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The Baby's Nursery

Planning and Creating This Special Room

Part One

By Donna Smith

While Kosik did not create a budget, she and her husband did watch what they spent on their twins' nursery. "We knew it wouldn't cost much to paint," she says. "We needed the furniture, so we just chose middle-ranged items, but bought floor models to save 20 percent (the furniture will get beat up from the kids anyway)."

Kosik says to start as early as possible – and to be practical. "Want to have versus need to have," she says. "Remember they grow quickly! Don't spend too much money on unnecessary fluff."

"I looked at every store that sold baby things and found that I always favored the items with farm animals on them," says Amanda Taylor, a mother of two from South Bend, Ind. "Although my second baby had his own room, we were still on a tight budget, so I bought the bumper pads for the crib and the matching curtains then did the rest on my own. I painted the switch plate covers black and white like a cow and stenciled animals over the doors. It saved me a lot of money and the room had a more personal touch."

Read Part Two here.

Want to see more?

• A Dash of Pizzazz: Add Personal Touches to Your Baby's Nursery
• Decorating Baby's Room with a Colorful Canvas: Invite a Rainbow into the Nursery
• A Man's Touch: Designing the Nursery with the Dad-to-be
• Talk about it!