Changing Station
No matter how much nursery planning and prep I did before Sailor arrived, there was no way I was going to get everything right the first time. There was a lot of intention behind everything we bought or registered for, but the truth is I had no idea how I was going to feel about any of it when I was actually using it as a new mom. So I have had a few fails along the way... To name a few, the diaper pail I chose looked great and allowed us to use regular garbage bags, but the whole lid just stopped working, and the bags snag on all sorts of sharp edges when you pull them out. The first wipe warmer I got was by far the most popular one out there but man it was so high maintenance. I had to order extra pieces just to keep the pads from burning on the bottom. No thanks!
I still look at the nursery as a work in progress, as I'm always finding new ways to make things better. It's one room in the house that not only needs to look good because we spend a lot of time in there, but needs to also function like clockwork. Everything should run smoothly, look sleek, serve our specific needs, and generally keep me sane. There's enough to talk about here that I may need to spread the topic into two posts. For today, I'm sharing two items from Munchkin that I think really got it right and are instrumental in our nursery on a day-to-day basis.
When you're changing diapers is when you most need well-designed items supporting the endeavor. Especially now that Sailor is pulling acrobatic tricks every time she's on her changing table, I always need one hand on her and one doing the rest. So this is when I have the least patience for faulty gear. The Munchkin STEP diaper pail is seriously a winner. You pop open the lid with the step and stick the diaper into a perfectly sized opening and it turns as you shut it, swallowing it into the bag, locking in any unpleasant smells. The bags are specially designed for the pail, and I really don't mind buying them because they work so perfectly. Now I just keep a box of them right next to the pail so I don't have to run to the kitchen to steal one of the regular garbage bags every time. The best part - Munchkin will plant a tree for every pail purchased! Love that.
The wipe dispenser is an item you wouldn't think would be hard to nail down, but there's a lot that can go wrong. The wipes can get jammed and trying to grab one leads to lifting the whole darn thing up off the table while you don't have a free hand to sort it out. The Mist Wipe Warmer replaced our first one (I was so happy to get rid of that thing) and it is SO much better. Not only does it not burn on the bottom (hey, there's a concept!), it dispenses the wipes like a charm and keeps them moist and warm to ensure a more gentle experience for Sailor - something that was especially important when she was a newborn, but even now still as she seems to be less impressed with diaper changes lately.
These are just two of the items I have honestly found to perform really well, and they also look nice too which is key (let's face it, bad design means it never even comes into consideration). Later, I'll be sharing how I organize her clothes and what's in the drawers of the changing table. In the meantime, I hope this might have helped some of you out if you're planning a nursery! Do tell - what are your nursery dilemmas?
This post is sponsored by Munchkin. Munchkin rids the world of the mundane by developing clever, innovative solutions that make family life safer, easier, and more fun. You can find Munchkin products at Munchkin.com, Target, Babies’R’Us, Walmart, and Amazon. It’s the little things. Thanks for supporting the sponsors who make this blog possible!
Photography by Heather Kincaid