Nursery Decor Ideas for New Parents

Rose Morrison

Oct 16, 2021

nursery-decor-ideas-for-new-parents

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Almost everything is ready for your first nursery. You might be feeling a little anxious and a lot excited to finally finish the nursery your child will sleep in every night. From the paint color to the wall decor, putting the finishing touches on your nursery can give you a sense of pride and accomplishment. You want a nursery every bit as precious as your little one, and luckily, you’ll find plenty of nursery decor ideas and decorations that can match the vision you had for your home.

Soft Nursery Decor Ideas Your Infant Will Love

a calm nursery with a rocking chair

Sometimes, you have to think about the nursery decor your child will love. While they’re too young to have a style preference — that’s why you get to pick out the theme of the nursery — there are still some components of a nursery that could save them some frustration or bring them delight.

1. Rocking Chair

The best way to soothe your little one to sleep is by rocking them — in most cases. You should try forming a bedtime routine around rocking them and spending time with them in the nursery before laying your baby down in their crib. 

A rocking chair could be just the thing to soothe your crying child, and it can be a great way to lull both of you to sleep. Whether you’re rocking your child at bedtime or watching them play during the day, having a rocking chair in your nursery is a must.

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2. Plushie Corner

Sometimes, it’s fun to just hang out in the nursery with your parents! Have several giant plushies that your child can interact with when you’re hanging out in their nursery. They may love hanging out with these massive animals, and it can help them build their vocabulary once they’re old enough.

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3. Crib Liners

Crib bumpers might seem handy, but they have led to numerous injuries and deaths for infants. Many parents may opt for crib bumpers without knowing the history, citing that it may help keep a child’s pacifier in the crib all night or keep them from getting their arms and legs stuck.

A better option would be to go for a crib liner once you believe they’re old enough. While a mesh liner cannot prevent a child from hitting their head in the middle of the night, it can ensure that all arms and legs are inside the crib at all times, and you likely won’t be woken up by your child crying for a fallen pacifier.

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4. Doorknob Covers

If you anticipate that your child will start running before they walk, you might want to ensure that all the doorknobs are covered so they can’t hurt their heads when running around and not paying attention.

While covering your doorknobs is far from the most crucial nursery decor, it’s an important factor to consider as your child grows and starts to walk. You can mold these soft covers into your vision by matching them to the rest of your decorations. 

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5. Soft Hamper

When your little one starts to crawl, they’ll probably want to get into everything. Tough hampers can withstand a beating, but it’s safer if you have a softer hamper that cannot potentially hurt your child.

To save space, you could hang up multiple small hampers just out of your child’s reach. Having several hampers will allow you to sort and distribute your child’s clothing without waiting until you’re loading up the washing machine to do it.

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Functional Nursery Decor Ideas You’ll Love

a functional nursey decor idea for new parents

You’ll want to avoid any nursery decor that could lead to clutter. Since you’ll be moving with a sleeping baby or in the absolute pitch-black, more decoration that isn’t functional means more that you can trip on.

1. Changing Tables

Changing tables are a must, but you should opt for a more robust changing table. Some of them double as dressers, which can be excellent if you stock it full of diapers for easy access. The dresser drawers can also help you hide the diapers out of sight, leaving less clutter in the nursery and less for your little one to get into, too.

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2. Curtains

Choosing the right curtains is essential to having a functional nursery. If you want your infant to get used to sleeping at a specific time or sleeping long enough for you to get some rest, you may consider blackout curtains to keep the sun out during afternoon naps. 

Blackout curtains promote healthier sleeping habits and can help your baby fall asleep even if the sun’s still shining when it’s bedtime. They are the way to go if your little one has trouble going to sleep and staying asleep when the sun comes up.

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3. Lamp

You don’t want to change diapers or feed your child in the dark. You should get a lamp that can sit on an end table instead of standing alone. If your child starts to crawl, they may try to mess with a light that stands freely. If it’s stationed on top of a sturdy table, they may not be able to get to it for a while.

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4. Nightlight

Consider the nightlight like a lamp that can stay on permanently. If you choose a motion-activated nightlight, you can ensure that it will turn on when you need it most and stay off for when your child sleeps.

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5. Glow-in-the-Dark Decor

If nightlights aren’t your thing, consider sticking glow-in-the-dark stars or other shapes on the ceiling of your baby’s nursery. These stars will absorb the light during the day — as long as you keep the curtains open — and give off a slight glow in the evenings. When you’re carrying a tired infant to their crib, it may give you all the light you need to navigate the room without waking them up.

Alternatively, you can use glow-in-the-dark paint to create your own patterns and designs on the walls or ceiling of your child’s room. When they’re old enough, you can teach them about the solar system and more by using glow-in-the-dark paint on their walls. Glow-in-the-dark objects aren’t just small decorations — they can be useful educational tools as your kids get older!

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6. Outlet Covers

Outlet covers should be a standard part of baby-proofing a home. Even if you can’t anticipate your child wandering around the nursery too much, you should cover up outlets and any other dangerous things they could encounter in their room. Make sure to baby-proof your entire home. Even if you supervise them when they’re not in their crib, it can’t hurt to plug up the outlets not in use.

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7. Mounted Changing Station

If you don’t have room for much storage in your nursery, use a pegboard or mounted wire baskets to hold things like baby wipes, spare diapers and anything else you may need to change your little one. 

Having these items at your disposal can make changing diapers a quick and easy process rather than having to fight your child to hold still while you reach for something. It’s the perfect way to hide storage in plain sight in a minimalistic and uniform manner.

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Miscellaneous Nursey Decor Ideas for Your First Nursery

If you’ve filled up your nursery with functional decor that both you and your baby will love but still have some space to cover, you have room for aesthetically pleasing items and can add just about anything you want to your nursery. For an option that sticks with your theme, consider one of these beautiful nursery decor options.

1. DIY Book Pages

Why not tear out some of the most iconic pages when a book is worse for wear and framed them in colorful frames? Whether your nursery style is pastel, bright or neutral, you can find a frame that fits the page well and save the memory of that book for years to come.

2. Your Child’s Name

Consider getting a wooden cutout of your child’s name to hang on the wall of their nursery. If you need a splash of color in the room, having a wooden carving of their name, no matter the font, can brighten up your baby’s space.

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3. Floating Shelves

Because your little one will be trying to climb and explore before long, you should invest in floating shelves rather than bookshelves that can easily topple over if climbed. Floating shelves can add an air of elegance to any nursery and can be used to hold books, knick-knacks, stuffed animals and more.

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4. Time-Lapse Photos

If you have a blank wall, make plans for how to fill it in the future. Why not take a photo of your little one every month to measure their growth? You can frame these photos and hang them on the wall leading up to their first birthday. Having multiple photo frames can help cover a wall you don’t know what to do with, and it can be an excellent reminder of how far you’ve come as a parent.

5. Open Closet

Consider removing the doors from your child’s closet. This way, the nursery feels more open, and you can add storage to the room in a decorative pattern. While you might hang your child’s clothes up, you also have shelf space to store decorative boxes that can hold all sorts of odds and ends that you don’t want to be out in the open constantly. Since doors take up more space, especially when opened, you’ll be saving plenty of space in your nursery by making the closet part of the room.

Create a Nursery Everyone Loves

It’s entirely possible to have a beautiful nursery that’s completely functional, too, especially if you follow some these nursery decor ideas! Adhering to a theme can help you find the right furniture and decorations for your nursery. While the perfect nursery decor might be hard to come by, you can still find excellent options and even create your own solutions to match the ideal theme you picked out for your little one.

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