How To Make Your Baby’s Room Smell Nice

Does your baby’s room smell like pee or poop? Or does it have a stale musty smell? We all love our babies, and who doesn’t love the newborn baby smell? However, they are messy creatures and sometimes you can get all sorts of odours coming from their nursery, from sour milk to pee and poop.

In this article let’s look at all the different ways you can make your baby’s room smell nicer.

Start cleaning your nursery first

Before you start adding sweet smelling fragrances to your baby’s nursery, you need to ensure you have a regular cleaning routine and the room is set up properly. Firstly, ensure you have all the necessary baby wipes, diapers and creams close to the changing table. It’s also worth investing in a diaper pail which you can keep near the changing table so you can easily dispose of dirty wipes and diapers.

Try to keep floors clean and wipe down surfaces regularly, especially the changing table and pad. Use an eco-friendly cleaner if you can as this is better for the environment and better for your baby’s lungs. Finally, although it’s challenging when you’re sleep deprived, try to keep your baby’s room as clutter free as possible, so it’s easier to hoover the carpet or sweep the floor.

Once you have a clean and clutter-free nursery (at least to some degree), let’s look at how to make it smell a bit nicer.

How do you make your baby’s room smell nice

Here are 15 tips to make your baby’s nursery smell better if you’re tired of walking in the room and getting a whiff of something rather unpleasant!

Use a diaper pail

Unless you plan on taking every dirty diaper outside to the trashcan after every baby change, you really need a diaper pail. They are specially designed to keep the smell trapped inside and you can open them easily via a foot pedal.

Take out the rubbish

Sounds simple doesn’t it. Although it’s tempting to fill the diaper pail up to full capacity before you empty it, some smells are bound to leak out over time. Try to empty it at least once a day so no lingering smells of poop and urine can fill your baby’s nursery.

Don’t bring food

Get in the habit of only eating food in the kitchen or dining room. Even though it can be exhausting dealing with a baby, don’t be tempted to snack or eat meals in your baby’s nursery, especially hot food. Bits of food left in the room or on the floor can attract rodents and insects too.

Open the windows

Make sure your baby’s nursery is well ventilated so keep the windows open as much as you can. Just make sure your baby isn’t in a draught, and keep an eye on the room temperature so they won’t be too cold.

Properly seal dirty diapers in a bag

Make sure you properly seal dirty diapers in a bag before putting them in a diaper pail or in the trash. It’s tempting to rush this step especially if you’re trying to change your baby at the same time, but make sure the diaper is properly sealed so there are no air leaks for bad smells to escape. You can buy some diaper sacks which have a pleasant odour to block out the smell of poop and pee.

Change baby in another room

One way to eliminate any bad odours in your baby’s room is to change them elsewhere. If you have a fairly large house, this might be an option for you. You can just put your baby’s changing table, accessories and diaper pail somewhere away from their nursery.

No baby bottle near bed sheets

While mum and dad shouldn’t eat in the nursery, don’t let your baby drink a bottle near the bed sheets. Any little drips of milk onto the bed sheets will quickly go off and leave a sour smell in your baby’s nursery. You should also discourage your baby drinking a bottle before they go to bed when they get older as this can cause tooth decay.

Put dirty diapers outside

You don’t have to put your baby’s diaper pail next to their changing table in the nursery. Put it somewhere else, ideally with good ventilation.

Add some oil to the diaper pail

This little tip was written by a mum from Seattle, Washington. Add a couple of drops of tea tree oil to the underside of the diaper pail with a wipe. It last quite a while and makes it smell a lot cleaner and fresher.

Use a natural deodorizer

You can spray the room with a natural deodorizer as this can neutralize bad smells. If you’d rather not spray anything, you can get charcoal bags made from bamboo which last quite a long time.

Fabric softener sheets under changing pad

The changing table and pad can often smell bad despite your best efforts to clean it. Place a couple of fabric softener sheets underneath the changing pad to give the area a fresher scent. You could also place one under the diaper pail.

Wash sheets more frequently

Even if your baby doesn’t drink milk near the bed sheets, they’ll still pick up some nasty odours quickly. Make sure you change their bed sheets regularly, ideally once a week, so no bad smells can linger in the room.

Use a mattress cover

Any spillages or accidents which occur near a mattress can be problematic depending on the material. Use a mattress cover to protect the mattress from any liquids which could soak through and leave a nasty smell which can be hard to remove. Once mattresses are dirty, it can be very hard to clean them.

Use a room diffuser

You can make your baby’s nursery smell better using a room diffuser. They’re easy to use. Just add water and an essential oil of your choice. However, it’s best to wait until your baby is at least 3 months old before using one.

Air purifier or dehumidifer

Some bad smells in a room can be caused by damp, which can seal in bad odours. This can be caused by damp clothes, toys or other baby items. If you live in a humid climate, you can purchase a dehumidifier.

Also, if you want something to really tackle a bad smell that you can’t get rid of, despite all your best efforts, you might want to consider an air purifier. Although they primarily deal with removing allergens in the room, make sure you pick one which can get rid of bad odours too. Here’s one which does both: