With spring well and truly underway, it's typically a time that I start to think about home projects. When I was pregnant with my first, he was due in June, meaning it was around April/May time that we started to really think about decorating the nursery. We hadn't discovered the gender so we wanted to opt for something fairly neutral. This was also the case when we had our second son! We decided not to find out if he was a he or a she at the time! It does make planning a tiny bit harder but I loved the surprise with both. If you're thinking about decorating for the arrival of your newborn, here are some top tips that should keep you on track.
Neutral Colours
Even if you know the baby's gender, neutral colours like greys, creams, and whites are a safe choice because they are easy to tweak as your child grows from baby to toddler. If you don't fancy redecorating every few years, they give you lots of options. With my first son, we decorated his room in two grey tones and teamed it with pink and blue accessories. As he got older, we then switched the theme to transport without having to re-paint any of the walls. For our second son, I wanted to create a forest themed nursery. We painted the walls using Timeless by Dulux - I love this colour because it's an off white, not as creamy as the usual magnolia. We then created a feature wall using wallpaper covered in trees with a hint of sparkle.
Invest in Furniture
When we had our first, we purchased a lovely cot set from Mothercare. I want to say it was the Taunton range but this was a while now! At the time, it felt like a LOT of money - well over £300 for the cot bed, change table and wardrobe. But it was money well spent as all the pieces have seen us through our second child too. The cot bed is on its last legs, nine years later!
I echo neutral colours for furniture too. Don't pick something you think you'll fall out of love with in a few years. We chose a white set which literally goes with any colour scheme.
Add a Rug
If your carpet has seen better days but you don't want the expense of replacing it, add a rug. This quick and easy decor hack can save a small fortune but can completely change the room's ambience.
Storage
When planning your nursery, think about storage options. Does the furniture come with plenty of drawer space for all those tiny baby clothes? And where will you store nappies, wipes, toys etc etc? The IKEA Kallax range is great for toy storage for babies as well as older children. We also installed some floating shelves to store books.
Consider a Chair
If you have the space, consider a chair for your nursery. You'll want somewhere to sit for feeds, cuddles, soothing and everything else that comes with little people during the night. We chose a comfy chair from IKEA and it's seen us through both our children. We still use it now with our youngest for storytime and nighttime cuddles.
