Furniture, toys elemental part of nursery
A couple expecting a child might be looking to a bright future for their offspring, but when it comes to decorating a nursery, they need to think more about the future of the furniture they are buying.
Chad Beatty, the owner of JM Beatty Furniture, 2780 Oneida Valley Road, Parker, said parents need to take the long view when it comes to nursery furniture.
“The first thing I would do is buy for tomorrow, not today. Get a chest or a set of drawers or a nightstand that they can grow into,” he said. “That way you don’t have to buy new furniture.”
“I wouldn’t purchase nursery furniture because in a short time, less than five years, you’re going to be selling it for half of what you paid for it,” he said.
Hesitate before buying furniture in bold colors or covered in cartoon or nursery rhyme characters.
“They don’t stay small very long. There’s a lot of really neat cartoon characters, but they (children) grow out of that real fast,” Beatty said. And then the parents are stuck with furniture covered in characters or in a color that will be hard to match with the walls or other pieces.
He recommended parents buy a dresser, chest and nightstand in black or white. He added that while it’s important to get a safe crib, getting a good mattress for it is better investment than the crib itself which will soon be outgrown by its occupant.
Also, Beatty said he wouldn’t recommend buying a changing table when the top of a dresser is just as efficient for changing a baby.
“You’ll be a lot better off than buying a changing table. Save that money because they grow so fast,” said Beatty.
He recommended that parents invest in a La-Z-Boy leather-covered recliner/rocker for Mom’s late night or early morning feeding sessions.
“Leather has cleanability and durability, and once the baby gets a little older you can move the recliner into the tv room or living room,” said Beatty.
He said a good dresser or nightstand should last at least 20 years.
By that time, the child is off to college and out of the house and empty-nester Mom and Dad can redecorate the nursery any way they like.
Randy Risch, the owner of Saxony House Furniture with three locations in Sarver, Worthington and Grove City, said while his stores are packed full of furniture, he’s gotten out of the baby furniture business.
“What happened is your department stores, your Penney’s, your Targets, they started selling inexpensive cribs and changing tables,” said Risch.
“We do carry children’s furniture. We carry youth and children’s bedroom sets, dressers, chests,” he added.
Children’s furniture is scaled smaller. While an adult dresser is anywhere from 60 to 72 inches wide, a children’s dresser is 30 to 50 inches wide.
“It’s scaled smaller because often the children’s bedroom is the smallest one in the house, according to Risch.
Once the nursery is furnished, it’s time to give a thought as to what sort of toys would both add to the decor and provide stimulation to the young minds.
Nadine Shingleton, the owner of Playthings Etc., 2483 William Flinn Highway, has some ideas.
“One of the first things I thought of, we have a water mat you put on the floor,” she said. “If the child is just laying on their stomach or crawling, they can pat it and watch the things move around inside. It’s good for tracking.”
Shingleton also recommended blocks that double as both decorations and playthings. The huge 8-inch cube blocks imprinted with ABC and 123, she said, come in bright colors such as blue, red and green.
"These are beautiful for decorating, and the kids can stack them and knock them down,“ she said.
“We have lots of huge, plush stuffed animals. Some of them can even be warmed. On a chilly night, they can be warmed for cuddling,” said Shingleton.
Shingleton added that Playthings Etc. has loads of developmental toys. “We have a lot of things that involve putting things inside other things, things that make sound, things that are textured,” she said. “There are things they can chew on that are a lot of fun.
“These are very soft silicon objects that they can teeth on. They’re nontoxic, and its food-grade silicon so they are safe for babies to chew on,” she said.
Playthings Etc. has puzzles and sound puzzles that are easy for small hands to grip and turn. “They have little grippy tabs so they can manipulate the puzzles,” she said.
“We have vehicles and balls and lots and lots of toys for the nursery,” she said.
