**Group 1: Design Considerations for Building a Nursery:**
– Nurseries should be built considering factors like sunlight, fresh air, and ventilation.
– Sanitary and hygienic concerns, ease of disinfection, and access to plumbing are essential.
– Design and amenities should prioritize children’s recreation and enjoyment.
**Group 2: Historical Evolution of Nurseries:**
– In Edwardian times, nurseries for the wealthy and mid-tier classes were suites of rooms at the top of a house.
– The suite typically included a night nursery for sleeping, a day nursery for eating and playing, and possibly bathroom and kitchen facilities.
– Fictional portrayals of nurseries are common in literature and film.
**Group 3: Key Components Found in a Nursery:**
– A nursery typically contains a cradle or crib, a changing table, and a rocking chair.
– Various child care items like baby powder and medicine are usually present.
– Nurseries are often the smallest bedroom in a house, primarily used for sleep.
**Group 4: Cultural Significance of Nurseries:**
– Nurseries hold cultural significance in literature and film, portraying themes of childhood and imagination.
– Fictional nurseries are prevalent in works by authors like Kipling and E. Nesbit.
– Nurseries are spaces where children’s growth, care, and development are nurtured.
**Group 5: References and Further Reading:**
– Marden, Orison Swett (1907). The Consolidated Library. Bureau of National Literature and Art. p.38.
– Planning a Room for the Children. The Countryside Magazine and Suburban Life. Marsh Publishing Company. 1914. p.93.
– Mary H. Northend (1908). The Twentieth Century Nursery. Home Needlework Magazine. Florence Publishing Company. p.225-226.
The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (March 2012) |
A nursery is a bedroom within a house or other dwelling set aside for an infant or toddler.
Historically, European nurseries had little decorations and were away from visitors' sight. An article in the 1842 British Cyclopedia of Domestic Medicine and Surgery instructed the readers to never use a shaded room for a nursery and stressed the importance of ventilation. The author, Thomas Andrew, also suggested using two rooms for the nursery to move between them during the cleaning. He neither encourages nor warns against adding colourful objects into the nursery, simply mentioning that they catch children's attention.
Starting from 1870s, authors such as Mary Eliza Haweis started advocating for a more interactive approach: they stressed the importance of visual stimulation for children's development. As a result, colourful patterned wallpapers appeared on the market. The author of a 1900 article on nursery décor was concerned with the idea that spartan conditions with little ornamentation have a positive impact on children's development, suggesting putting colourful pictures on the walls instead. At the same time, he warned against the excessive use of very bright colours in the night nursery where the child slept. Hermann Muthesius suggested covering the nursery walls with wood panels or washable paint, for hygenic reasons.
In Edwardian times, for the wealthy and mid-tier classes, a nursery was a suite of rooms at the top of a house, including the night nursery, where the children slept, and a day nursery, where they ate and played, or a combination thereof. The nursery suite would include some bathroom facilities and possibly a small kitchen. The nurse (nanny) and nursemaid (assistant) slept in the suite too, to be within earshot of the sleeping children.
A nursery is generally designated for the smallest bedroom in the house, as a baby requires very little space until at least walking age. In 1890, Jane Ellen Panton discouraged organising a nursery in "any small and out-of-the-way chamber", proposing instead to prioritise children's comfort and health by selecting a spacious and well-sunlit room. She highlighted the importance of decorations, suggesting a blue colour palette, simpler furniture and pictures. Patton also wrote that a nursery should contain some medical supplies so that the nurse can tend to the child's ailment before the doctor arrives.
Nursery can remain the bedroom of the child into their teenage years, or until a younger sibling is born, and the parents decide to move the older child into another larger bedroom.
A typical modern nursery contains a cradle or a crib (or similar type of bed), a table or platform for the purpose of changing diapers (also known as a changing table), a rocking chair, as well as various items required for the care of the child (such as baby powder and medicine).
Fictional portrayals of nurseries abound, for example in the writings of Kipling and E. Nesbit, in the 1964 live-action and animated films Mary Poppins and Peter Pan.
Definition from ChatGPT:
Nursery (room):
A nursery room is a designated room in a home where a baby or young child sleeps and spends time. It is typically equipped with a crib, changing table, and other essential items for caring for a young child. The nursery is often decorated in a way that is soothing and stimulating for the child's development.