Looking for baby nursery ideas for the arriving member of your family is for sure a rewarding and enjoyable process.
Nevertheless, it can turn into a daunting experience for those not sure what to look for, or simply feeling overwhelmed by all available nursery design styles.
Another challenging side of this process is to look for nursery ideas on a budget, especially for parents looking to equip a large room when the toddler will have everything he/she needs.
To make things a bit easier, we’ve collated the best baby nursery decor tips and practices you should consider:
How to decorate a nursery? Here are some of the best newborn baby room decorating ideas:
Choose an appropriate room, and familiarize with its proportions and practicalities
The ideal choice for a nursery is a quiet room located next to the bedroom, so that you can always keep an eye on your little one.
Depending on the season, ensure the room is heated/cooled appropriately, and has a solid ventilation system in place.
Next, consider curtains or black-out blinds for the windows to protect the baby from external light while sleeping.
Consider baby nursery decorations that match the overall style of your home
Image source: Dale Design
Depending on whether you’ve selected a contemporary, traditional, or eclectic setting for your home, make sure your choice will be supported by the nursery as well.
The same as the rest of your rooms, the nursery should reflect who you are and what you stand for, as any other option would look incompatible and out of place.
Define the mood
This will mostly depend on whether you’re looking for nursery ideas for boys or nursery ideas for girls.
A good course of action is to browse the internet for inspiration, select few pictures you like, and pull out a theme that combines all elements you like.
Before shifting to furniture and accessorizing, define the colour scheme.
Less is more
If looking for baby nursery ideas for small rooms, your main priority should be to keep decor simple, and avoid the clutter of implementing all gorgeous nursery ideas you’ve been collecting.
This won’t be an easy task, so try to focus on a single, central piece that will hold the scene together, such as oversized beds or a large piece of artwork.
The final result should be child-friendly instead of childish, which means you ought to work with neutral background colours and accessories that will resist the test of time.
Use a tranquil, soft colour palette
Despite of all brave blue baby boy room decor settings, or overdone, princess-inspired pinkish baby girl room decor you will find on the internet, children deserve to relax surrounded by nurturing and relaxing shades.
As they grow, they will certainly have an opinion on how their room should look, and with a neutral scheme in place they will find it easy to achieve the desired result.
Go for time-resistant or easy-to-replace solutions
Obviously, the best solution for any nursery is to go for high-profile and timeless furniture sets, but such are still a considerable investment you can’t know for sure is going to last.
In order to keep the nursery scenario open for changes, use affordable wall stickers to decorate, or pieces your kiddo can use by the age he/she starts making decisions.
Safety comes first
Image source: SISSY+MARLEY
When looking for a cot, make sure it meets the BS EN 716 standard (if buying in the UK, all new cots will comply with this requirement).
BS EN compliant cots have the ideal depth to ensure the baby will be safe, and a reasonable distance between the bars that won’t allow the baby to slide outside using the slightest lack of attention.
Once you’ve settled the cot issue, pay attention to the safety of the overall cot zone. Ideally, it should be placed further away from heaters, lamps, windows, cords, or any sharp object that hurt the baby.
Begin with key elements
When shopping for nursery furniture, start by picking large and essential pieces, and only then think of accessorizing and colours.
Trust us – repainting the walls will be way easier and cheaper than getting a new crib!
Combine the looks with function and safety
The main challenge of designing nurseries is to combine between safety, function, and form, as we all like them to be fairytale worlds in a nutshell, but wouldn’t settle for a solution that doesn’t help nurse our baby.
This is why it is imperative to look for a room that meets both needs, and plan the design in advance.
Don’t restrict your creativity
Who said the furniture of your baby’s room must be nursery specific? Instead of following blindly the concepts and ideas of other people, think of the colours and items you would love to see, and go for those.
Before you start designing your nursery:
Define the theme and the style
This doesn’t mean that you should limit your choices to a specific idea, single settling, or concept.
Instead, use the theme to specify what you want, and to make the final result clearer and more cohesive.
Devote some time to textiles
Let us share a common scenario: You’ve just hit off with furniture shopping, and came across breathtaking bedding alike the one you’ve always dreamt of.
