Even though this is our first baby, this is not my first attempt at setting up a changing area in our home. Six years ago, back when we first moved into our current home, all of our friends started having babies, and I wanted to make our house as accommodating as possible. I researched all my favorite blogs at the time, and created a sweet little changing area in our upstairs laundry closet. You can read all about it on the archived blog post, HERE. (We can all agree that my photography game has come a long way since 2014!)

Now that we’re getting ready to move into our second home, it’s time to start thinking about the next reincarnation of the changing area. This time, it will be in the nursery. Changing Area 2.0, I like to call it.

Along with everything else I’ve picked and Pinned for my registry, the best changing area is pretty up there. For starters, I had to decide what surface to house the changing area on top of. Would it be a dresser? A pre-built changing station? A built-in wet bar of sorts? You’ll never guess what I landed on, and you may actually recognize the piece from…Rock the Block.

My Favorite Changing Area Surface

I loved the nursery I did for that home so much that I put dibs on the adorable IKEA dresser we used. For my own nursery, I ended up switching out the knobs, but you’ll have to wait to see the finished piece on HGTV’s big, Rock the Bump nursery reveal.

Next, I needed to decide on a changing pad “table topper,” as I’ve learned to refer to them as. This is a cute container that the changing pad sits inside of, and which can also be secured to the top of the dresser as an added safety precaution. Here are a few that caught my eye: I couldn’t get over the cute basket design!

Next, the changing pad itself, which depends on which shape “topper” I choose, oval or rectangle:

Once that was decided, I needed a changing pad cover, of course:

And then I was in the market for some cute storage for diapers, wipes, and lotion.

Ultimately, I landed on the oval basket topper, because I love its texture and organic shape mixed with the more modern lines of the dresser. I plan on securing the basket to the top of the dresser with some screws and baby safety straps. I selected my favorite oval-shaped accessories and then coordinated the storage items for the top of the dresser accordingly.