This week has marked an important milestone in Little Miss' journey through toddler-hood. We've finally said good bye to her cot. This marks the end of our much loved nursery as we know it which Little Miss has been sleeping in since she was ten months old. Prior to this, the cot was in our bedroom, so we enjoyed having her close by as I was breastfeeding on demand at this time.
She will be turning three years old in November which is only a few months away! I am not sure what age children usually move into their big beds, but her cot has been perfectly comfortable for her until now. In fact, the only reason why we decided to get a bed was because her mattress is damaged! (from my weight, not hers! Yes I MAY have sat in her cot a few times haha) Instead of replacing it, we decided it would make more sense to purchase a toddler bed instead.
However I just realised this week that I hadn't taken any proper photographs of her room! I was a bit sad to see her cot go, so I took some quick photos and I am uploading them here for you to see on my blog and also for me to record the memories.
I'll provide some commentary around the furniture and accents I've chosen for her nursery, as well as recommended stores, so if you're looking into creating a nursery for your baby you can get some inspo or ideas.
We decided on purchasing this Grotime cot from Baby Kingdom around three years ago when I was pregnant. What I loved about it was that it was quite a large sized cot, and the level was able to be moved up and down. When she was younger we had the mattress much higher which helped save out backs as we were constantly picking her up from the bed. It also converts into a day bed which is pretty handy too. I don't think Grotime stock this exact cot anymore, but they have a large selection of quality cots on their website.
We've never had much in her bed in terms of toys and unnecessary items because I was always trying to follow the Sids Safe Sleeping Guidelines. When she was younger we had a breathable mesh bumper on the sides where the rails are to stop her from getting her arms or legs caught. Now that shes much older we do let her sleep with a few of her favourite stuffed toys, and she absolutely still loves her Lulla Dolls. She's got two.
Underneath there is a pull out drawer where you can story baby blankets and other items. I've purchase most of her bedding and blankets from Sheridan, as I love their quality. But I've also been known to buy from Adairs as well. When we have the mattress at the lowest setting you cannot use the cot drawer. So we haven't used this drawer for a while now. As soon as Little Miss started to pull herself up and try to get out of the cot herself, we lowered the level.
As you can imagine her nursery has transitioned over the last few months. It no longer has a change table anymore, but the rest of the furniture is still in its original position.
We installed this Madison 3-shelf bookrack from Pottery Barn Kids around ten months ago, and this is fixed to the wall. It's designed to hold books face forward, keeping favourite titles on display to make it easy for kids to choose what they want to read.
We decided this would make a great little reading corner, so we've placed a separate round jute mat from Kmart there to differentiate the space from the rest of the room. Little Miss loves reading and we make sure this is part of her wind down process before bed. In the corner is a gorgeous little french inspired toddler chair from Zanui which she sits on, making her feel like a big girl. It's the Lorraine Kids Chair in pastel pink.
Above the bookshelf we placed this Linen Heart Pin Board from Pottery Barn Kids in the shape of a love heart. It's got a beautiful beaded lace like border. Here we pin up anything sentimental, like her christening invitation and some photographs of when she was a baby. She loves looking at the photographs.
We are fortunate enough to have lots of space, so most of her toys are in the toy area. But we purchased this white toy chest from Baby Kingdom where she keeps all her stuffed toys. I love that it has a soft release, so won't smack down hard on a childs hands. About a year ago or so the metal release broke, but Baby Kingdom were so kind as to contact the manufacturer (Grotime) to order me a new one. It came within a few weeks and my husband removed the broken piece and installed the new one. I don't think Grotime stock this particular one anymore, but the closest ones I've seen recently is their Tidy Toy Box.
I have to say, I've been pretty impressed with the service at Baby Kingdom. My preferred store is the one at Castle Hill. They also renovated their store around a year and a half ago, so they have lots on display and a large selection of items to choose from.
I also ordered all of the furniture (as well as pram etc) from Baby Kingdom when they were having their midyear June/July sale so we saved quite a bit of money at the time. And because we ordered everything at once, they were able to do a bundle deal and provide an additional discount. (When you sign up to be a member you also receive a percentage off, and they even price match!).
The tall boy, Grotime Saxon 5 drawer chest, also purchased from Baby Kingdom, is made from sustainable New Zealand plantation Pine. It came with silver knobs, but I decided to replace them with these brass round knobs which I purchased from Bunnings. I've really been into the gold accents lately, as I find gold gives a very regal and luxe feeling to the space.
The basket on the right side of her tall boy is from Adairs, this was initially her laundry basket, but somehow this FEJKA artificial plant from Ikea has ended up inside of it. So I've purchased another laundry hamper which I keep inside her wardrobe.
I also highly recommend if you're looking to purchase furniture for a child's room, like this tallboy, you pay extra to purchase something that is child friendly. There have been far too many accidents where children have attempted to climb up furniture, and the furniture has landed on them causing serious injuries and even death. This Grotime tallboy is very child friendly, and cannot be climbed as the only one drawer can be opened at a time. Also securing furniture to the walls helps ensure it doesn't fall.
As you can see I've only got a splash of pink in her room, I decided to have more purple and blue shades. I've not really been into overly bright and loud colours for children's rooms and toys. I like it to blend in with the rest of my house. I also decided not to paint the walls as I wanted to be able to change around the theme with linen, artwork and accessories.
I decided on these canvas prints from Zanui as I was worried about her having glass up on her walls. If these somehow came loose and fell down, I didn't mind because they're just canvas and wouldn't shatter or hurt her. I also wanted to pick prints she could grow with, I wasn't into anything that looked too 'babyish'. She's loved looking at the birds since she was a baby, so I've been pretty happy with my choice.
I feel in love with The Emily & Meritt Wardrobe Rack from Pottery Barn Kids. It's absolutely stunning, and such good quality made of solid iron tubing and welded on the sides. It's got such a glam and whimsical feel, and it really was love at first sight. Unfortunately I believe this rack is no longer available! Which is so sad because it really is a beautiful piece.
I use this to hang her pretty dresses. Not only does it make a beautiful feature, she is able to easily see and pick what dresses she wants to wear for the day. She sure does love wearing dresses so this made perfect sense! I attached little glittery butterflies decorations on it, and they look so cute.
Around the clothes rack I've placed some battery operated string lights from Freedom Furniture which give off a very soft glow at night. She knows not to touch it, so I haven't had any issues with her playing with it. I've also hung the same lights across the ceiling as well, and she loves looking up at them at night.
I picked up this Winston Petite Lamp Base in Brass and shade from Laura Ashley when I was at Castle Towers, and the brass ties in nicely with the rest of the room.
Also sitting on the tallboy is a musical ballerina which plays music from Ronny's Variety Discount Store, and also a gold money box in the shape of a lock from Spotlight Stores.
The material bunting hanging across her wardrobe is from Sheridan. However, I don't believe they stock this anymore. It's got cute butterflies printed on it.
Behind her door we installed a clothes hook in the shape of a key and this was recently purchased from TK Maxx. It was also pretty affordable at around $20. Here I hang the outfit I want her to wear the next day if we have a special event on. Her ballet shoes also hang there.
When we picked the flooring for the room I really wanted floor boards because I like the look and also to reduce any allergies. I have never been a fan of carpet, but to add warmth to her room I added this large rug from Zanui. It covers most of the space. For the windows we installed timber shutters.
I've enjoyed creating this little sanctuary for Little Miss where she can both play and sleep. It's sad that she is now growing up so quickly and will no longer be my little 'baby' sleeping in her cot. But I am super excited for her to enjoy having her first big girls bed, and the next chapter in our lives.
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