11 Nursery Must-Haves for Britain's Royal Baby

tallyhill GAG. Turning a fluff article into a click grabber by adding names that have nothing to do with good design. The Royals are out of touch in this Age of Austerity and your fawning is offensive. I expect better from HOUZZ.

Cathy Lara @tallyhill, I don't think Will and Kate are out of touch at all. I think a princess who wears budget clothing, repeats outfits in public engagements and does her own grocery shopping should be commended, if anything. As with all articles on Houzz, if something is not to your liking, you certainly don't have to read what's in front of you. But you must have been engaged somehow because you took the time to sign in and comment.

owenke @Cathy Lara: Thoughtful and gracious response, Cathy, and an interesting, entertaining article. Thanks!

tallyhill I was already "signed in" as a regular to HOUZZ. This was a great site. But politics --foreign or domestic--has no place here. I would have read the article anyway, I just think the celebrity fawning cheapens the purpose that most come here and I expected better. I am an American married into a British family who knows first hand that a.) There is no Free Press in GB so the tightly controlled message about the Royals is whatever Clarence House wants you to know, and NOTHING MORE, and b.) no soul in the royal family does their own grocery shopping unless it is for the benefit of opinion polls and a few complicit "journalists" with well timed cameras. I suppose you believe that Michelle Obama shops at Target after that ONE photo op! The elites have pricey public affairs offices who arrange that fluff and breathlessly alert the press for a photo op when the polls show the elites are falling out of favor. In GB, the Royals and their partying extravagance are hanging by a thread during these times, let me tell you. But you bought the line, so they succeed. You are so right, if something isn't to my liking...perhaps I'll take my eyes, my clicks, and my precious marketing information elsewhere and leave you to dissolve into PEOPLE magazine; trash read by the same.

csenk @tallyhill, You are angry. I am embarrassed for you as your rant is random, pointless, and all around mean spirited. Your anger and insults over a fun spin on a light-hearted "design" article is misplaced and frankly strange. I think you missed the point.

We get it, your not fooled by anyone and the rest of us are mindless followers/believers. I am sure we will all miss your precious marketing information, (whatever that might be).

Donald I for one hope tallyhill sticks around, it's not every day an expert on both the British press and the Royal family finds the time to educate us houzers.

silverscreenstar I am a Canadian. Canada is part of the British Commonwealth. I would like to correct some of the comments. Catherine Middleton is NOT a "Princess", although her husband is a "Prince". She was a commoner, prior to marriage. Her correct title, "Her Royal Highness, The Dutchess of Cambridge", was bestowed upon her by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, prior to her marriage, to take effect immediately following the wedding ceremony.
His Royal Highness, Prince William, also the "Duke of Cambridge", is a search and rescue pilot. Until very recently, the couple lived in Wales, near HRH's workplace. The couple now reside in "KP", as the Royals call Kensington Palace. Clarence House is the former home of the Late Queen Mother. It is now used by staff who carry out some of the administrative functions required by the royal household, such as press secretaries, etc. To the best of my knowledge, no one presently lives in Clarence House. This is the reason many press statements come from "Clarence House".
Interestingly, "KP" is where both young Princes grew up, until the untimely death of their Mother, Princess Diana. "KP" is not a single residence, but rather is a series of apartments, known as "flats" in the UK. The flat currently occupied by the Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge is not the same apartment as Princes William and Harry lived in as children, but is in close proximity to it.
Catherine Middleton did do the grocery shopping and cooking for the couple herself, before the couple were married and during their first year of marriage when living in Wales. Now that they are residing in "KP", in the centre of London, and the couple are expecting their first child, I believe that may have changed. Presently, the Dutchess of Cambridge is in hospital due to complications associated with her pregnancy.
I hope this helps to clarify some of the comments posted by others.

Lanie Brown I added the Gro Egg to my nursery idea book as a note for a baby gift for my brother & sis-in-law. I think that's the point of browsing houzz idea books, to find something positive and useful in the article.

silverscreenstar Lanie, I too like the egg thermostat. Very cute, and also useful, for those of us living in North America. The electrical current is different in continental Europe and in the UK and none of the electrical items featured in Houzz will function there, but great for the rest of us!

Ann Smitt Please stop showing cribs with bumper pads. For a safe crib there should be no bumpers, pillows, blankets, plushies in the crib. Swaddle baby for a safe nights sleep. Congrats to the royals. I'm sure they'll design their baby's room using British goods and heirlooms.

mrskk I have three children and always eschewed the idea of a nursery. The babies slept with me until they were old enough to move into their own rooms (it is totally personal how old that should be), then had rooms furnished with big-kid beds, dressers, bookcases and desks. All this to say, we saved a fortune on the so-called nursery "essentials" - a nursery is not a necessity, and even if royalty can well afford one, it would be nice to see design articles mention alternatives. Cribs, which I agree should NOT be filled with bumpers and bedding, are not the only option (they always look like cages to me).

