changing pad + Table

There are a lot of options in the nursery furniture arena that are like a dresser with a changing tray built into it. We used our own dresser and then got this Crate&Kids Changing Table Topper to put on top of it (not all changing pads are the same size, so if you get the Crate&Kids Topper, also get the Crate&Kids Changing Pad). A note on using your own dresser: the special nursery dressers are actually designed to be at the right height so you aren't always bending over and hurting your back when you are changing your baby. I sort of regret that I didn't consider going this route, since it hurts to bend over all the time for diaper changes. In the realm of normal dressers that are an optimized height for diaper changing, the Ikea Hemnes is great. My recommendation is if you want to use a normal dresser,  compare its height to that of actual diaper changing dressers to see if it's substantially higher or lower.

For the changing pad itself, I like the 3-sided changing pad that elevates the head on one end (and prevents the head from bumping into the edges of the changing table topper box). You need lots of covers if you go the traditional changing pad route because they will pee, spit-up, etc. all over it, sometimes multiple times a day. I really like the Crate&Kids and Aden + Anais covers, but there are tons of cute options.

A cool alternative to traditional changing pads is the Keekaroo Changing Pad, which is everything all in one. It's a soft but wipe-clean foam/plastic material that doesn't require any sort of a tray or cover.

Regardless of the changing pad you choose, it's good to have a few changing pad liners to put down when you have a "five alarm" diaper on your hands. There are both cloth and disposable options. I like the disposable ones for on-the-go use, as they can double as a floor cover for the gross and inevitable situations where you find yourself changing your baby's diaper on a disgusting bathroom floor. At home we preferred cloth, probably because it was easy to mentally group and physically store the cloth liners and the cloth changing pad table covers. We had Munchkin liners at first, but ultimately didn't like them because they are small-ish (as in, we had poop go beyond its boundary on many occasions) and over time the waterproof layer separated from the cloth and they got kind of gross. I like these bamboo changing pad liners much better.