Decorating a nursery for your new baby is so exciting!
There are so many things to consider, and so many choices to make. You may already have an idea for a theme, or the exact colors you want to work with, or you may be looking for some inspiring ideas.
Just remember, safety is the number one priority when decorating a nursery.
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THINGS TO CONSIDER - THE BIG PICTURE
Children grow rapidly and their environment (nursery/bedroom) needs to be adaptable to changing and growing with them. So before you begin, you must think ahead and plan for alterations and modifications over the years. It makes the most sense to invest in quality furniture that can be used for many years, and change the decorating theme by changing bedding, window treatments, accessories, and paint or wallpaper.
The most important thing to remember is that decorating a childs bedroom is never permanent! You also want to make sure that your babys room is safe, and visually stimulating (more on that later.) Start thinking flexibly now, developing this ability will go a long way in helping you with your new baby!
DECORATING THEMES
Lets talk about nursery decorating themes. Picking your nursery decorating theme is the first place to start. Decide if you want to go with a character nursery decorating theme, like Snoopy, Noahs Ark, Ballerina Teddy Bears, and the like; or if you would rather just develop a theme by simply choosing two or three complimentary colors to work with.
Pastels are the most popular color schemes, but bright primary color schemes (red, yellow, blue) work great too! Primary color schemes work well decorating a nursery for either a boy or girl, and they carry over nicely into the toddler years. Make your babys environment somewhat stimulating for them.
Babies like to look at shapes and simple patterns, so consider painting, stenciling, or applying appliques of basic shapes (checkerboard patterns, squares, circles nested inside each other, etc.) and geometric patterns to the walls, and even the ceiling, after all, baby will be spending lots of time looking at the ceiling!
Purchasing complete product sets is probably the easiest and fastest way to decorate a nursery because everything matches and is coordinated for you! From crib bedding to window treatments, to matching accessories, all in one place!
If you decide to go with a character nursery decorating theme, you can find bedding, wallpaper borders, wall appliques, window treatments, and accessories that all match together perfectly, but make sure that you do include some basic shapes as described above to stimulate your babys mind.
If you want to develop your own theme just using colors, find baby bedding that you really like (bedding that uses blocks of colored squares as a pattern for instance), then carry those colors into the wall decor with borders and appliques.
START WITH THE RIGHT BABY FURNITURE
If you choose wisely regarding the purchase of baby furniture when decorating a nursery, you will be able to use some of the furniture for several years, saving you lots of money!
The absolute essentials for furnishing a nursery are, a crib, a dresser, a Glider Rocker (oh yeah, thats definitely an essential!), and a place to store baby supplies like, diapers, baby wash, diaper cream, baby wipes and the like. A Changing Table is a great piece of furniture to have if you have a little extra money to spend.
There are also changing tables available that have drawers to conveniently store items, a perfect solution for those who want to complete the nursery but who lack the space to have both a changing table and a dresser. You might want to consider making an investment in a multi-purpose 3-in-1 Convertible Baby Crib that can convert into a toddler bed and then into a full size bed for use throughout your childs life. This crib is fairly inexpensive when you consider the many years of use you will get from it!
WINDOW TREATMENTS
For safety sake, it is best not to use long curtains or draperies when decorating a nursery, unless you plan to remove them once your baby becomes mobile (which will happen sooner than you think!) A simple fabric valance that matches your nursery decorating theme placed above the window(s) is perfect.
Purchase some vinyl room darkening shades or blinds (vinyl is easily kept clean with a damp cloth) so that you can darken babys room for naptime. Make sure that you never leave the blind cords hanging down where your mobile baby could tangle herself up in them, tuck the cords in at the top of the blinds to keep them out of her way.
ACCESSORIES
The finishing touches for decorating a nursery, are the accessories. Choose a fun nightlight or a lowlight lamp to match your decorating theme. Add some cutout appliques or stencils to the walls, ceiling and if you choose, to the furniture. Have fun decorating a nursery for your baby!
by Kristine Mulholland
