Tips for Decorating the Nursery

Baby chic

By Mary Jane Suttor

When bringing a new baby home from the hospital parents like to have sweet, yet unique decor for the baby’s nursery. For parents looking for inspiration for the baby’s new room, they need not look any further than the children’s section at a local bookstore.

• Go to the beach. Gather some sand and shells and then select the book “Row, Row, Row Your Boat for Babies” by Annie Kubler. Tie in artwork of sailboats, starfish, and sandcastles. “The Sandcastle Contest” by Robert Munsch can be the inspiration for sandcastles for the room decor.
• Walk through a flower garden. Collect flowers that are in season and match colors to the flowers. Decorate the walls with murals of garden gates, watering cans and pots of flowers. Continue the colors of the flowers into the bedding and window coverings. Choose the book “My Garden of Flower Fairies” by Cicely Mary Barker for inspiration for a garden of sweet dreams for baby.
• Piggy Banks can be used as a catchy theme. Collect a variety of piggy banks and put them on shelves over the windows. Select a couple piggy banks to match the colors of the room. Continue the theme with story books such as “If You Give a Pig a Pancake” by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond. Traditional story books like “The Three Little Pigs” or “Charlotte’s Web” can also give great ideas for a pig themed room.
• Polka dots are a hot theme in decorating. Find a polka dot fabric or rug and then take off from there with bedding and art work. Choose a book like “Some of my Best Friends are Polka Dot Pigs” by Sara Anderson or “The Curious Polka Dot Present” by Cheri Hallwood and Patricia M. Rose as inspiration. Polka dots can easily be painted on the walls and the theme of dots and circles can be carried through as much as is tasteful to the parents.
• Plaid is a popular fabric. Select a pastel plaid fabric and tie the colors through the room A book that ties in the theme of plaid is “Country Babies Wear Plaid” by Michelle Sinclair Colman and Nathalie Dion. A small plaid border can easily be created using lines of painter’s tape and matching paint shades. The plaid can be carried through the room from window treatments to seat cushions to lamp shades.
• Creating a tea party is a great theme for a little girl to grow up into. Use antique lace and tea towels to create window treatments and bedding. Paint tea cups and spoons on the walls. Buy a small table and chairs and set it as if for a tea part. Tie in the theme of “Alice and Wonderland” or try the book “The Best Tea Party Ever” by Sonali Fry for inspiration
• Sleep is a great theme for a nursery as that it what it is intended for. A great book for inspiration is “Goodnight Sweet Butterflies: A Color Dreamland” by Dawn Bentley, Melanie Gerth, and Heather Cahoon. Use the themes of butterflies and the beautiful colors of the book for inspiration. Other sleep related books to help with theme are “Sandra Boynton’s The Going to Bed Book” or Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman’s book “Bear Snores On.” Paint murals of comical, sweet animals dozing on the walls.
• For the boys choose a book such as “The Construction Alphabet Book” for inspiration. Continue the theme of building and ABCs throughout the room. Use denim or khaki fabric to tie in the boyish theme. Use trucks, loaders and tractors to accessorize. Use construction helmets from the toy section and set up stacks of alphabet blocks to keep the theme together.
• Pick up the theme of the farm with “Giggle, Giggle, Quack” and “Click Clack Moo” by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin. Another book for farm inspiration is Barnyard Dance” by Sandra Boynton. Who can resist the idea of dancing farm animals or cows eating pizza and ducks typing messages. use farm animals from the toy department to accessorize. Hang baby bib overalls on a rod for the window treatment.
• Love is a great theme to carry through in the room. Choose books like “Guess How Much I Love You” by Sam McBatney and Anita Jeram, or “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn as inspiration for love based themes. Handprints and hearts can be incorporated throughout the room. Create a plaster cast of the child’s hand and footprints and display as artwork. Stencil words about love on the walls.

The best decorating ideas for nurseries come from story books that you can share with your child for years to come. Remember to buy a bookcase and start your child’s love of books early. Tie in the colors and themes of the books with the decor to create a magical place for your child to fall asleep.