Nursery decor has come a long way since my generation was sucking its thumbs!

In the 1970's our cribs were coated in lead paint and the slats were wide enough for little heads to get stuck.  Our crib bumpers and mattress sheets were even made of the same toxic plastic we're eliminating from all baby products today.  Our parents didn't think twice about throwing various plush and plastic toys with little parts into the crib for us to chew on, and there was nobody warning them of the dangers of window blind cords next to the crib!  It's a wonder as many of us survived childhood as did!  (Don't even get me started on the lack of seatbelt use and car seats back then -- I have a crowned front tooth to show for it!)

Furniture selections were limited at the local department store or were handed down to us from relatives.  There were only a handful of themes available for bedding and curtains such as nursery rhyme characters, clowns, or bears.  Nurseries were done in pastel green, yellow, blue or pink with an occasional mother daring to use bright primary colors.  We certainly didn't have the complete spectrum of colors, patterns, and fabric content that is available to mothers today.  While this limited selection might have made for what we would now consider a boring room, it certainly allowed mothers to complete the nursery quickly and with little stress or thought involved.

Where mothers once had only a few selections to choose from and only a few stores to shop, new mothers are now inundated with thousands of furnishing choices and can obtain their wares from hundreds of online shops as well as local baby boutiques.  With so many choices and retail options, it can be overwhelming to try to narrow down your top choices.  Couple that with the pressure to create a celebrity style nursery fit for a princess and only a few months within which to do so, and you have quite a task at hand!

One of the first questions friends are asking expectant mothers today, right after "are you finding out the baby's sex?" seems to be "how are you decorating your nursery?"  If you are one of those overwhelmed mothers feeling the pressure to create a nursery that will take the breath away of all those asking -- never fear!  I'm going to give you some great tips to help you narrow down your choices more easily.

1. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing or what your mother-in-law expects of your nursery.  Decorate your nursery to please yourself.  After all, you'll be spending nearly as much time in this room as your baby.  Your baby doesn't care if you provide him or her with a sophisticated and luxurious Italian nursery or a jungle safari themed room with lions and tigers and giraffes.  I often tell my clients not to be pressured to make the nursery "cutesy" but rather look to the decor style used throughout the rest of their homes.  When your baby becomes a child aged six or older, then he or she will certainly begin expressing his or her thoughts on how the room should be decorated.

2. Select the furniture first.  If you're budget conscious as most of us are in this economy, then invest a few more dollars in transitional furniture that will later convert into a toddler bed and a full size bed that your child can enjoy into adulthood.  Don't buy a traditional changing table that will later serve no function to your growing child.  Dressers are designed today with a changing tray to sit on top that can later be removed when your child is no longer in diapers.  Those few extra dollars you spend on these items today will save you from spending hundreds in the future buying larger beds and dressers when your child is six feet tall at age thirteen!  (Trust me, I've been there!)  I recommend choosing a furniture color and style that will grow nicely with your child, too.  If you can picture your cool teen sleeping in that transitional bed one day, then go ahead and buy it.  I recommend a mid- to dark-toned wood.  This works well for boys and girls alike and will not be outgrown.  White furniture is best avoided as it often seems too juvenile to a teenager.  If the idea of replacing your furniture in later years doesn't bother you, then by all means, choose whatever color or finish you wish.  The sky is truly the limit today with hundreds of paint colors for wood or iron cribs, round cribs or rectangular, ornate or clean-lined!

3. Find your bedding.  For a cohesive look, allow your furniture style to dictate the style of bedding and other accessories.  If you selected modern furniture, then you certainly wouldn't want your bedding to be trimmed with frills and fluff.  In this case, you would want simple bedding without ruffles or elaborate trims.  Choose solids or geometric patterns, and neatly pleated or straight crib skirts.  If your furniture is curvaceous with ornate carvings, then your bedding could have sweet ruffles, bows, layered skirts, and more traditional patterns.  I don't recommend bedding with strong themes or characters.  The bedding is a significant investment and therefore you might not want to be tied into a teddy bear theme for the next few years.  Select bedding with patterns that will work well with any accessories that you would add to your child's room over the next few years.

4. Choose your wall color next.  Your selected bedding will probably have two or more consistent colors within the patterns.  The fabric designer has already done the work for you by selecting colors that complement each other.  You have the choice of selecting one of these colors to put on your wall, or another complimentary color.  I often tell my clients to select a color from the main fabric being used in the room and paint the walls a shade or two lighter.  Most fabric patterns will feature three complimentary colors within, with one of these colors being present in a greater percentage than the others.  Let your fabric showcase this stronger color and choose one of the other colors to match as a wall color.  Another option is to select a neutral color for your walls.  Colors like ivory, beige, and gray will allow you to trade out your bedding for something different without worry of clashing with the new fabrics.  Gray is an extremely popular wall color in nurseries today.  Just be sure to add some warm colors to the room to keep the room from feeling too cold or depressing.  Don't get caught up in painting an elaborate wall mural in the room.  This could be outgrown all too soon.  If you want something whimsical on the walls, stick with something simple like a tree silhouette that can work for boys and girls of various ages and can be versatile enough to complement a variety of themes such as jungle, fairy princess, camping, and more.  Simple and repetitive patterns are also nice, such as a scalloped edge painted around the top of the room, or a tone-on-tone striped wall.

5. Finally, select your accessories.  Here comes the really fun part!  Find some sweet nursery wall art to add personality to your baby's nursery.  When I started designing nurseries, there were very few options for nursery wall art.  Today, there are hundreds of choices featuring a variety of media, themes, and sizes.  If you want a particular theme to your nursery, here is where you should express it.  Carry the theme through the various accessories such as lamps, wall art, throw rugs and table top accessories.  These accessories -- while they complete the room and give it the individual personality you are seeking -- are also usually inexpensive and can easily be replaced to feature a whole new theme during your child's toddler years.

6. While the five steps above can be followed to help you stay on track toward creating your perfect nursery, your one consistent concern throughout should be safety.  Be careful not to put toys in the crib that can cause choking or suffocation hazards, the types of window treatments you install should have no hanging cords, and be sure to protect your baby from open windows, electrical cords and outlets, sharp furniture corners, and dangers within reach from the crib. 

Most importantly, have fun creating this sweet haven for your baby.  Don't be afraid to express your own sense of style.  After all, this might be one of the few opportunities you have to fully dictate your child's surroundings.  Your little angel will one day come to you and ask for a complete room makeover.  And at that time, you'll need to allow your child the chance to express his or her own style -- however different it may be.  Enjoy this control while it lasts!