Aside from that, I can see that this piece was meant to be light-hearted. While I am sorry that some people get so hot under the collar on a decorating site, I also feel that nobody should be told to avert their eyes if they have something to say.

zhanaya i so agree with tallyhill and wish i could care about the british "royals" but i don't and i don't and i don't. however, when i clicked on to see what was offered to the "royals", i burst into laughter. how awful were those designs.

Georgia Blum I for one don't like gizmos that insult a parent's intelligence or common sense by trying to replace them. No offence to those who think the Gro-egg is cool, but really. You can't tell if a room is warm or cool just by standing in it? (And anyway babies around the world thrive in a wide variety of temperatures.) Same goes for the app that tracks a baby's crying and compares it to other babies. That would greatly add to a parent's stress rather than relieving it. These are companies trying to make a buck by making parents feel helpless and inadequate and stupid. The day-bed in the baby's room and the black-out blinds are really great ideas though.

Cathy Lara @GeorgiaBlum, Unfortunately, I'm really bad at temperature reading and pretty dependent on my monitor's thermostat (it's a video monitor and thermostat in one product made by Summer). I've found, after tracking my baby's preferences, that he prefers a room that's a bit on the cooler side (66-67 F) as opposed to what his pediatrician recommended initially (72F). He gets fussy when his room is at 72 but sleeps through at 67; there's just no way for me to gauge that 5-degree difference without the thermo.

And re bumper bads — my baby's limbs would get stuck between the rails several times without the pads and it was always pretty frightening to find him struggling. When he was old enough to really get himself hurt because of all the twisting he was doing to free himself, I gave in and got breathable bumper pads and never looked back (and he never got stuck since I put them in). So I swear by them.

And re companies trying to make a buck by making parents feel helpless... I don't think that's the case for ALL brands. I think a lot of great baby products (especially organic baby food, clothing and decor/accessories) are made by parents who weren't finding what they wanted in the market and simply found a better way to do things.

One of my favorite mompreneurs in the shelter/interior world is Christiane Lemieux of DwellStudio. You can tell her baby and toddler products were mom tried and tested. And if you haven't read Lemieux's book, UNDECORATE, please get it for yourself this holiday season! And no, I was not paid to plug her book. But it's really one of my faves!

http://www.dwellstudio.com/undecorate.html

frenchdecor Like some ideas, but title...yaaahh, have never being crazy fan of any celebrity, people with blood and flesh as all of us. As far as I know in Canada bumper pads and pillows... are not suggested as hazardous.

mrskk This is from Health Canada, posted in 2005:

"Health Canada does not recommend the use of bumper pads in cribs because they pose an entanglement, entrapment, strangulation, and suffocation hazard to infants."

The Canadian Paediatric Society, the Canadian Institute of Child Health, and the Canadian Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths have also issued statements advising against the use of bumper pads.

frenchdecor @mrskk thank you. My bad, that exactly what I meant - they are not suggested because they are hazardous (potentially).

middleofnowhere I think what this thread shows that people can become hotheaded/opinionated when the story is about BABIES! :-)

A. Peltier Interiors I cannot wait to see this baby and it's nursery! Maybe they will call me to design it? Probably not:)!

zhanaya not when it is about BABIES but actually when it is about the so-called "royals". i cannot help the disdain i have felt for all of them ever since diana died. royals? smh

cahounterr to mrskk
I know this is a personal decision but sleeping with your baby poses the same risk
as bumper pads / comforters in their cribs & is not recommended by Health Canada.
My mom is an ob nurse / midwife & has experienced a few patients with tragic accidents
who had their infant child in their bed.
Please consider a bassinette beside your bed. I had my daughter in one until she was 4 months old before moving her to her own room/crib.

Lanie Brown My brother does not live in the UK. He is extremely intelligent - no, not helpless - and has always enjoyed gadgets. Geez, people, it was a cute idea and a positive comment on the post.

olldroo When I look at all today's gadgets, I wonder how my 3 joeys survived. The rising incidence of SIDS has brought about many of them to assist new mums to give their babies' the best and safest environment. Bumpers are not recommended here either for that reason. As Ann Smitt said swaddling babies keeps them safe in their cot. It also gives baby a feeling of security so they sleep better, not just at night but for all their sleeps.

