This post is in partnership with Room & Board. Thank you for supporting brands who support VK!

Oh the nursery! Truly one of my favorite parts of being pregnant the first time around with Ella was nesting, gathering pieces for the nursery, and planning a perfect little space for my sweet babe. I was also completely overwhelmed with the amount of baby stuff, furniture, and gadgets that were seemingly required to have for my newborn. Every social media ad and pregnancy tracking app advertised even more things that I would need for my baby – it was really all too much. With Ella, I bought things sparingly (even though we did buy things we never, ever used – more on that to come) and tried to be minimalistic when possible. Now with my second baby, I know exactly what we need in a nursery – and truthfully, it’s not much. This time around instead of worrying about onesies and having 15 swaddles (not necessary), I focused on filling baby #2’s space with timeless, quality, heirloom pieces that we’d use for years to come.

I feel incredibly lucky to have partnered with Room & Board to create a beautiful, gender-neutral nursery space for our new little babe, Henry. If you’re unfamiliar with the brand, Room & Board creates timeless, sustainably sourced and sustainably-made furniture pieces that are gorgeous additions to your home.

I’ve always been drawn to Room & Board for their commitment to creating sustainable, artisan-made furniture that are better for people, and better for the planet. This year, I’ve tried to support and align with brands and businesses that are doing better for the planet; in the foods I eat, the clothes I wear, and what I intentionally purchase. Room & Board is totally aligned with this ethos; they’re striving to be climate neutral in their operations (and reach 100% renewable energy by 2030), reducing operational waste, designing recyclable packaging, and committing to reaching zero waste in their operations. Currently Room & Board uses 85% sustainably sourced wood in their furniture, and their goal is to be at 100% by 2025. Along with wood, they use other sustainably and ethically sourced materials when possible, and are incredibly transparent with both their consumers and manufacturers in this process. Not to mention, more than 90% of their products are made by American artisans. Another reason to love R&B: quality construction, timeless designs, and durable materials means that Room & Board’s furniture pieces will last for years and years to come – and outlive any weird design trends. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, nearly 12 million tons of furniture end up in landfills every year – which is absolutely crazy. Room & Board strives to be a part of the solution by designing their pieces to be trend-proof, timeless additions to your home.

SO, back to our sweet and cozy nursery space with Room & Board. I choose pieces that I know we’ll have for years and years, are durable for raising a baby and a future toddler, and have timeless designs to grow from baby’s nursery space to future bedroom.

Here’s what you actually need for your baby and nursery.

Nursery Essentials:

Crib and bassinet. First and foremost, baby needs a safe space to sleep. Wether you plan to cosleep, room share, or put baby in the nursery right away, a safe and cozy sleep space is essential. With both of our babies, we used the Snoo Smart Sleeper Bassinet from Happiest Baby for the first 5-6 months – which I will say, is very baby-dependent on how well it works. Baby #1 loved the Snow, baby #2 – not so much. We ended up transferring Henry to his crib much earlier, simply because he didn’t vibe with the Snoo. Luckily, this boy loves his crib and sleeps so much better in it. Henry has the Aster Crib in taupe from Room & Board. This modern and sweet crib is handcrafted from solid, sustainably-harvested U.S. wood by a family-owned company with a reputation for exceeding safety standards. I love this crib because it’s made with solid wood (no fillers or particle board), and is a gorgeous grey, taupe color that fits effortlessly in our gender-neutral nursery space. It’s also such an heirloom item and I can see us having this crib for years and years to come, and even eventually sharing it with family or friends welcoming a sweet little babe too.

In the crib we use the nontoxic mattress (we’ve used it for both babies and it’s amazing) and waterproof mattress cover (essential) from Naturepedic with organic cotton crib sheets. We also live and die by Woolino’s merino wool sleep sacks – you need at least two, trust me.

Changing table. Instead of buying a specific changing table with a cloth changing top built in (don’t do this – the cloth padded topper will inevitably get dirty and it will make more laundry, which you certainly do not need in your life) we went with the most gorgeous Emerson Dresser in white oak which we will have for the rest of our lives – it’s seriously perfection. I absolutely love the honeyed color of the sustainable solid wood, and that it’s made in the United States from craftspeople in Wisconsin or North Carolina. It’s truly a statement dresser and something I’ve gotten so many compliments on from family and friends.

Changing pad: For easy diaper changes, we pop the Keekaroo Peanut changing pad on top of the dresser, which we’ve used since Ella was a newborn. I LOVE that you can wipe it clean and that it’s made in the USA, completely nontoxic, and that the outer shell is truly impermeable to any fluid. For diapering, we’re big fans of nontoxic diapers (the brands Honest Company, Hello Bello, and Coterie are all great) and simple Water Wipes. You definitely don’t need a wipe warmer or any fancy diapering tools, but you DO need a good diaper pail that locks shut and seals out odors.

Cozy rocking chair or glider. We are loving the Ambry Swivel Glider Chair in Arin navy. Ok, this glider is so cozy – and a must have for any nursery space. Not only is it a statement piece in our neutral nursery thanks to its beautiful navy tweed fabric, it’s also made with family-friendly performance fabric that’s also fade resistant, because spit-up and a climbing toddler happen a lot around here. It’s the softest and coziest place for endless hours of breastfeeding, rocking H to sleep, and reading lots and lots of books. It also glides effortlessly and completely swivels from side to side, which is a dream. I made the mistake of getting a rocker for Ella’s nursery, which although is aesthetically so cute, is not functional at all for easy rocking.

Storage for all the books, blankets, toys, swaddles, and other random baby items that you’ll inevitably be gifted in your baby shower. I love these Bangla Storage Baskets. We have two of these gorgeous baskets for storage for use for a variety of baby things. The larger basket is perfect for thick and cozy blankets, stuffed animals, and board books, while the smaller basket fits perfectly atop the Emerson Dresser for storing wipes, swaddles, burp cloths, lotion, and anything else that needs to be grabbed easily for diaper changes and beyond. Hand woven by artisans in Bangladesh through Ten by ThreeTM, these baskets are not only functional, but so so beautiful too. Each basket features a coil weaving technique in which date palm is wrapped around sea grass and then sewn to the layer beneath. This traditional technique can take about five days to weave just one basket, and each basket reflects the unique style and technique of the weaver. Even more incredible: artisans working with Ten by Three receive a Prosperity Wage, which is at least 2.5 times the Fair Trade Wage.

Lighting: I’ve used a small salt rock lamp with both babes for middle of the night feeds and diaper changes when I want the space to still be dark (to not awaken and overstimulate baby), but I need to see what I’m doing! The cozy glow of the salt lamp is absolutely perfect, and most have dimmer switches to control the brightness as well.

Other miscellaneous essentials: Truly, baby doesn’t need much in their nursery: a safe space for sleeping, a changing table/pad, a few diapers, a handful of zipper pajamas or onesies (we love organic options from Hanna Andersson, Goumi Kids, and Kyte Baby), and wipes. Other things we’ve used with both babies are board books, black and white cards, a play gym (Lovevery is great), a sound machine for white noise, humidifier (Canopy) and an air purifier, if needed.

The simpler, the better. Any questions on nursery things or Room & Board furniture? Share with a comment or send me a DM on Instagram – I really love chatting with you and sharing more about babies and furniture.