When you’re getting ready for a new baby, there’s a lot of pressure to have your nursery ready. It can make sense to do it before the baby arrives while you still have the time, but it could also wait until later. With your baby staying in your room for the first few months, you have time to get their room ready, so don’t panic too much.

One of the things that can make it more difficult to get the nursery ready is a low budget. You might want to create a beautiful room, but it seems tough to do without much money to spend. The good news is that you don’t need a lot of cash to create a lovely nursery. Even if you have to do it on a budget, you can design a calming, aesthetic room that works for you and your baby.

Paint or Wallpaper Yourself

Professional decorators are handy to have on hand when it’s time to redecorate a room. They can carry out a neat job and save you some time. But plenty of people choose to do their own decorating too. Painting or wallpapering a room yourself isn’t that difficult and you can do a great job if you pay attention. It’s also an excellent way to refresh a room and give it a brand-new look without that much effort. If you’re planning on painting, you’ll want to do it early. It’s important to ventilate while you’re painting and when the paint is drying, allowing the fumes to dissipate before you use the room.

Look for Affordable Furniture

Nursery furniture is obviously going to be one of the biggest costs for your nursery. However, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. There are ways to make it more affordable, from buying secondhand furniture to looking for good deals. It’s also helpful to know what you need and what you don’t. A changing table can be handy, but it’s not essential. You can use a changing mat on the floor or even on top of another piece of furniture. Another great way to save but get the furniture you love is to upcycle old pieces. If the structure is still sturdy, you can create a new look by doing things like repainting or replacing handles.

Choose Some Cheerful Blinds or Curtains

Controlling the light in your nursery is definitely something you’ll want to think about. You want to be able to make it nice and bright in the morning and dim the lights in the evening. It helps your baby differentiate between night and day, and it’s useful for creating a calming atmosphere when it’s time to sleep. Installing new blinds or curtains should be an affordable way of doing this. Half Price Blinds has some excellent blinds that will fit into any budget. They’re easy to install yourself, saving you some time and money. Just remember that blind cords need to be secured out of the way for safety.

Do Some Basic Crafts

You don’t have to be a crafting genius to do some DIY in your nursery. A few simple projects can have a big impact. If you’re willing to get crafty, you can save a lot of money too. There’s plenty you can do with a paintbrush. There’s no need to be too confident in your brush skills, either. Some stencils will make it easy to paint whatever shapes you want onto the walls or furniture. If you do already have crafty skills like the ability to knit, sew, or crochet, that could be a great way to make accessories for your nursery too.

Jazz It Up with a Rug

Putting down a rug is a quick and easy way to add some more personality to a nursery. It will also make it look and feel warmer, plus it provides a soft surface for play and more. Rugs can sometimes get expensive, but they don’t have to be. There are lots of affordable options out there, especially if you’re not looking for anything too big. But if you do want a larger rug, it can still save you money compared to replacing the flooring. New flooring can be pricey, but laying down a beautiful rug can still create a new look.

Print Your Own Wall Art

Buying art for your nursery might be out of your budget, but there are cheaper ways to do it. If you have a printer, printing your own wall art is easy. You can then put it in whatever frames you want and hang it where you like. If you’re looking for art you can use, you can find some lovely prints to buy and download on Etsy. You could also try using tools like Canva that allow you to put together your own designs. Frames are easily bought cheaply or you could make your own using whichever materials you prefer.

Make Use of What You Have

Before you rush out and buy new things, think about whether you have anything around your home that you could use. Maybe there’s a dresser in the spare room that could be repurposed for the nursery. You could have some storage items that aren’t currently being used or could be much more useful in the nursery. Maybe you have a basket or some shelves that you can relocate into the nursery. Just remember that you need to think about the safety of anything you use. Once you have a baby who can move around the room, you need to know your furniture is safe.

Choose Pieces to Grow with Your Child

There’s not much point in designing a nursery that will need to be updated again in a few months. If you’re on a budget, it’s best to think about how your nursery could grow with your child. For example, a crib that can be turned into a toddler bed could be an option that saves you money. Try to avoid buying anything that’s only going to be useful for a short period of time. Transitional pieces could last you a few years and keep your nursery functional for a lot longer.

Create Different Zones

Using all of the space you have wisely can help your nursery feel more complete. You don’t need to fill the room with lots of expensive accessories to create the design you want. Creating different zones can be a good way to make the most of the space you have. One zone will clearly be where your baby will sleep, and you might have another zone for changing. You could also have a corner for reading, or maybe a comfortable chair that you use for feeding or relaxing before bedtime.

Take Advantage of Freebies

One thing you’ll notice when you have a baby on the way is that you’ll have people offering you things right away. As their own children get older, they want to offload their baby clothes, toys, furniture, and more. So if you’re conveniently expecting, they’re happy for you to take things off their hands. If you don’t get any offers, don’t be afraid to make a request to see if anyone is willing to part with anything. And if you don’t have any friends or family who have had babies in recent years, consider looking for local groups online where people might have some free items on offer.

Being on a budget doesn’t have to prevent you from designing a beautiful nursery. There are lots of ways to save and get the results you want.