What does a Vintage Baby Girl & Nursery need?

[Weston]

Wife and I are expecting a bundle of joy of the female variety at the end of May. Suggestions as to vintage baby stuff she needs? Vintage style is good, as whatever we use must be sanitary obviously, but anything you can recommend is great, both for baby herself and her nursery and decor. Thanks, Vintage Moms and Dads!

 

[Joie DeVive]

Well, I'm not a vintage Mom yet, but I want to offer my congratulations anyway!! I am very happy for you and your wife.

Now, I'm not any variety of expert on baby things, however, I do know that cribs of the past do not come close to what are considered the safety standards of today. For cribs, I definitely say go inspired, not vintage. Many babies did sleep in the old ones, and most were fine, but it's still a risk. From the slats being too far apart, to questionable paints, to rail problems, there are a lot of pitfalls. It's just too worrisome. I'm sure there are cute repros out there! I'd go that route.

 

[ohairas]

Congrats!!
This isn't so much a baby "need", but look on ebay for vintage baby books. I found one from the 30's that had not been filled in yet... you know, with their birth date, first tooth, when they took their first steps, ect.

Look for patterns or actual vintage nightgowns that have the drawstrings. Vintage layette sets. Handmade baby blankets... I've seen never used wall art before, or you could use an overhead projector to draw some vintagey lampbs, ducks, ect in the nursery.

That's all I can think of right now! Give me time!
Nikki

 

[Mr_Misanthropy]

Mobile

I've always thought mobiles were quite vintage. You know, those things you hang above the crib with cutesy animals and things dangling down. I'm sure it'd be very hard to find a vintage one, but I think it'd be fairly easy to make one styled however you like.

You could also put vintage items in the room as decoration. Maybe a vintage baby bath tub or you could use something vintage as a changing table possibly. Another idea would be a nice old sturdy antique rocking chair. That would be fairly practical I think.

Congratulations on the new addition to your family, by the way!!

 

[LizzieMaine]

I second the recommendation for a kid-sized rocking chair -- I still have the one I got for my first Christmas, and it's pretty much the only thing that survives from my early childhood. Once your gal outgrows it she will use it for dolls and plushies, and when she grows up, if she's like me, she'll toss her pajamas and stockings and such over it.

 

[ShooShooBaby]

first off... congratulations!!!

as mentioned above, i would be careful of things that can be safety hazards. while some people probably thing they're overblown, i don't think you can be TOO careful with babies/small children. i spend a lot of time with small children and am always amazed at the predicaments they find themselves in!

i have seen vintage wall decorations in shops/at flea markets, and vintage chenille kids bedspreads can be great wall-art as well. i have a great one with a cowboy scene on it, for instance. i would be really careful with what a mobile hanging over baby's bed contains, but wouldn't worry so much about how securely attached stuff are on one over a changing table, where the baby will never be alone, for instance.

also, lots of companies are making older-style wooden toys. vintage toys/items would be cute displayed on a shelf though!

a rocking chair for parent/baby time is great for a baby's room. both babies i nanny have a comfy place to sit in their rooms, which is fantastic for putting them to sleep

 

[Sweet Leilani]

Congrats! I'm also expecting a baby girl in mid-April. This being our second child, she's going to inherit a vintage boy's nursery. The basic theme will work- it's vintage outdoorsy- but there will definitely be some more feminine touches. Maybe some horsey prints & dolls, etc.

But if you're thinking like I am, what we really want to do here is to instill in our kids a basic appreciation of vintage lifestyle, even at this age. I think that you will make the most long-term impact by stocking the nursey with plenty of vintage books (Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House is one of the best) that can be read to her and having a place to play music (either old records or CDs of old music). I know my son (who is 3) loves 50s jazz now because it was what we played in his room to sooth him as an infant.

I hope my daughter learns to love this stuff as well, because she's going to inherit an awful lot of it someday! lol

 

[Johnny B]

Get a vintage pram for outside, instead of those godawful plastic things

I rode around in a 1932 black leather and chrome pram with ivory handles when I was a baby and it's in good enough condition for my kids or my sister's kids

 

[Weston]

Thanks for all the suggestions all. So far we have modern things as our budget is rather low, seeing as I'm a seminary student (and soon to be pastor come May). But I'm keeping an eye out.

