Decorating a Nursery
Ideas on the Best Ways to Set Up, Organize, and Design a Baby's Room
Find out where to put the crib, what else a nursery needs, and get help in selecting colors.
If your nesting hormones are in full swing, then take advantage of them and get busy on decorating the nursery! Here are some ideas to get you started.
Colors
Traditionally, nursery have been done in pastels, with baby blue, pink, and yellow the most popular choices. These are still fine choices, but there are many more options now available in bedding. Sage green is a beautiful and restful color, as is lavendar or a soft melon orange. New research has shown that a newborn's brain is more stimulated by black and white and that colors are not discerned well until later. This has caused some designers to make bold bedroom accessories, such as vivid mobiles and sheets. It is good to make a compromise between the two, because the nursery will be used for both rest and play. A black and white mobile might be fine to keep the little one occupied in the crib while you are cleaning out the diaper genie, but a mobile with more subdued colors will do a better job of letting the baby's brain zone out and cross over into dreamy land. The pictures shown here choose bugs for a theme, which would work for a boy or a girl, and the colors are a combination of soft with the yellow and vivid with the red and other accents.
The Three Zones
There are three zones necessary for a well-functioning nursery. A zone for sleeping, a zone for changing the baby, and a zone for feeding and holding the baby.
Sleeping Zone
The sleeping zone is where you will place the crib. Ideally you would like to place it a little distance from a window to ward off direct sunlight and chilly breezes. A blank wall is a great choice. Also if the bedroom is large, something not all the way across the room from the door is better, because you can be sure there will be days when you are tiptoeing out the door, and the shorter distance for making your escape the better. The crib only needs a fitted sheet and a bumper is optional. The decor in the room is best brought to life elsewhere, because a simple crib is a safe crib. No pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals. These can be placed at other spots in the room.
Changing Zone
The changing zone is a place for changing the baby's clothes and diaper. Normally a changing table is purchased, although a spot on the floor or on in the crib will also work. Changing tables that are also dressers are popular, but remember your baby is not a baby forever, and something that looks like it has a changing table on top of it may not look that charming when the child is 6. Changing tables that have open shelving are usually inexpensive, but not that pretty to look at. The one shown in the pictures here was decorated with a colorful skirt that was adhered with velcro. An opening down the middle is used to pull aside and reach for the diapers, wipes, and other items stashed below. These items are also in reach of the baby, so choose carefully. If you don't care to have the house cat sleeping on the changing table when not in use, train the pet when you first set the changing table up by placing something on the changing spot to make pets unable to use the space. A large stuffed animal or a tub of water ought to do it. The changing zone should be placed near a dresser or closet if possible, so that all items for changing are grouped together in the room.
Feeding/Holding Zone
The feeding and holding zone is a place for an adult to sit while breastfeeding or bottle feeding the baby. It is also a place to read books or simply cuddle. Combination rocker gliders are popular chairs for nurseries. A side table should be handy to hold a bottle of water for the mother, a burp cloth, a night light, and some books. In the photographs here, the chair is not a rocker but an oversized chair with an ottoman. This chair will remove the crutch of rocking the baby to sleep and is versatile for when the child grows up. It can go in any room in the house and is still large enough to hold a parent and a child or two during story time. It is also large and soft enough for an adult to sleep in it during nights when the baby is sick or particularly fussy and you don't want to walk back and forth from your bedroom to theirs.
Other Considerations
Curtains should be decorative but also functional. Babies sleep a lot and you want to be able to block out the midday sun. You can also opt for a combination of curtains and blinds. The flooring does not have to be wall-to-wall carpeting, but if the child will be playing in the room at all, a throw rug is nice for comfort. It is also a great way to add color and excitement to the room and bring in an element of your theme. Make sure it has a nonslip backing. You would not want to take a tumble while carrying the baby! Artwork is a nice touch, whether it be framed photos of the baby's new family (don't forget the pets!) or a picture colored by an older sibling.
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