How to turn a home office into a baby nursery

When expanding your family, it's always a good idea to consider the space you have available. If you've relocated or upgraded your home office to a new space in the house but still have the remnants of your old office lingering in a decent sized room, you can repurpose it into a baby's nursery. Here are a few key tips to remember if you decide to convert unused home office space into a baby nursery.

Nursery layout zones

When you designed the room to function as a home office, thoughtful consideration was likely given to workspace, storage and seating. In many ways, those same elements are still present in a nursery.

Rethink the baby's crib and changing table as the primary workspace. When aligned side by side, they may take up a similar amount of square footage as a desk. Storage will be necessary for diapers, infant toys and other necessary items. If you'll have loved ones over, try employing more seating in the form of a rocking chair, daybed or cot for those long nights.

After emptying your office materials, furniture and equipment, take a moment to place tape on the floor to simulate where the crib, changing table, cot, chair and infant supplies will be located. Now make sure you have adequate walking space to effectively take care of tasks comfortably.

Long-term storage

Adult-style storage bears little resemblance to the safety measures necessary for a nursery transformation. The following are ways to organize storage.

• Open Shelf Storage: Items such as diapers, wipes and other arm's-length items can be placed on shelving near the crib and changing table.
• Closed Cabinet Storage: Potential safety-risk items should be relegated to cabinets well out of the reach of a toddler. There are a wide range of closet organizers and wall-mountable cabinets available.

Infant carrying packs, bags and spare blankets can be placed on high shelves or secure hooks.

Lighting

Making essential changes to lighting ranks among the most overlooked nursery upgrade needs.

Infants spend plenty of time resting on their backs. This position usually has them staring directly at an overhead mobile and the ceiling. Bright overhead lights can prove painful because the wee ones tend to be more sensitive to light than adults.

When re-imagining the home office as a baby nursery, it may be worthwhile to swap out light switches for dimmers and add light covers to get rid of the remaining glare.