From Womb to Room: Designing a Baby's Nursery

Almost immediately upon sharing their happy news with friends and family, expectant couples’ thoughts turn to the nursery. What will it look like? What color paint should we use? And, should we follow a theme or use our own design?  Designing a nursery takes time and patience, but giving yourself enough time to plan can make your ideas—and the sweet dreams of your baby—come to life.

“Begin planning your nursery a couple of months before the baby is due,” Upper St. Clair resident Kirstan Boettger said, a textile designer and home décor consultant. “Keep in mind that some things you need, like a crib, for instance, may be on backorder, so be sure to plan ahead.”

Perhaps the most important purchase for the nursery is the crib. With so many styles and features, it is easy to get confused on what is best, especially for first-time parents.

“The days of using the top dresser drawer for a baby bed are long gone," Boettger said. “I always tell people to buy the crib and build the room around it according to their budget. Not only is choosing a crib an important decision, but placement of the crib in the room is just as important.”

For example, Boettger noted that there are many different styles of cribs, from the most expensive convertible crib, which grows with your child and ultimately transitions into a junior/full-sized bed, to the more inexpensive cribs that can only be used when the baby is small. Boettger also recommends placing the crib away from windows, where baby may feel drafts coming in, or be sensitive to sunlight shining through, and to avoid putting the crib next to an air vent or a lamp, where the light may bother baby’s eyes.

Next on the list of priorities should be the changing table.

“A changing table can be as simple as just a tabletop where baby is changed, or a more elaborate set-up that includes open shelving which will provide easy access for parents to changing materials,” Boettger said.

For parents who choose to go with a theme for their baby’s nursery, Boettger recommends avoiding “pre-packaged” themes that offer little imagination and can convince parents to buy matching everything and more than they need.

“The most common of these themes are ducks, lambs, bears, Disney, circus, animals, cars, sports and the like,” Kirstan said. “I do not want to say that they should not ever be used, but how exciting is it to walk
into a baby nursery and everything looks the same?  One baby bear is cute; an army of them is creepy. Remember that when you commit to a ready-made theme, you will need to love it unconditionally, just as you do your baby, as this décor will be what you see at 3 a.m. when you need to rock a colicky or teething baby back to sleep.”

Themes are useful, but in moderation, according to Boettger. She suggests finding one or two pieces of the theme that is appealing and decorate the rest of the room to enhance that theme with color or style.

Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes parents make when decorating a baby’s nursery is to neglect the ceiling. “I often refer to the ceiling as the fifth wall,” Boettger said. “Parents overlook how much time a baby spends in their crib or changing table, looking up at the ceiling, so it pays to decorate it somehow, even if it is just with some decals.”

For many parents, their budget is likely to determine just how much decorating can be done in the nursery, according to Boettger.

“The minimum cost for a baby nursery today is about $1,000, when you factor in all of the furniture, the paint and other decorations. That number is flexible, of course, depending on the style that you want and the features you need.”

Parents who need to adhere to a budget may find some good deals at antique stores, or eBay and community flea markets, and Boettger recommends checking into some of these resources before making a purchase. She also urges doing a lot of research online to compare prices before actually heading out to the store.

“The last thing a pregnant woman wants to do is go from store to store checking prices and product availability," Boettger said.

Finally, Boettger advises parents who are decorating their first nursery, or any child’s room thereafter, to adopt a “just roll with it” mentality.

“Try not to overthink things or allow yourself to get too stressed, because then the process will not be fun. Think about your baby being in this room and how much you have to look forward to.”

For more information on room design, call Boettger at Haus & Home Décor Consulting, at 412-833-3917, or click here to visit their website.