 

[Foofoogal]

Congratulations to you both. That is just wonderful.
I have been picking up embroidered items for my daughter and some layette items are just lovely. I go a bit overboard so she is putting the brakes on me as she wants to pick her own decor. Imagine that. lol
Be very careful of beds or playpens due to improper measurements between rails and collapsing. Asbestos was also used in the strangest ways in vintage.
I love vintage childrens items. Bessie Pease Gutmann prints or even Dick and Jane prints or copies would be sweet.

 

[panamag8or]

First of all... congrats, Weston!
I have noticed what seem to be glass or crystal rattles at some antique stores. I always thought those would be a neat thing to have for decor's sake at least.

On a not-so-vintage note, gather up loads of magazines from the baby's birth week/month. Hopefully, they will appreciate it one day.

 

[Story]

Thanks for all the suggestions all. So far we have modern things as our budget is rather low, seeing as I'm a seminary student (and soon to be pastor come May)..

In that case, all you need is a manager, swaddling clothes, the Donkey, three Wise Guys and a goat...

 

[Joie DeVive]

I have noticed what seem to be glass or crystal rattles at some antique stores. I always thought those would be a neat thing to have for decor's sake at least.

I've never seen those! They sound really interesting. I bet old rattles and such would look fantastic in a shadowbox (a deep/3-d frame)!! You can buy shadowboxes at Michael's and other craft stores.

 

[Forgotten Man]

What dose a Vintage Baby Girl need....

lol I thought babies were new... takes a wile for a person to become vintage... lol

Sorry, it just sounded funny!

 

[MaryDeluxe]

Check this site out! Lots of cute vintage inspired repro things!

http://www.babygoesvintage.com/

 

[Warden]

I say. Went to the Butlins 75th Anniversary show last night and folks mentioned our retro pram. Never thought of it as retro, what do you think?

Picture of pram on the link. ~

http://www.myspace.com/homefrontfriends/blog/543511663

 

[Nick D]

Congrats!

We put our boy in real nappies (diapers), not pre-folded cloth ones, actuall terry towel squares we fold by hand every time. The squares were bought new, and there are flushable liners avaliable, as well as plastic covers (not vintage, but they work better than fabric covers), nifty little grippers that replace pins, and a wet-pail. Terry squares cost less at the outset than pre-folds, and even though we have to send him to daycare in disposables, we've saved a mint on nappies. Plus, the vintage baby outfits we got him are all designed to go over cloth nappies.

 

[W-D Forties]

I bought an old nursing chair (wooden, very low, with curved arms to support yours whilst feeding/holding the baby), and refurbished it. It cost me £10 and about £20 to do up but it's lovely. I used it a lot for night feeds and it was extremely comfortable. Best of all, not my kids are bigger it's not just the right height for my dressing table!

I'd stick to classic wooden furniture that will have a use beyond the baby stage. You'll probably find that the rellies or older neighbours will knit you something too. My lovely neighbour (who sadly passed away shortly afetr my son was born), knitted us some lovely cardigans, and best of all - knitted dinosaurs and little knitted cavemen with clubs!

 

[Viola]

Congrats!

There's twenty thousand or so examples of vintage and vintage-inspired knitting/crochet patterns. Cheap and vintage if you know how. (I still have to learn) and some also look cute framed on the wall of the nursery. And she needs a Raggedy Anne, and a vintage-style teddy bear...

For a baby crib I would go vintage inspired, not vintage. Lead paint, etc. is not what I'd want to be messing around with.

Restoration Hardware has some of the cutest pedal toys/rocking animals I've seen but they're disgustingly expensive, though vintage style. http://www.rhbabyandchild.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=rhbc_prod210072&categoryId=rhbc_cat102127

I would paint the nursery one of the colours from the Sherwin Williams or California Paints historic lines. Can't recommend a particular shade not knowing which decade of vintage you were thinking of. Doesn't have to be pink, could be a nice Art Deco orchid-lavender or '50s chartruese.

 

[chanteuseCarey]

finding this thread months after your blessed event. But before my first child was born, I took a class on french heirloom sewing, hand embroidery and smocking. Made vintage style clothes for both my dd, now 18 and my ds, now 16 when they were little.

Wife and I are expecting a bundle of joy of the female variety at the end of May. Suggestions as to vintage baby stuff she needs? Vintage style is good, as whatever we use must be sanitary obviously, but anything you can recommend is great, both for baby herself and her nursery and decor. Thanks, Vintage Moms and Dads!