Things To Consider When Decorating The Nursery

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There is something SO exciting about being in a position to decorate a nursery for the new baby that you have on the way. Sure, they won’t be using it for the first six months as they’ll be sleeping in your room with you, but that doesn't mean that you can’t decorate the space and get it ready for that big transition out of your room and into theirs. There are so many things to think about when you’re making the baby nursery, and that includes everything from the colors you use to the furniture, the style and the decor on the walls.

You have to consider which room in the house you are going to use, where the sun will come up and whether you have the right awning windows for additional airflow to ensure that the room is well ventilated. Designing this baby room gives you the chance to let your creativity take over and you can really go all out here. This is a space that you want to be gentle, calm, quiet. So, the chances are you won’t want bold colors and loud noise outside. Below, we’ve put together a list of the things you have to consider when you put together a nursery for the first time.

1. Colors, themes and walls. Your baby’s nursery has to be calm and the theme is the one thing you can really shine into the space. It can be as simple as a color theme, or you can choose a character. Some people choose to drive their baby theme by the standard pink or blue but you can have a more neutral space and still have it be beautiful. Yellow and grey are very popular nursery color themes, as are brown and white (teddy bear colors!). The walls and flooring should be complementary and it’s popular to have flooring that’s wooden and whitewashed with a beautiful rug with the right color that you choose. You can also theme the room with an animal or even flowers and spaceships! The world is your oyster here!

2. Consider the long term. The nursery should be a space that grows with your child. By choosing to stick with a neutral color theme, it can grow with them and you can just change out the furniture. The same can be said for using wall stickers over theme paint. A theme of teddy bears as a tiny baby can be changed to a woodland theme as they grow. It’s pretty cool how you can do that, especially if this will be their room for the few years ahead of them!

3. The furniture. Furniture is one of the most important considerations that you’ll make for the nursery space because it’s the comfort you get. The cot needs to be plain with just a fitted sheet, but you have to think about a place for the clothes to go, a hamper for laundry, a change mat and a caddy for wipes and nappies, a storage box for blankets and towels - the list goes on. One of the most important furniture items is the glider. You need to be comfortable in there, too, especially when feeding the baby! Add a pillow or two and you can make sure that you aren't in any discomfort when you are rocking them in the night and breastfeeding (or bottle, no judgement).

4. Storage options. We touched on this one earlier. Babies are small, but they come with a lot of paraphernalia. Blankets, towels, Muslin cloths, sheets - you need to be stocked for those unexpected poop explosions and spit ups. That means that you need storage to hold it all. You’ll also want somewhere for the laundry, somewhere for the toys and storage for their clothes. It’s a lot, but it’s going to be there so you may as well ensure that the baby has something to use.

5. Lighting. The windows are hopefully going to invite in a lot of natural light, but you’ll want to add blackout blinds for the night so that the baby isn't woken by sunrise! You want the space to have a nightlight, too, so when they’ve moved in and they’re in need of a nighttime feed or comfort, you can see what you’re doing without waking them up too much!

The nursery is the one place in the house that is exclusive to your new arrival. Understanding what you’ll need for it is going to blow your mind and it’s going to be a rite of passage for you. Have fun!