When you are pregnant, decorating a nursery can be an enjoyable task. It can also be overwhelming, as ideas abound as to what is appropriate. Focus on what is important to you as a parent in addition to choosing a theme or focus that makes you comfortable as you share it with your baby. Also understand that while babies can see color, their vision is still developing. Full retinal maturity does not occur until a child is 3 years old, according to the Texas School for the Blind and Vision Impaired.
Gender Neutral
If you have chosen to keep the baby's gender a surprise, focus on decor that is appropriate to boys and girls. The alphabet, a zoo or ark, clowns and circus themes all work well for a nursery and for your friends and family who might be shopping for gifts. Choose primary colors as these make the room cheery and are easier to clean that lighter colors. Focus on two or three basic colors to avoid making the room cluttered and coordinate bedding, room decals, window treatments and furniture with your color palette in mind.
Girls
While traditional girls' decor includes ballerina, princess, fairy tale and butterfly themes, you can also consider sports (soccer, swimming, baseball or another favored family sport) as your guiding idea. Use the main theme to guide your color choice, select bedding and window treatments that take best advantage of this color.
For a ski theme, for example, you might choose red and black (or soften them to pink and gray, if you prefer) as the main colors and use old skis as high shelves to hold figurines and small books. Outdoor pictures or a mural of the snow-capped mountains can help round out the theme of the room.
Boys
For boys, choose a popular cartoon figure or sport to drive your main decorating focus. Many boys enjoy the "Toy Story" cartoon characters of Woody and Buzz Light Year, making it easy for you to find bedding and decor to decorate the nursery. Also consider classics, such as cowboys, race cars and space exploration. When you've chosen a main idea, focus on two or three colors to create your palette.
For space exploration, choose silver, dark blue and an accent color such as red or yellow. Buy a mobile of the solar system and select bedding that is solid or is decorated with shooting stars, for example.
