Designing a nursery is one of the more rewarding aspects of planning for your baby, but it can also be one of the most intimidating. How do you know what décor your baby will like? How can you decide on just one color palette or furniture theme? Thankfully, there are many gorgeous ways to plan a nursery. Once you know what mistakes to avoid, designing your baby’s sanctuary is easier than ever.
Too Much Gender
Once you find out the sex of your baby, it may be tempting to cover the nursery in pink or blue. However, too much of one gender can actually backfire on your room’s design. You don’t want to put your baby in a limiting box. What if your daughter loves dinosaurs or your son loves flowers? You don’t want to limit your baby’s toys, colors, or preferences. Tasteful gendered decorations are fine, but don’t go all out. Keep your options open!
Generic Decor
There’s no wrong way to decorate your nursery; your tastes are valid, regardless of preference. However, many people tend to decorate before the baby is born, making them commit to a design before getting to know their child’s likes or preferences. You may cover the room in Looney Tunes characters only for your child to care about SpongeBob. Generic, non-licensed decorations can be the solution for this, but how can you create a nursery that is tailored and personal? Personalize some nursery wall art with their name or photographs. Choose a cohesive but attractive color palette that matches both the rest of your home and your nursery. Select pieces that mean a lot to you for that personal twist.
Buying a Solitary Crib or Changing Table
A crib and a changing table are often staples of nursery design. While you definitely want a designated space to change your baby and put them to sleep, you may want to take advantage of multipurpose furniture instead. Any surface can be made into a changing table with a cover and cushion for your baby; the top of a dresser or table can serve many purposes without needing to spend money specifically for a changing table. Convertible cribs allow you to utilize the benefits of a crib while being able to convert it to a larger bed without spending more money. Multifunctional furniture is the way to go when it comes to babies; they grow fast!
Too Much Bedding
Baby bedding may be adorable and aesthetically pleasing in a nursery setup, but they don’t serve much of a purpose beyond that. Most bedding other than a secured fitted sheet can actually be harmful to a baby. Bedding can smother or choke a baby while they sleep. Spending a bunch of money on bedding that you can’t use isn’t a good use of your time or money. Leave the bedding to one or two sets only if you absolutely have to buy some. Make sure the bedding won’t be a choking hazard for your baby. You want the crib to be a safe and comfortable place.
Overcrowding
Both babies and nurseries are adorable. It can be difficult to choose what will go in your nursery and what to leave out. It may seem tempting to purchase every bit of baby furniture and decor as possible, but you don’t want to overcrowd the space. You want furniture you’ll actually use. You don’t want the decor to be too dizzying or clashing; less is more. Decorate to your tastes, but make sure there is room for your baby to play, especially as they grow older.
Not Future Proofing
Babies grow fast! It won’t be long before they’re ditching diapers and running around the house. Choosing furniture that will only be useful for a few months of their life can be counterproductive for your time and wallet. Make sure your nursery has room to grow. Include furniture that can be made larger or upgraded. Make sure there is space for a larger bed or bigger toys. Your nursery should easily turn into your child’s regular bedroom when the time comes.
Safety Hazards
Your nursery shouldn’t be a major safety hazard. While your baby should be supervised while they’re awake, you don’t want to make injury easy for them. Babies shouldn’t be able to access cords or ropes from curtains or blinds. Furniture shouldn’t have excessively sharp edges that can cause cuts or wounds. Furniture should be adhered to the wall when needed; it shouldn’t be flimsy enough to tip over or fall. The most important design elements for any nursery are safety and accessibility.
Don’t stress too hard about the design of your nursery. As long as it is safe, comforting, and functional, you’ve likely done an excellent job. Worry less about spending money on designer bedding and more about creating a space that you and your child can enjoy for years to come. Remember that you can always change a room’s design or layout! Nothing is set in stone.
