Having a new baby is so exciting! It can also be worrisome when you start looking at the cost of all things you “need” for a newborn. Companies pull on your heart strings to get you to spend more money then you really need to on newborn items. Some things are necessary, but many newborn products will sit unused in your home or simply are not practical for everyday use. Since prental care and delivery are already very expensive (most baby birth delivery costs several thousand dollars) stretching your budget for a nursery may be difficult. I created tips on how to buy only the absolutely necessary items for a simple and cute baby nursery. These tips will give you ideas how to design a nursery on a budget!

10 Tips How to Design a Nursery on a Budget

1. Go for a Quality Pack & Play & Skip the Crib

The main way to design a nursery on a budget is to skip the baby crib and go for a pack and play. While all baby things are so adorable, they’re also very costly. Cribs are one of the biggest costs for new mamas. A budget friendly replacement for a crib is a pack and play. Deluxe pack and plays include full-size playard, bassinet and diaper changing station. They often include pockets to hold wipes and diapers. Bought separately, you’d spend money on all of these items which could easily be several hundred dollars. So skip this and go for a deluxe pack and play instead. 

These are a budget-friendly sleep option that your baby can grow with. Since they’re portable, you can move it from room to room when necessary or pack it up and take it with you on vacation. Choose a pack and play with wheels to make it easier to transport inside of your home. Most playards can be used well into the toddler age, at which point you can go straight to buying a toddler bed. A bonus is that you don’t have to buy protective gear for the crib, such as rail guards and bumpers. Pack and plays don’t have the same risk as wooden cribs. 

Some great options approximately $90.00 to $200.00:

• Baby Trend Lil Snooze Deluxe 2 Nursery
• Ingenuity Smart & Simple Playard 
• Graco Pack n’Play 

2. Save Money with a Pack and Play Mattress

The one thing you will need to go with your deluxe pack and play is a mattress. But don’t worry, these mattress are often not as expensive as a regular crib mattress and you don’t have to buy it right away. Once your baby is past the bassinet stage or about six months, purchasing a mattress is necessary. Pack and plays are versatile, but they don’t come with a real mattress. Instead, it comes with a thick foldable pad. It’s not good enough for infants to be comfortable in for everyday use. Most pack and play mattresses fold in three and come with a bag for easy portability. 

Some great options approximately $40.00 – $60.00:

• Spring Spirit Portable Mattress – Medium Firmness. Portable.
• Nap You Amazon Exclusive Pack n Play Mattress  – Plush Firmness. Portable.
• Dream on Me Pack and Play Mattress – Non-folding Mattress.

3. Keep the Wall Decorations Simple & Inexpensive

Another great way to design your nursery on a budget is to keep the wall decorations simple. Don’t wallpaper the room…as wallpaper is usually expensive. Don’t paint unless you really need to. If you have a neutral colored wall, you can decorate without having to paint the entire room.

Some options are to paint one accent wall. This wall would add a pop of color behind your pack and play. If this is too expensive or time consuming, there is still a better way. Wall decals, wall decals, wall decals! There are also some budget friendly wall art for nursery’s. So, instead of painting or applying wallpaper, try these easy and budget friendly nursery designs.

Some beautiful options under $20.00:

Wall art options that you can frame:

• New Safari Theme Nursery Wall Art
• Winnie the Pooh Wall Art 
• You are my sunshine Nursery wall art 

Decals that you can stick on wall:

• Flying Animals 
• Gold Stars 
• Baby Shark Decals

4. Go for a Diaper Pail

These are one of those purchases that you always hear about, but doesn’t seem all that necessary. We all have a garbage can after all. Trust me, it is so necessary! Your trash can will not work to subdue those baby diaper odors. So, while this is not the most important item, it’s very important for the health of your nose. Lol. But it’s no joke. Really. It also gets a lot of use. The good part is you can find a quality diaper pail that fits your budget. 

Here are some options approximately $25.00 – $40.00

• Playtex Diaper Genie Diaper Pail 
• Safety 1st Easy Saver Diaper Pail 
• Dekor Hands Free Diaper Pail
• Mama Bear Diaper Pail Refills 

5. Wait on the Toy Box 

No matter how much we try to minimize…one thing children have a lot of are toys. The older they get, the more toys they seem to have. At first it won’t bother you, but as soon as your baby starts chucking blocks across the room, you’ll want one of these. It gives you a place to leave their toys and one day they can help put their toys away at the end of the day. It’s much better than stepping on toys or tripping over them. Purchasing a toy box is more practical around 9 months to 12 months. So save this for a later date.

Some great options when you’re ready: $45.00 – $120.00

• Delta Chidren Deluxe toy box
• Melissa & Douge Wooden toy chest 
• Hoobro retro wood look toy box 
• Collapsible Storage Ottoman Bench

6. Pick an Alternative Dresser

Some dressers are  just as expensive as baby cribs. However, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a dresser. As a newborn and toddler, clothing is so tiny and you don’t need as much space as you would for your clothes. Here are some alternatives that will make a great dresser for your nursery and they’re all under $100.00.

Some great options under $100.00:

• Storage cart on wheels
• Sterlite 4-Drawer Tower 
• Fabric Dresser 
• Sorbus Nightstand

7. Do Buy a Baby Swing

Baby Swings will help soothe your baby. They often come with music and little toys to distract  and  soothe your baby. This is a good addition to any nursey. In those first few months baby need the most attention and love. However there will be times your arms are tired, your back is hurting and you just need a moments rest. This is where the baby swing comes in. You can relax from holding your baby, but  still provide the comfort of rocking. The first several months of motherhood, I ended up with severe neck and shoulder pain from constantly holding my baby and looking down at him. So take a break when you need it.

Some great options approximately $ 70.00 – 140.00:

• Graco Simple Sway Swing 
• Fisher price Sweet Snugappy 
• Ingenuity Portable Swing
• Graco Duet Sway Swing with Portable Bouncer 

8. Don’t forget the Nursing Pillow

Whether breast feeding, pumping, or formula feeding this nursing pillow comes in handy. It helps support and correctly position your baby. This also grows with your child. It can be used as feeding support, propping support, tummy time pillow, and sitting support. It comes with a washable cover. However, you can buy additional pillow cases if you want to change up the style to match your nursery.

Boppy Pillow:  Approximately $40.00

9. Try Discount Stores

For nursery furniture and accessories try discount stores. Check out your local stores. A great store to try is Burlington Coat Factory. They sell discounted cribs, strollers and nursery décor. They have a large selection of baby pillows, blankets, crib sheets and nursing pillows. Some other stores to try for accessories are Marshalls and TjMaxx.

10. Don’t be Afraid of Second Hand

There are some great second hand stores out there that offer excellent used condition items for a small fraction of the original price. Try thrift shops and consignment shops to find secondhand children items. Options range in condition, but you can shop and make sure the item is up to your standards before buying.

This is a great way to design a nursey on a budget! Try finding a second hand stores that specialize in kids items. These stores usually have much more inventory than a regular thrift store. They also usually focus more closely on the condition of clothing and other items that they sell. If you don’t have anything local, try an online marketplace, such as Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.

Do you know any tips on how to design a nursey on a budget? If so please share in the comments.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you found this post helpful. 

Check out the Best Baby Toys for 3 Months Old by clicking here. 

Check out the Best Ways to Deal with Diaper Rash by clicking here.