Having a baby can be one of the happiest experiences of our lives. After they’re born, we’ll want to do everything we can to protect them. There’s quite a large number of things that you’ll need to look after, with one of the most notable being making sure that they have a proper night’s sleep.
However, many of us might live next to noisy neighbors, which can often wake our baby. Since this is something that all of us will want to avoid, we’ll want to take a variety of measures to make sure that this doesn’t happen.
While asking your neighbors to keep the noise down can be quite helpful, especially during your baby’s nap time, this might not always be possible. As a result, you might want to soundproof your nursery, although you might not know how to do so.
Though you might consider hiring a professional to do this, you shouldn’t have to. Instead, there are a few things that you’ll be able to do so soundproof a nursery, with many being much easier than you might have thought.
While they’ll take a certain amount of time to do, this can often reap dividends, as you’ll be able to make sure that your baby isn’t disturbed when they’re asleep. It’s recommended that you do these as early as possible and preferably before your baby is born.
By doing so, you should see the most benefits possible and make sure that your baby is undisturbed from day one.
What You’ll Need To Soundproof A Nursery
Naturally, before you start soundproofing a nursery, you’ll have to get a variety of materials to do so. While you might already have a few things, there’s a large chance that you might have to buy the majority of them.
However, many of us might not know what we’ll need to soundproof a nursery or any other room. While you may believe that you’ll need quite a large number of things, you shouldn’t need as many of them as you might have thought.
Alongside this, the majority of the materials you’ll need will be quite obvious, so you should have thought of these already. However, you might have overlooked a few key things, some of which could have a large impact on how soundproof the room is. When you’re soundproofing, you should need:
You might already have a few of these at hand, especially the pillows and some other soft materials. However, you’ll have to buy the majority of these products, though this doesn’t need to be as difficult as you might have thought.
In contrast, you should be able to buy them online for quite an affordable price. These should be quite high-quality, which means that they’ll be a cost-effective way to soundproof a nursery. While it might take a few days for these to be delivered, this cost could be worth the savings that you’ll see.
Once you have each of these, you’ll be able to start soundproofing your nursery.
Steps To Soundproofing A Nursery
Now that you have all of the materials that you need, it’s time to get to work. While there are a few steps that may be relatively obvious, there could be several that you may not have thought of. As such, it’s worth looking at exactly what steps you should take.
Naturally, some will take much more effort than others, although each of them should have quite a significant impact on how soundproof your nursery is. It’s recommended that you take as many steps as possible, as you’ll be able to minimize the amount of noise that gets into your nursery with each of them.
1. Rearrange The Furniture
This is perhaps the simplest thing that you’ll be able to do, although it’s something that many of us might overlook. However, it could offer a few positive results when you’re soundproofing your nursery. When doing so, you should see what’s already in the room and adjust accordingly.
If there are any walls that are shared with neighbors, it’s recommended that you put a bookcase, wardrobe, or other large pieces of furniture up against it. This should dampen the amount of sound that comes in through it. Alongside this, you might want to consider putting your baby’s crib near the opposite wall.
If you’re using a bookcase, it’s recommended that you fill it with fluffy toys and teddy bears, as these should also help reduce the amount of sound that gets in. Your baby shouldn’t mind, as they’ll often find the toys quite interesting. You could also do the same with shelves.
You might also need to move some things in rooms that are adjacent to your nursery. For example, if there’s a television pressed up against a shared wall, then you should move this to another area to reduce the amount of sound that gets into your baby’s room.
2. Add Carpeting
If you’re living in an apartment, then there’s a high chance that you’ve got hardwood floors. While these can look quite nice, they’re not great at soundproofing a room, so you may need to consider covering them with carpeting. The main reason for this is that sounds can often echo because of the hard surface, which you might want to avoid with a nursery.
In the majority of cases, memory foam carpets are well-recommended, as they offer a significant amount of soundproof qualities. Alongside this, it’s quite soft, so you shouldn’t have to worry about any minor bumps your baby takes when it’s learning to walk.
If you can’t install carpeting, then a rug can be a wise option. When you’re choosing one, you should make sure that it’s as thick as possible, as this will make sure that the floor is as soundproof as possible.
3. Decorate The Walls
When you’re preparing a nursery, you’re going to be doing a lot of decorating. However, the majority of us might not think of soundproofing the walls when we do so, as we might not think we can without removing the drywall. There are a few things that you can add to the walls that should reduce the amount of sound that comes in and out.
While thick art pieces and others can be helpful, you could invest in soundproof wallpaper. Though this can be somewhat more expensive than it’s traditional counterpart, the extra thickness that it has should add an extra layer of noise protection.
