Nursery on a Budget

This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosures Policy for more info.

I decided to make the nursery tour the next post on my list because I have a few friends that are expecting this year and I hope this Nursery on a Budget helps them out!

When we were expecting, I scoured the internet for nursery themes and ideas, but I never found anything I loved. Instead, I took bits and pieces of everything I liked and kind of mashed them together. I enjoyed experiencing how my original plan morphed into what Mia has now! And trust me, this is SOOOO much better than my original plan! (purple and cow print)

I came from a dairy farm background, so that inspired my design. My husband and I want Mia to grow up loving animals as much as we do! I wanted to go gender neutral hen I first started designing  because we did not know that we were having a girl and it was our first child. I can’t afford to decorate a new nursery with every child! The pastel colors fit the theme perfectly and I think they would work well for both a boy and a girl.

In order to pinch pennies and save some dough, I found all of her furniture second hand and cleaned it up or gave it a whole make over. I also created almost all of the decor. This was not only a way to save money, but it was rewarding! I made the items specifically for our little baby. (It also helped with the nesting!!)

Glider Redo:

So, down to specifics! Let’s start with the glider as that was the very first thing I worked on for her room.

I bought this glider from my aunt and uncle. It was a great buy and it was in decent shape with only a few nicks and scratches, but it did not match the theme I had picked for the room. So, I sanded it, spray painted it, spray lacquered it, and covered it using this tutorial from Runs With Spatulas. I even sewed my first zipper! I was VERY proud of myself and very happy with the results!

I bought the material from Walmart after taking foreverrrrrr to decide! (I think Cody would rather go clothes shopping with me than fabric shopping!) The fabric cost me around $35. So the glider, fabric, paint and lacquer came to just under $100. I know you can buy a new one from Walmart for a little more than that, but this one is now one of a kind! The blue color that it added to the room really pops!

I use this glider when I feed Mia at her night feedings. It is so nice having it in her room instead of going to the living room. The blanket over the back side of it was made by Cody’s sister and it is a great cover for when I get cold while nursing. It is so soft and it matches the room perfectly!

DIY Changing Table and Dresser:

Next to the glider is her dresser. I considered redoing a dresser because I was having trouble finding one I liked for a good price, but that sounded like a lot of work! Luckily, a teacher I knew sold us this one, so we got it used. It is solid wood and very heavy so it should last a long time! I put the Summer Infant Contoured Changing Pad from Amazon on top and covered it with the Summer Infant Ultra Plush Changing Pad Cover. (You need 2 changing pad covers for when babies pee everywhere! Yes! Even the girl babies!)

I stuck the changing pad down with a package of stay in place rug stickers that I purchased from Bed Bath & Beyond. I don’t remember exactly what they were called, but they were about $5. The pad hasn’t moved or slipped and the stickers say they are removable, but I haven’t tried to remove them yet! All in all, the dresser set up with pad and covers was about $100 as well.

Okay, moving above the dresser: 

I created the M after we narrowed our baby’s name down to two choices (Mia and Melina). It is basically three pieces of cardboard stacked on top of each other and glued. I tore scrapbooking paper into pieces and decoupaged it on top. So the cardboard was free, the paper I had, and the Mod Podge was $5.

The frames were from Dollar General for $2 each and my husband spray painted them for me with the leftover paint from the glider. The handprint frame was a gift and while it is very cute, let me tell you, taking handprints of a baby IS NOT EASY!! (Footprints are WAYYY easier!) So, attempt at your own risk with plenty of time on your hands!

Crib and Farm Theme:

Now we will move to the other wall in the room:

The first thing you probably notice is the cow rocker. However, I cannot help you with this, because it was a baby shower gift from one of my friends. She spent so much time on it! I LOVE it and it fits so perfectly with the theme of the room! It will be a keepsake that Mia has forever. I believe she found the instructions online, so if you know a woodworker looking for a project, get to searching!

The crib is the the Kendall Convertible Crib from Pottery Barn Kids. However, I lucked out and found it on a garage sale from a military family that only used it with one child. I don’t have the convertible parts, but paying $100 instead of $399 is a save!

I sewed the crib skirt and rail pads myself. The main design for this came from DomesticAdventure.com, although I looked at a few different ones on Pinterest before I decided. The one suggestion I definitely agree with from Erin at Domestic Adventure is to attach the crib skirt to the bed using velcro. I used the sticky kind for fabric and it was really easy to apply. It was definitely easier than sewing it onto another piece of fabric that sits under the mattress, and I don’t have to worry about messing up the bedskirt every time I have to change the sheet. The fabric for this and the ribbons for the rail pads cost around $15.

Above the bed is one of my favorite parts of the room! The animal prints!

These pictures are just so fun! Look at all the mamas and their babies! AND, they were super cheap and easy to make! I found silhouettes of the animals and babies online and I put them together. Then, I printed them off onto pastel paper. This way I didn’t have to print all the background color too. My sister cut spare mat board for me that she had from being a photography major in college. They are attached with command strips to the wall. So, these pictures literally cost me nothing! They are also a wonderful learning tool for Mia. We make all sorts of animal sounds when looking at them!

Curtains:

To the left and right of the bed are windows. I looked everywhere for curtains that would match because I didn’t want to make them, but I couldn’t find any. So, out came the sewing machine again! I based the curtains off of this tutorial from Kelly at View Along the Way. Clearly, I did not make them as long as she did. The fabric for these cost a little more and came to a total of about $55.

And finally: the book case.

I love this cute little area between the bed and the glider. The books are easy to reach from the glider and it is filled with soft animals that we received from family. You can also see the adorable animal throw that my aunt crocheted. This is a great reading nook! Again, I got the bookcase secondhand from an old neighbor for $5.

Nursery Projector and Sound System:

But, more important than the reading nook is that white box on top of the bookcase. This is Mia’s Munchkin Nursery Projector and Sound System.

While we received this as a baby shower gift, it is very reasonably priced and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone with a baby or small child! And, while I may sound like a sales pitch here, I seriously love this thing that much.

First, it is a sound machine. It has 6 different sound settings, and while we usually use the Ocean setting, it is nice to switch it up every once in a while. When Mia hears these sounds, it signals to her that it is time to go to sleep. It also helps cover any noise from the rest of the house. The sound (and projector) comes with a timer as well so it will shut off after 15, 30, or 60 minutes, whatever you set it to. There is also a voice activation setting that will cause the sounds to turn on when it hears baby crying at night. I just have to make sure I shut this setting off during the day because it drives me nuts when it comes on while I am playing with Mia in her room!

The second reason that I love this thing is the built in nightlight. This nightlight creates just enough glow that I can see to nurse at night without blinding myself! When I was first setting up Mia’s room, I thought I would use the lamp I had on her dresser, but NO WAY! That thing blinds the both of us! Trust me when I say that you do NOT want to turn on any light at 2am! However, this Munchkin nightlight is blue so it creates more of a soft glow. You can also find it easily in the dark because the button for it is also lit up blue. I cannot repeat enough how much I love this thing!

Finally, the sound machine comes with a third feature: the projector. We have not used this much, but it is a neat feature. It puts light up pictures on the ceiling that then turn and move. It is kind of like an electronic mobile. Again, we haven’t used this much but I have used it as a brighter light to change diapers at night (again without blinding myself!)

So there is all is! Mia’s nursery on a budget! If I total up everything I spent, I put her room together for $388. That’s less than the crib would have been brand new! I hope you enjoyed the tour and if you are expecting a little one, I hope it gave you some inspiration. If you have any questions about anything here let me know in the comments! I would love to hear from you!

 

SaveSave