Inspirational Nursery Ideas

It can be so exciting to start to plan your nursery. For many new parents, this is the first time in their lives that they actually get to start from scratch and design an entire room. Here we've compiled some ideas for you to inspire you to create the nursery of your dreams.

1) Choose a theme. Some people go shopping for baby furniture, choose their favorite set, and then pick a theme that matches the furniture. Cherry sleigh cribs and elaborately decorated dressers lend themselves to a classical theme. More modern bamboo furniture may make you feel like creating a more contemporary nursery. This is a great place to start for most people. Another thing you might want to do is pick a decoration that inspires you. A beautiful mirror from an antique shop, a painting, a lamp, your grandmother's rocking chair, or a special stuffed animal could inspire you to go a completely different direction than you thought.

2) Choose a color palate. Going to pick out your paint is exciting. If you want to stay away from traditional pastel pinks and baby blues, it might be a good idea. It can be tempting to paint the walls and decorate with a newborn in mind, but remember that you will soon be a busy parent and time will fly! Using bolder or more exciting colors can help you to create a nursery that can easily be changed into a kid's room. Many parents complain that they spent so much time and money making the nursery a perfect place for their newborn to come home to, and then before they knew it, they were at it again transforming it into a toddler room.

3) Shelves are really useful in a nursery and can grow with your child. Go beyond the dresser and install shelves everywhere! Low shelving is great for storing toys on your child's level. The tops of the shelves, if only a foot or two off the floor, double as play areas and seating when your baby gets a little older. Put smaller shelves wherever you may need them. Above the light switch for those "gotta have it now" items, above the windows and door for displaying stuffed animals, and near the crib for keeping things out of reach while you change your baby.

4) Think about how many little things you will need to organize once the baby is in the room. Luckily, baby clothes and necessities are really small, so you can take a standard sized closet and turn it into an organized heaven. Small hanging bars, baskets and shelves will be your best friends once the baby comes! Use baby hangers and children's hangers to organize baby clothes by size. These specialty hangers keep clothes from getting stretched out and will grow with your child. Even infant hangers are great for big kids' clothes, because they don't stretch out necks or pucker shoulders. They also are easy for kids to handle and maneuver and they don't take up as much room in the closet. Get that closet ready to grow with your child and you'll be on your way to a nursery that is functional and efficient.