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Decorating a Baby Nursery

By Dan Calderwood

Having a baby is an extremely exciting time in your life, even if you are sick during the pregnancy, and throwing up your guts the whole time, your anticipation and excitement out does the sickness, and you just can't help but count the days.

Babies, while beautiful, cuddly, and sweet, they are also expensive. You have diapers and wipes to buy, in endless supply, bottles, formula, blankets, burp pads, cribs, beddings, toys, etc. All of these items you are going to purchase will add up, not to mention the fact that you need somewhere to put them and the baby! So, if you will be bringing home a new baby soon, chances are you are thinking about how you will decorate the nursery.

Decorating a baby nursery is fun, and there are so many things you can do to make it personal and exciting. This is the space that will house one of the most important things in your life, so why not decorate it just as you want it?

Here are some inexpensive and easy ideas to get you started in decorating your baby's nursery, and should help you to make it a space you love and want to spend time in:

First thing is first. When you are decorating a baby nursery, you need to realize that the baby needs somewhere to sleep. If you decide to invest in expensive crib bedding, your child will likely be out of the crib in 2 years and you will have to buy new bedding for their "grown up" bed, so keep that in mind as you choose colors, styles, and prices.
When decorating the baby nursery, don't just think style, also think function. The room needs to be usable, so choose fabrics and patterns that can be easily cleaned. You will be doing a lot of laundry, and you want crib linens that are easy to clean. Also, consider buying a "crib bib". These are pieces of fabric that stretch across the head of the crib where you place your baby's head. If baby spits up, all you have to do is change the "bib" instead of the entire sheet. So, in other words, when decorating, think of the common things about babies. Make things both aesthetically pleasing, and functional. Find nice canisters etc. to hold the necessities like wipes, pacifiers, bibs, etc.
Choose furniture that not only looks nice, but provides you with things you need. For example, invest in a sturdy changing table with a strap. Once baby is moving around, you'll be glad you did, plus many changing tables these day can convert into a dresser or desk to be used later when baby is older and no longer in diapers.
When decorating a baby nursery you need to decorate in ways that will calm your child, and occupy them. For example, place a mobile or colored pictures above the changing pad to keep baby busy while changing. Don't paint the room yellow as this color is distressing to babies, and keep things in close proximity to where they will be used.
Don't make it so you have to redecorate. Choose colors and patterns that can be used later in the child's life without making them feel too childish or silly. Also, if you decide on a border, place it high enough so that baby won't be able to pull it off once he/she is standing in the crib. You do not want to have to reapply things.
When decorating a baby nursery, safety is as important as style. Place a thick rug under the changing table in the unlikely event baby takes a tumble off. Do not use sharp edges where baby can get, and place the crib away from windows with blinds as the cords can be a hazard.
Make the room fun, but also realize that it is a bedroom, so the baby will be sleeping in the room, thus, it should not be too stimulating, or the child will not be able to rest well.
Use basic decorating items to enhance the quality of life for your baby. For example, when decorating, consider the uses of lighting. Think about installing a dimmer on the light switch for late night changes, and a desk lamp near the changing table. Also, use items like window treatments to make the room more comfortable, not only should they be decorative, but useful as well. Consider blackout or room darkening shades, which will help baby to sleep when the sun is out.

Basically, when it comes to decorating a baby nursery, the sky is the limit. You can choose themes, colors, styles etc. But regardless of what you choose, consider the above suggestions so you do create more work for yourself later.

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