The problem is, that bedding is an absolute contrast to your new paint job, and a different colour is not available.
In order to avoid such clash and to skip colour-matching issues, start by choosing your textiles. This, of course, refers also to your curtains and rugs.
Choose a focal point
You can decide the usual way and pick a gorgeous crib to beautify the room, or involve more creativity and give the signature role to another piece.
A good idea would be to work around the alcove or a large window, stick a catchy mural, or simply use the oversized toy you purchased to welcome your young one.
Prepare your own nursing station
As much as you think you’ve prepared for your first-time nursing, much of this tricky and juggling process will catch you unprepared. That’s why it is imperative to think of storage and sorting before the young one is even born.
As infants outgrow their clothes, the storage challenge becomes more and more serious, so think of a sorting system that will preserve control in your hands.
For instance, you can get a nursery closet with labelled drawers, and organize the kiddo’s stuff by type, size, or occasion. This way, you will have everything at the reach of your fingertips, and save plenty of time.
Remember: Ceiling fans are your baby’s friends
Image source: Lucia Tacla
Did you know that there is an easy way for each parent to prevent SIDS? According to an Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine study, infants who are directly exposed to ceiling fans are 72% less likely to develop SIDS.
If you are stationed in a colder climate zone, you should lose no time, and install one right away.
Keep all options open
Choosing furniture for a nursery is the most time-consuming stage of the design process, as you have to project a room your toddler can use even when he/she grows up.
That means that instead of focusing on the exciting crib that occupies more space than necessary, you should be looking for dressers and stand-alone tables that will provide more use in future.
This way, you will also manage to stay within your budget.
Use softer and dimmed lighting, and mind your windows
In order to prevent intense light from disturbing the baby’s dream (in particular the one placed over the crib), use dimmers and accent story-time lamps.
Use blinds and curtains for the windows, so that the baby will get the same protection from external light.
When it comes to windowing, covering is a safety precaution rather than a design solution, as it also prevents too much heat accumulating in the room, and decreases the risk of developing SIDS.
Consider nightlight fixtures
Nightlights are both safe and handy, and will help a lot with late night checks and feedings.
Plus, fixtures like these come in all colours and themes, and will thus give the place a beautiful and adorable vibe.
Turn the nursery into a safety zone
This may not sound as a priority for newly born babies that spend most of the time in their bed, but as they start moving, you must take all necessary precautions to prevent disaster.
The first thing to do is to cover outlets and to tuck cords away, and only then proceed anchoring sharp and rough furniture that could hurt them.
Cover slippery floors with soft rugs, and keep all ointments and medicines out of the baby’s reach.
Equip the room with necessities and ointments
Make sure all lotions, diapers, wipes, and other ointments will be in arm’s reach for when your baby arrives. This way, you won’t have to leave the toddler unattended at any moment.
The whole point of planning decor in time is to prevent last-minute mistakes from affecting the ultimate result, so make sure you start on time.
This way, there will be less stress and more positive energy involved in the process, and your baby will have the beautiful, freshly painted and decorated space immediately upon arrival.
Ending thoughts
While decorating a nursery, you should always put practicality and function before appearance. Your baby’s comfort comes first, and once you’ve worked your way around it, the aesthetics question will be easy to solve.
After some major changes in your life comes that day when finally you start to have a role on this earth and you are understanding why are you casting a shadow on Earth.
That moment happens at the same time with the birth of your baby and this special member of the family requires his own room so start creating the baby’s nursery.
Baby nurseries should have themes, pictures that are friendly and attractive for your baby, because he’s in that time of his life when he is just learning and the design you choose for the baby nursery will help him in developing his character and personality.
When you decorate a baby nursery room you should take into account some aspects. Even if it is for a boy or for a girl the baby nursery uses the same principle, this is the place of your baby and just the things he needs should have a place in this room.
Baby nursery furniture is composed from two basic elements: the crib and a little closet to store all the diapers and his tiny clothes.
Before you start decorating a baby nursery take same notes and think exactly of want you want and which are your expectations from this room. Here is a collection with baby nursery decorating ideas in order to help you find easier a good and interesting design for your kid.
Original article and pictures take www.impressiveinteriordesign.com site
