Preparing the nursery is one of many exciting things that parents get to experience when they welcome their first baby. From the crib and blankets to the nursery decor and wall art, every detail is thoughtfully selected in anticipation of your little bundle’s arrival. These days, the internet has so many unique and creative ideas for baby nurseries. Honestly, it can be a little overwhelming! I wrote this post of best baby nursery ideas for new parents. But even if this is your second or third baby, you may find some helpful tips here. The goal of this post it to give parents all the best baby nursery ideas in one place! Hopefully this makes putting together your nursery a little less daunting so you can focus on the joy and excitement of baby’s arrival!
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1. Decide on a Theme and/or Color Palette
Before buying anything, you may want to first decide on a theme and/or color palette for your baby’s nursery. Having the theme or color scheme will make shopping and choosing nursery items so much easier! When it comes to colors, think about how you want the nursery to feel and what colors would help you achieve that feeling (think color psychology). As for themes, you can go with baby and child themes such as baby animals, popular storybook characters, Disney characters, etc. Or you can go with something that interests you and/or your partner (e.g., different time periods, nature, travel, meaningful movies and books, etc).
For our baby’s nursery, we went with a modern boho nursery theme with a nature-inspired, neutral color scheme of creams, beiges, browns, and greens. We founds this color scheme very calming, relaxing, welcoming, and bright. We had some references to desert and woodland animals scattered about with the decor.
Whatever theme or color palette you choose, make sure it brings you and your family joy!
2. Start with What Baby Needs Most
Think of it this way. If everything went crazy and you suddenly didn’t have much time to put toward the nursery for whatever reason, what nursery furniture and items would be absolutely essential? You will want to buy these items first or mark them as “Must Haves” on your baby registry. Here is a starter list of absolute essentials:
- Crib (consider options that baby can grow with)
- Crib mattress
- Waterproof mattress cover (preferably 2)
- Cribsheets (at least 2)
- Changing pad
- Changing pad covers (at least 2)
- A basket or caddy for diapers, wipes, creams, etc.
- Diaper pail
- A way to store clothes (e.g., drawer space, hangers, etc.)
- A hamper
- A trash can
Once you have all of these items, you can relax a little and know you have the core of your nursery in place. Everything else you get will be icing on the cake!
3. Choose Functional & Practical Pieces
After choosing your “must have” items, you will want to start thinking about the experience you want your family to have when entering the space. What kind of lighting do you want to have? How will you rest in the nursery space? How can you set the space up so that it helps everything run smoothly for you and baby?
Some pieces I highly recommend are:
- A dresser or changing table with drawers (big enough to hold a changing pad and extra items like the diaper caddy)
- Comfy seating (something good for nursing or bottle feeding; an ottoman, especially one with storage space inside of it, is a nice extra)
- Comfy seating accessories like a soft throw and a lumbar pillow.
- A small side table and/or utility cart to hold bottles, your phone, baby items, your pump, a lamp, etc. next to your comfy seating (shelves and drawers on the side table for extra storage are a plus!)
- Storage for toys (bins, baskets, shelves, etc.)
- Storage for books (bins, baskets, shelves, etc.)
- Additional storage (for other items like blankets, towels, toy rotation, etc.)
4. Think of Safety & Health Features
Although baby won’t walk for a while, it never hurts to think ahead about some of the baby-proofing items you can have on hand. That way, when the time comes, you’ll be prepared and ready to go! Some items could include outlet covers, locks for cabinets that store things like cleaners, and padding for sharp corners.
Another item you may want to consider for the nursery is a baby monitor so you can check in on baby while s/he’s sleeping. If you plan to keep baby in your room for the first 6 months or so, you may not need the monitor until later (or you can install one in the bedroom first, then move it to the nursery later).
Something else that we included in our nursery is an air purifier. There are so many great air purifiers on the market to choose from. We went with the DustMagnet by Blueair since it was both effective and stylish.
| Items we use | Affiliate link |
 | SKYLA HOMES Baby Locks (8-Pack) Child Safety Cabinet Proofing – Safe Quick and Easy 3M Adhesive Cabinet Drawer Door Latches No Screws & Magnets Multi-Purpose for Furniture Kitchen Ovens Toilet Seats We got these to keep our toddler out of my desk and other no-baby areas! |
 | Safety 1st Plug Protectors, 36 Count In addition to having this covers over outlets, we store them in various drawers around the house. |
 | BLUEAIR Air Purifier Large Room, Table Top Air Cleaner for Dust Pet Dander Smoke Mold Pollen Bacteria Virus Allergen, Odor Removal, Home Bedroom Living Room, Alexa, Auto, HEPASilent, DustMagnet We have the all-white DustMagnet for our nursery since it matched the style of our nursery. |
5. Have Fun with the Details
This is my favorite part! Now that you have all the essentials and basics in your nursery, you can have fun with the rest. Let your inner interior designer and the things you and your partner love shine during this step! Here are some ideas and questions you can ask yourself to help you get the creative juices flowing:
- Walls – What can I put on the walls to make them more inviting? Artwork? Photos? Mirrors? Floating shelves? A mural? Decals? Moulding? Wall hooks for artistically hanging clothes, baskets, etc.?
- Windows – What types of curtains would complement my theme and color scheme best? What kind of control of the light do we want to have (e.g., natural light sheer curtains, blackout curtains, etc.)?
- Floors – Would a large rug or accent rug add to our baby’s nursery? If so, what colors and textures would really enhance the look and feel we are trying to achieve?
- Plants – I am all about the plants, especially if they are air purifying (like the good old Snake plant). You can either opt for real plants or faux plants. When I first set-up our Remi’s nursery, we started with 100% faux plants. Since then, I have added one snake plants and plan to switch those out with real ones in the future! Either way you decide to go, the leafy greenery really adds a nice touch.
- Decor Pieces – Where else can you tastefully add decor items that match the theme and/or color scheme throughout the room? Can you add them to tables, drawer tops, shelves, etc.? Think of decor pieces like framed pictures, stuffed animals and figurines, and even some of baby’s things (e.g., books, a pair of shoes, etc.)
Best Baby Nursery Tips: In Summary
Preparing for a baby can be exciting but at times overwhelming! Preparing the nursery is just one of many items on the baby prep to-do list. The goal of this post is to help make the planning and preparation process for your nursery as easy and organized as possible. After choosing your theme and/or color palette, make sure you start with the nursery’s core essentials and the functional basics. Once you have those in place, you can stress less and really have fun adding those special little special touches to this haven for you and baby!
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