There is a lot of thought and effort that goes into designing a space for your bundle of joy. Before you start buying paint and decor, use these tips from a mom of three who has designed her dream nursery for her children.

1. Find Your Style. The first part of the planning process within the nursery is to find the style that best suits you and your family. Take this quiz on Disney Baby to help make this process a little bit easier so you can narrow down the style and theme of the nursery. It’s a great idea to choose something that goes with the flow and design of the decor in your own house.

2. Make It Baby-Friendly. This sounds like a no brainer, but it’s important you step back and look at the space and your design you have in mind. Your baby will only be little for a short time, and before you know it, they will be crawling around, pulling themselves up, and attempting to get into everything. Make sure that you put toys and shelves that are easily accessible for those little hands. Anything that has a cord or can easily be tipped over needs to be out of the reach of your child. It’s much easier to baby-proof and make the room baby friendly before the baby arrives than once your little one is welcomed into the world and you only have time to take care of them.

3. Find Some Inspiration. When designing my son’s nursery, I chose the woodland theme after being inspired by a drawing done by my uncle. Once I knew this was the focal point, I started to look for colors and other art designs that fit within my theme..

4. Buy Toys and Use Them as Decor Until Baby Can Play. Because the baby is still young, I wanted to add a lot of toys, board books, and stuff animals to his room that he could easily access when he was playing. I didn’t want to clutter his room, so I looked for stylish solutions that we could add to the room that used his toys as a piece of decor. Wooden toys and stuffed animals make great decor that will add some playfulness your child’s nursery. By displaying them in baskets or low level shelves, it allows your child to easily access them when they want to play, but also allows you to put them up and display as decor when they aren’t in use.

5. Make Sure to Carve Out a Space for You. Believe it or not, this nursery is also a place for you. You will be spending a lot of late nights and early mornings in the nursery, so you want to make sure that you create a space for you within the room. Get a nice glider with soft pillows that allow you to sit down, get comfortable, and snuggle that new bundle of joy.

Designing a nursery for your little one is a magical, but somewhat overwhelming experience. As a mom of three who has designed plenty of nurseries for my children, there are several things that I’ve learned along the way that have made the experience one that is a lasting magical memory.