Alongside this, you could use some decorative quilts, which will add a stylish touch while also helping to improve the room’s acoustics. While this is best done in combination with other steps, it could prove to be quite effective.
4. Add Soundproof Wall & Ceiling Panels
Acoustic wall and ceiling panels will probably be the most obvious method of soundproofing a nursery. However, many of us might think that this is an expensive or complicated process; this doesn’t have to be the case, as they can be much more affordable than you might think.
With the wide range of available options, you should be able to find a significant number of them to suit your budget.
Alongside this, they can come in a variety of colors, so you should be able to match them to the nursery’s décor.
These should also be quite easy to put up, although you’ll need to make sure that you use a high-quality adhesive when you do so. You wouldn’t want the panels to fall down at any point, especially when your baby is concerned. Looking for a permanent adhesive is highly recommended.
There are a variety of areas where you should put up these panels, although it can often vary from room to room. In most cases, it’s recommended that you place them along any shared walls that you might have. If you have somebody living above you, then you might also have to put a few on the ceiling.
5. Soundproof Your Door
The door is one of the more common areas that sound can get through, although not all of us might be in a position to replace it with a thicker, more soundproof version. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few things that you can do to soundproof an existing door.
In the majority of cases, this will be focused on adding mass to the door. To do so, you could consider hanging fabrics over the door, such as the decorative quilts we mentioned earlier. You could also consider putting an acoustic panel on the door, which should be quite useful.
You’ll also need to ensure that there aren’t any cracks or holes around the door. Acoustic caulk is highly recommended for filling these holes.
6. Soundproof Your Windows
The nursery’s windows are one of the most important areas that you’ll need to soundproof if there are any. Typically, this will be much simpler than you might have believed, as it could just involve hanging soundproof curtains over them. However, you might need to take a few other steps when doing so.
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Like doors, there could be some cracks or holes around the window, which you’ll need to seal. This should be just as easy as sealing the ones near your door, as you’ll just need to find them and use a high-quality sealant. Naturally, you should still hang thick curtains when doing so.
7. Add Some White Noise
While each of the above steps should be quite effective at soundproofing your nursery, some of us might want to skip much of this. There can be a variety of reasons for this, such as budget, time, and much more. However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to use a few other things to help soundproof your nursery.
One of the most effective of these is using a white noise machine. This should cancel out much of the noise that gets into your nursery while also helping to soothe and calm your child. While these can be somewhat expensive, they can often be a cost-effective purchase.
Why Should You Soundproof A Baby Room?
You could be wondering why you should soundproof your nursery. While there are a few reasons that should be quite obvious, there are several others that you might not have thought of. These will typically focus on making sure that your baby has a good night’s sleep. However, there are a few other reasons why you should want to do so.
There are a lot of ways that you’ll be able to make sure that your baby is happy and healthy. Naturally, this will typically be focused on feeding and cleaning them right, as well as a variety of other things. However, some factors may be outside of your control, such as a noisy environment.
Soundproofing your nursery will make sure that your child isn’t affected by the majority of noises that might disturb them. Naturally, loud noises will wake your baby up quite often, which you should want to avoid. As you might expect, soundproofing a nursery will be the most effective way of doing so.
What you might not have realized is that long-term noise, especially one that’s quite persistent, can have a variety of negative effects on your baby. The majority of this will be seen in the development of their brain, which you should want to avoid. By making sure that your child isn’t exposed to this, you’ll be able to avoid any negative consequences.
Another reason why you might want to soundproof your nursery is for your neighbors. Babies cry a lot, which could cause a variety of issues between you and the people you live close to. This is especially true since babies can cry at almost any hour of the night, which could wake your neighbors.
Naturally, the majority of us will want to avoid this as much as possible. Coupled with this is the fact that many people aren’t going to want to wake your child at any point during the night. However, you shouldn’t expect them to tiptoe around their house or apartment.
By making sure that your nursery is soundproof, your neighbors will be able to do what they normally do without risking waking your child.
Lastly, soundproofing a nursery could provide a few benefits for you, too. You and your partner will have a life outside of your baby, which means that you’ll want to talk to each other, watch television, and much more. However, all of this runs the risk of waking up your baby when they’re sleeping.
By soundproofing the nursery and putting a baby monitor next to your baby, you should be able to relax and talk to your partner without having to worry about waking them. As a result of this, soundproofing the nursery could prove to be a highly-recommended option for the majority of new parents.
It’s worth doing all of the above before your baby is born. Once you’ve become a parent, you’re going to have your hands full, so you might not have the time to soundproof the nursery. As such, it’s recommended that you soundproof it early so that you can reap the rewards as soon as you bring your baby home.