be the hardest part, and for you here’s some inspiration for little girls rooms (one if my own) where geography inspired the design direction. 

Now let’s be honest, when you’re planning your baby’s nursery you don’t know what that kid’s personality, aspirations and interest will be so the room will instead reflect that of your own. Once you have an idea in mind think about what natural elements, imagery and animals you can include – then don’t overdo it. You can still have a big theme but let it live tastefully in the room. 

Pink mountains location inspiration baby girl nursery decor

This first space belongs to parents with a boatload of Canadian Pride, they are avid skiers and love the mountains. They loved the Canadiana concept, though they felt it to be a bit masculine and wanted a sweet girly quality to be reflected. 

The mountain theme is bold in with the wall motif but I like that it’s not overdone. Otherwise the décor is fairly simple with some sweet framed prints on the walls, stuffed bears and deer throughout and (my personal favorite) the subtle white rug that represents the snow. It’s just the right amount of mountain reference and visual balance having the bold accents paired with simple white walls and furniture.

decor accents
pops of pink baby girl nursery decor

The second room (and sorry in advance, I may be biased cause it’s my daughters nursery) is inspired from the opposite side of the world with a safari theme. My husband and I are (or we’re, pre baby) big travelers and it was important to us that we encourage life outside these walls for our little one. This was planned as a gender neutral room so the pop of color comes in the yellow. 

neutral nursery for baby girl

Again, you’ll notice that I did not want to overstate the theme. Aside from some stuffed animals and one image on the wall natural materials and texture are the driving force here. Continuity is achieved here with white, wicker or a walnut stained furniture. The back wall is cut MDF in a herringbone pattern painted white (which FYI was low cost but labor intensive). 

neutral nursery accents baby girl

Much like everything in life it’s all about balance! You want white, but not too white. Themed but not too themed. My take is don’t be afraid to make the statement you want, but be sure to counterweight that with natural materials and neutral tones. 

Happy nesting mamas.

Lara Young is the Principal of Lara Young Design, and also a new mom. Like many of us Lara is trying to find that quintessential work/life balance. Being her own boss is bringing Lara one-step closer to her dream. You can read Lara’s full bio, or contact her to help with your next design project here.

The Biggest Piece Of Advice I Give To Parents Expecting Twins

Sarah Martin Photography018

When it comes to advising parents expecting twins, there are the obvious bits of advice that I give every mom or dad, such as get lots of help. But the most important piece of advice I give to new parents of twins is, think about the logistics ahead of time.

Recently, I had dinner with a lovely group of local twin moms. Beside me, sat a pregnant twin-mama-to-be with her 35 week baby bump. After chatting with her, I turned and said, “have you thought about the logistics?” “What do you mean?” She asked. “Well, for example, where will you be nursing your babies during the night?” I asked. “I have a glider in the nursery.” She hesitantly told me with a look of clarity spreading across her face, realizing a glider may not cut it.

This spurred on a conversation about tandem nursing, and although she had nursed her older child successfully, she assumed she wouldn’t be able to tandem nurse without help. I explained to her that it is very possible, it just requires some planning ahead of time.

A great way to approach the logistics conundrum with twins, is to do a walk through of your home. Think of it a dress rehearsal.

Start in your kitchen. If you are wanting to cook a meal, and say, you have a dog or other children in your home, where will you be putting your twins? You may want to think about having two reclining high chairs or two swings nearby.IMG_1509Then, walk into your family room, or wherever your TV is. Do you think you will be marching upstairs each time you need to change a diaper? Living out of your diaper bag won’t be that practical if you are having to restock it constantly with all of the diapers you are going through with your twins. Maybe setting up a second change table in this room would make your life a lot easier.The Second Change Table

Now head towards your door. What is your exit strategy? Will you carry both carseats at once? Once your babies grow out of their carseats, and are on the move, will you need something to hold each of your babies, while you take one at a time out to your car? Maybe having a couple bouncy chairs there, or using your high chairs that are on wheels might work best for you.Toy straps

Lastly, walk into your babies’ nursery. Will you be nursing your babies in this room? Do you think having a sofa instead of a glider might work best? What about storage? A lot more stuff comes with twins. Maybe adding a couple of large decorative bins in the room to be able to quickly throw stuff into would make tidy-up a lot faster.Twin's nursery - storage

I have been asked a lot, “how much do I need of everything?” The answer is a little different for each person. Factors including, pets, older children, type of home and size of home all impact what and how much you will need. This is why I recommend doing a walk through and really thinking about each scenario while you are still pregnant. Try to think of ways that will make every task a lot easier.

Let me know how you have solved your twin logistical problems in the comments section below.

Don’t forget to LIKE Nesting Story on Facebook and FOLLOW Nesting Story on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!

The black and white photo at the top is by Sarah Martin Photography.

Twin Nursery Tour and Tandem Feeding Video Tutorial – How To Master Night Feedings Without Help

Sarah Martin Photography016Sleep, eat, change, repeat… life with a newborn. Now try two.

Sarah Martin Photography013When I started to plan our twin’s nursery the first thing I did was research.  Aside from wanting a beautiful, serene and airy nursery I mostly wanted a practical space to enjoy night feedings and have that intimate one on one time with our girls.  I scoured twin websites, blogs, books and YouTube researching how you can manage two babies at once.  I had always prided myself on being very independent during night feedings when we had each of our older kids.  Not that my husband Mike wouldn’t get up, I didn’t want him to.  I like to be able to handle night feedings on my own.  That way my help is well rested and more useful during the day!  I tried to picture what nights would be like with twins, and the image in my mind was horrifying.  I knew I wanted to be able to feed both girls at once to cut down on time as much as possible and figuring out how to do this meant figuring out how to tandem feed, where to put both babies within arms reach and how to move each to the breast. Sarah Martin Photography014 You would think looking back on my first few weeks with twins would stir up feelings of trauma and the things nightmares are made of.  Instead I look back and those first weeks of getting up during the night with our girls as some of the most precious first memories.

Sarah Martin Photography008

All of my research paid off and I was able to master night feedings on day one at home.  I took the time and used the help given to me by my incredible team of nurses to perfect tandem feeding while spending four days in the hospital after Mia and Everly were born.  Keep in mind I had nursed two babies before our twins so I wasn’t having to learn how to nurse as well.  Be patient with yourself if these are your first babies.  It will come, it just takes time.

Sarah Martin Photography012

I am really excited about our nursery tour and tandem feeding tutorial because I had a very hard time finding detailed information on how to design a practical and functional twin nursery that supports tandem feeding while I was pregnant. This video is about the logistics of how to move both babies from cribs to feeding and back.  I know, I know my acting is incredible!  You can have your people contact my people for acting gigs…. ha!  I promise you I am not a robot.  Here it is: Mia and Everly’s nursery…

Photography by Sarah Martin Photography.  I will be blogging shorty about tips and tricks of how to decorate a nursery.  Stay tuned and don’t forget to subscribe to Nesting Story and follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!

4 Creative Storage Ideas for your Child’s Room or Nursery

I was recently perusing Project Nursery, one of my favourite websites for nursery ideas and came across these creative and unique storage ideas.  From peg boards to shelves doubling as whimsical swings; these original and practical ideas will surely get your creative juices flowing!

10020

project nursery hudson creative storageProject nursery roman's nursery10022

 

Check out Nesting Story’s small storage solutions here!