Advice and Tips for Decorating a Baby’s Nursery

Decorating a baby’s nursery can be an exciting time for many expectant parents. Do you opt for pink decor, blue or a ‘safer’ neutral palette? Where do you put the cot, the changing mat, the play pen and all the other nursery furniture necessities in order to maximize space and make the room appear bigger? And what kind of furnishings and accessories should you put in the room to create a stimulating environment for your little one? Yes, it’s safe to say that there are lots of decisions to be made and fun to be had when decorating a baby’s nursery.

In order to help you create an appropriate nursery which you’ll still be pleased with in years to come, consider the following advice. 

Consider the colour scheme of the room with care

The gender of your baby will inevitably influence the colour scheme of the nursery. Many parents choose to find out the sex of their baby at the 20-week scan while others enjoy the suspense of not knowing. If you are of the latter persuasion, the chances are that you’ll want to decorate the nursery in neutral tones, such as lime green, lemon and beige. It has to be said that these pale, pastel colour create a stylish looking nursery and can be more subtle than a room kitted out from top to bottom in blue or pink.

If you do know the gender of your baby, your elation of knowing you are going to have a baby daughter or a baby son could propel you into a frenzy where you buy a myriad of pink or blue items, including everything that is to go in the nursery. However, your passion for your unborn baby to sport the traditional gender colour could soon turn into a bit of headache if you overdo it. Instead of wildly painting the walls pink, installing a pink carpet and decking the room out with every pink accessory and furnishing you can get your hands on, be a little more subtle with stereotypical gender-associated colors. A pink cushion or blue fleece blanket strategically positioned in the nursery will provide a more delicate hint as to what gender the baby is.

Make a smaller nursery appear larger

More often than not a nursery is the smallest room in the house. Whilst a newborn baby doesn't demand too much space – although it won’t be long until he or she is crawling or walking and requires much space – it is in most parents’ interest to have a nursery that has enough room for changing nappies, nursing and manoeuvring around the cot.

Instead of opting for a big and bulky cot, a cot in a streamlined design will give you much more room. Opting for a plain floor with no pattern or fuss will also help the nursery appear to be bigger. Wooden floors also work well in a nursery as not only are they easy to clean but a rug can be placed on the floor, which will break up the décor and give the illusion of more space.

Work within your budget

Planning for the birth of baby is notoriously expensive and decorating the nursery can easily put a large dent in your savings. If you are working within a tight budget, you will be pleased to know that the nursery doesn't necessarily have to cost a fortune. Buying items from second hand shops will help keep the costs down. It is also worth remembering that when your baby is born, he or she is likely to receive a generous number of gifts from friends and family. Some people may ask you if there is anything you want them to buy for the baby. If you would like some adorable bookends to be placed on the shelf you've put up in the nursery or a name plaque for the door, now is your chance to speak up as not having to buy these baby items yourself will mean that you save some precious pennies.