Choosing a theme for your nursery can be a big deal. After all it's an idea that you will probably be married to for awhile. There are many ideas that you need to contend with as you try to determine what to choose for your baby.
The first question in your mind may be a question of gender. Will you do a gender specific theme like fire trucks or fairies? Perhaps you would consider doing a gender neutral theme like Winnie the Pooh or animals in bright colors.
The question of gender may be difficult if the ultrasound doesn't yield a definitive answer. There can also be issues if your baby will be sharing a room with an older sibling of a different gender. In this situation you may want to choose a color theme to separate the baby's part of the room with the older sibling's room.
The life span of the option you choose is probably important as well. Will your child be happy at age three or four with the nursery theme you have picked out for him or her? Do you mind redoing the theme of the room often? How often is too often for you?
If you really want to choose a room that will span a longer period of time with your child, try to pick less babyish themes. Ideas in this genre might be an alphabet theme or animals as gender neutral themes. Boy themes that grow with your child could be super heroes, cartoon characters (not flavor of the day variety), a forest, etc. More feminine themes that grow with your baby could be gardens, flowers, tea parties, etc.
Some parents choose a neutral color for a base of their room. From here they simply add furniture and small decorations that can be changed and moved around as the child grows. This way they can add or remove themes as the whims of the child (or themselves) change.
Items to consider for a themed room:
- Bedding (Remember safety should trump beauty.)
- Paint Color
- Borders
- Wall Paper
- Murals
- Furniture (Themed or not, expandable or not)
- Knick Knacks
- Art or photos
While decorating your baby's room is personal and fun, remember that the heart of your child's room is not what is physically held within the four walls. Rather it is the relationship of the parents and child. So if your baby is born into a room of stark white walls, with boxes crammed in a corner, so be it. It won't change how you love him or her, nor will they grow up decoratively challenged.
