Decorating a Baby’s Nursery

When you receive news of an impending arrival, one of the first things you do is to clear out the spare room full of junk and set about turning it into the kind of baby nursery you see in glossy magazines and on the TV. But before you stock up on paint and nursery furniture there are a few points that you should consider:
Baby's Nursery

Preparation

It’s all too easy to get carried away and impulse buy without really considering the layout, dimensions and theme of a room. So once you’ve cleared away all the junk you’ve been collecting for years, it’s a good idea to take note not only of the room measurements but where the door, windows and wall sockets are. This way you can plan where your nursery furniture will go and can get to grips with color schemes, lighting, window furnishings and other decoration that will compliment the size and shape of your baby’s nursery.

Room Usage

Consider what the room will be used for. That might sound obvious but unlike older children, babies have no need for accents such as themed bedding, cushions and other accessories. Nurseries are used almost exclusively for feeding and resting so it might be an idea to hold off characterizing the room until your baby is old enough to start using their room as a playroom as well as a bedroom.

Colors and Themes

Unlike an older child, you have no idea what your new baby will like and dislike; therefore it’s not a good idea to force specific themes and colors onto your child just because you like them. Young children see color in a very different way to how we do so it’s probably best to wait until your child starts to show preferences before you start dressing up their rooms. As newborns spend a large amount of their time sleeping and feeding, it makes sense to keep the colors fairly neutral, opting for pastel shades rather than bold, bright shades. The advantage of this is that you can easily add a theme to the room as your baby gets older without having to re-decorate. It’s also worth bearing in mind that as new parents, you want the room to be relaxing and calm to encourage your baby to drift off to sleep, so novelty lighting, busy walls and bright colors are best kept for when your child is older and needs more stimulation.

Furniture

It can be tempting to buy a range of matching nursery furniture that looks breathtakingly pretty, but you have to bear in mind the practicality of such furniture after a couple of years when your baby will have outgrown most of it. It makes much more sense to buy furniture that can adapt with your child and will therefore last for years. For instance, a cot bed will last far beyond the newborn months and a good, sturdy set of drawers topped with a changing mat makes just as good a changing table than specific ones that costs hundreds of pounds. So when buying nursery furniture the rule of thumb is to consider just how much you need it and how long it will be useful for.

Lighting

Soft ambient lighting is best for baby’s room. Don’t assume that you need a nightlight; if you can get your baby used to sleeping in the dark then they are less likely to need a nightlight when they are older. A dimmer light would be ideal along with a low wattage lamp for night-time feeds. Ensure that the room has plenty of natural daylight and consider getting a blind instead of curtains as they let in less light and keep the room warmer in the winter.Remember that a baby’s nursery is not just about creating a space for your new baby, but also one for you to feel comfortable and relaxed in as you’ll be spending just as much time in the nursery as the baby during that first year. Therefore a nursery should ideally be less about decoration and more about practicality and comfort.About the author
Lisa is a mum of two kids in the UK and writes about children’s decorating themes and ideas at juniorrooms.co.uk