It was nice to mull over ideas Cathy, and why not tie it in with a news item like Catherine and William's baby. I'm sure though they will choose more heirloom items.

bobbity Enjoyed the article and got quite a kick from the comments! :)

voni6 I am proud to be British and proud of our royal family. The majority of the British population support the royals. William and Catherine breath new life into the royal family and are just what our country needs right now. As for the lady who thinks she is an expert on the royal family, I say to you they are not hanging on by a thread! Or out of touch and I'm not sure where you are getting your information from.
I too think you missed the point about the light hearted design. I'm sorry to say I don't feel educated by these comments

mrskk cahounterr, too late! My children are in grade school now. No more need to debate between a bassinet and the family bed in our house. Sorry to hear that some babies can't co-sleep safely...Just one of those endlessly contentious issues like home birth, breastfeeding, circumcision, and vaccinations. Luckily, none of those are likely to show up on Houzz!

silverscreenstar VONI6. So happy to hear from someone else who appreciates the Royal family. They do great, charitable work, which is something those outside the Commonwealth may not know about them.

punkinhead Who gives a rat's patootie whether the title of the article has the word "royal" in it?? It's a little piece about some ideas for a baby's room. I see articles on Houzz all the time with a current event used as the impetus for the story idea - what about all that post-Hurricane Sandy disaster stuff a couple of weeks ago?? If you don't like the article, move along, the rest of us who don't have a stick up our butts will enjoy looking at the pretty pictures.

Also, if you are seeing Houzz as a serious design resource, you might be missing the point.

86redvette HOUZZ IS A GREAT SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND WHAT YOU DO WITH THAT INFORMATION IS YOUR BUSINESS BUT PLEASE SHOW A LITTLE DECORUM. I 'M OFFENDED BY SOME COMMENTS AND NEVER GET PAST THE FIRST FEW WORDS SO I MOVE ON....

olldroo I just saw a magazine article yesterday comparing Kate's probable choices for a nursery and baby clothes with Kim Kardashian's. I am still speechless.

silverscreenstar I just read that The Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge returned everything to Kim Karardashian, who apparently designed the clothing and hoped that the newborn royal, or royals, would wear her designs, thus giving her an advantage in the marketplace. The article also went on to state that the couple "almost ever accept such gifts" and that "...they are almost always returned, unless the Duke and Dutchess personally know the gifter."
Personally, I thought it was the ultimate in bad judgment that Kim would attempt to use the Royal family, as a vehicle to gain free publicity for her designs. I was shocked. So many actors have recently adopted, or had babies of their own, there ought to be no shortage of recipients for these "gifts" in the designer's own community.

Schelli Martin @tallyhill..... Wow angry much?!! Why does everything have to have politics behind it!! Just read the article for what it is and enjoy it. Its a nice sweet referral to the Royals. I'm sure it wasn't intended to be offensive in any way. I personally enjoyed it and Kate has been seen shopping for groceries while living with William outside of London many times.

juliecoyne I have never commented before, and don't know why I am now....No, not a fan of the Royals, not a fan of all things Celebrity, but I don't wish them ill will. My motto is "The Emperor has no Clothes" BUT, I am a fan of good design, kindness and good humor. If this gal took the time to post this article for us to enjoy and learn from and she chose to use the Royals, Ok, she gets an A for cleverness as far as I am concerned even though I don't choose to follow the Royals. Most people I know who have little girls like to call them their "Little Princess" so there ya go. It's a mixed bag, no?! I'm here to look at the design, learn and share, whoops, I guess to give an opinion too! LOL I love Houzz because it is so much easier to carry around on my lap top or Ipad, rather than all the magazines and portfolio's, and it is free! Thanks Houzz and contributors. From you I was inspired to get my ASID, renew my real estate license, build 2 houses and remodel another. Stay Golden Ponyboy.

silverscreenstar OMG! Not MORE on this topic, at this late date. I thought we were done with it! It has been on Houzz for over 4 months, now.

jalowe A practical peaceful space for mum and baby is the priority - lots of room to hide the necessary nappy bin and the laundry basket etc and space for a comfy chair for feeding and/or cuddles at least. Royal or not this baby needs and deserves the same life as any other newborn for as long as possible - time with loving if sleep deprived parents - and those obsessing about the uk press control have clearly never read a uk newspaper!!

silverscreenstar IMHO, the used "nappies" belong in a designated container, outside of the home, with the trash, nowhere inside the dwelling.

jalowe IMHO if specifically designed sanitary bins are manufactured, which they are, such that it is possible to hygienically store a nappy/diaper inside for a few hours, rather than having to take it outside at 3am in freezing temperatures, I will happily buy and use one!

silverscreenstar To each their own. I would rather toss it into a bin, outside a back or side door, for this purpose.