I loved getting the nursery ready before we had Molly. It’s such a fun project and there is far too many cute things to choose from. As our room was also quite small it was essential it was practical with all the storage we needed. One area I spent some time thinking about was the nappy changing station, or to put it simply, where on earth would we change all those nappies?!

So today’s post is all about that little area for nappy changing and we’ve found lots of lovely inspiration for you all. It’s also about the handy hints of what you need and some clever tips for maximising storage.

When Molly was born we always took her upstairs to her room to change her as well as in the middle of the night. Of course you don’t even need to have a changing table full stop. Second child knowledge (or lack of time/energy) meant that we just changed Alice on the floor where we were the whole time. The changing mat simply lived under the sofa. Not quite so glamorous but ever so practical.

Furniture

First up is what piece of furniture should you choose. I was initially considering a proper changing table but in the end decided that my budget would be better spent elsewhere. If you go for a specific changing unit you may end up with a piece of furniture that you have no use for in a year or so. The specific baby changing chest of drawers have an edged top on them to help keep baby safe. It’s worth checking if this can be removed to just leave you with a set of drawers when the time comes. The specific changing tables and drawers tended to be that bit pricier and in my opinion you will get more use out of a nice chest of drawers in the future.

In the end we went for the Ikea Malm drawers and simply created our own changing area on top. You don’t need a specific changing table and could instead use any drawers or unit that you like.

When choosing the piece of furniture you want to make sure it is the right height for you. No point choosing a tall set of drawers or a super low bench unless you are happy to kneel by it.

If you do want a specific changing table then Ikea have some good options that aren’t too pricey.

There are also lots of over the cot tables that you can get which are ideal if you are short on space.

If you want something compact then this Charlie Crane fold down table is rather lovely, if a touch pricey.

Changing Mat

You will want a nice changing mat for adding to the top of your furniture. Firstly to give your baby something comfortable to lie on but also to protect the surface from inevitable leaks.

I opted for a basic John Lewis one but bought some soft terry towling inserts for it that I could just chuck in the wash. I found these were great for absorbing any little wee’s that happened during the change rather than having it pooling on the plastic cover. You could also use plain muslins as a cheaper option.

I wish there had been as many lovely designs around when I was purchasing. This mint star design from Mamas & Papas is gorgeous and a lot of my friends raved about the softness of their luxury versions. Always worth keeping an eye out for their offers. If you want a more luxury version then the Riva Basket from Ollie Ella is just gorgeous. If you need to justify the price the basket could be used for all manner of storage in the future.

Storage

This is where you can get really clever. You will need places to pop all the essentials such as nappies, wipes and creams so have a little think about how you want the area to look. We chose to hide all ours away in the top drawer of the unit. We bought drawer dividers from Ikea and had a little space for each of the items. Nappies were added en mass as well as muslins, cotton wool and wipes. The next drawer down housed the vests and baby gro’s for the inevitable outfit changes.

If you would prefer to make more of a feature of the changing area then there are lots of lovely options. This Modern Life is one of my favourites for storage with everything from baskets to wall pockets. You can also pick up a great range of baskets for purse friendly prices in places like Wilko’s or Ikea.

If you have a larger unit then place lots of lovely baskets around the mat and fill them full of everything you need.

I found it handy to have one small basket that had enough for one or two changes in it so a couple of nappies, wipes and a spare vest. This can be taken downstairs during the day or in to your room at night if needed. I rather wish I’d had this gorgeous pom pom handled basket from Archie’s Boutique for carting it all around in.

Hanging a wall storage pocket by the mat is also great for quickly grabbing those nappies and wipes. I also love the little Farg Form baskets that you can attach to a peg rail.

I’ve also fallen a a little bit in love with the pegboard idea of hooks and baskets. It creates a bit of a feature and decorative space that you can add things to and also use once the change area is no longer required.

Mobile

When you are changing your baby you want to keep them as distracted as possible to avoid excessive kicking or rolling once they get to that stage. We hung a little mobile from a shelf above so that Molly could look at this whilst we changed her.

Lighting

This may seem a strange one but you do need to consider lighting for those middle of the night changes.

We had a small auto sensor light that attached to the shelf we had above the changing station. This meant that whenever we placed Molly on the mat it came on.

You could have a small nightlight nearby as you don’t want it to be too bright, especially when you are trying to do a sneaky change and avoid waking them fully.

Bin

You will fill a bin quicker than you realise! We invested in the Tommee Tippee Sangenic bin for Molly which has special little bags that wrap the nappies up tight to help contain any smells. It did work but the downside is the refills are quite expensive.
 
Did you have create a changing station for your little one or are you planning to? What pieces have you chosen or is there anything important I have have forgotten? And if you need some storage inspiration Lolly is chatting kids bedroom storage over on Rock My Style today.

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