Your nursery is the place you rock your baby to sleep, hush tearful cries, and play hide-and-seek. So much growing and love happen in this all-important space, which is why the design of your nursery sets the tone of your little one’s childhood.
Creating a peaceful nursery that encourages calm and imagination requires more than the right paint color.
Here are seven tips for designing the perfect, peaceful nursery for your little one.
Table of Contents
1. The Right Amount of Light
Lighting has a real effect on human moods and attitudes. It can make us feel hopeful, alert, and motivated. The lack thereof can make us feel calm, gloomy, or tired.
Think about what moods you want the lighting in your nursery to evoke. Odds are, there may be more than one.
If you plan to have your nursery also serve as the playroom, having plenty of natural light to illuminate the room is essential. If windows are scarce in your nursery space, bring light in another way.
Lamps create a cozy ambiance in a nursery and help illuminate rooms without enough natural lighting. They also serve to set the tone for the other mood your nursery may need to prompt: sleepiness.
Having a cozy space that can also block out natural light will do wonders for your little one come nap time.
If you have large windows in your nursery, consider adding some blackout curtains to help your baby get some sleep.
The right kind of lamps will help with this too. Consider night-lights that are soothing or feature soft lighting to help promote feelings of comfort and rest.
2. Select Natural Fabrics and Materials
Baby proofing your nursery by choosing the right materials is important for a little one’s safety.
It may shock you to realize what items marketed as “baby products” contain. When designing a nursery, you want to avoid products made with potentially hazardous materials or chemicals.
Your little one will be crawling, sleeping, and playing on the floor and in the crib. Make sure these and other items have natural fabrics, like cotton or wool, that won’t irritate or harm your baby.
When it comes to creating a peaceful setting in the nursery, the materials matter too. Avoid scratchy, rough, cold, or metallic-looking materials.
These are fine for your home office, but when it comes to creating a comforting space, plush, natural, and gentle materials are best for the nursery.
3. Choose Paint Colors Wisely
Like lighting, different colors affect our emotions in different ways.
Vibrant reds and bright yellows are fine if you’re opening a restaurant or repainting your kitchen. However, for a serene setting for your baby, consider what different paint colors do to your psyche.
Soft, neutral, and nature-inspired tones provide a more comfortable setting.
It can be tempting to go for paint colors or trendy wallpapers, but keep in mind baby and children’s brains are different from adults. What you might find stylish could be boring for your little one to stare at all day.
4. Create Tranquility Through Sound
Think about what sounds help you sleep. Is it running water, a rainstorm, or the sound of waves repeatedly hitting the shore? Knowing what sounds are soothing will help you make your nursery perfect for your baby.
Babies develop in the womb listening to the internal noises of their mother. Many babies find it easier to sleep when there is some degree of white noise in their room, as it reminds them of being in their mother’s womb.
Finding a good sound machine could be a great asset to your nursery.
You should consider how loud your nursery door is when you shut it. You don’t want a creaky door to wake up your baby as you’re trying to sneak away. Also, think about where in the house the nursery will be.
Avoid putting your nursery near common spaces where loud noises from others will disturb the baby.
5. Include Plant Life
You see plenty of stuffed animals and cozy blankets adorning the Pinterest-worthy nursery photos, but what about plants?
Not only do plants in your nursery add a pop of color, but they also serve to create a more soothing atmosphere.
Plants help reduce anxiety and stress, something every parent who’s been up all night with a screaming child could use. This goes for both you and your little one.
Living plants that don’t give off fragrance or pollen are also a good nursery addition. They help freshen the air and increase the oxygen flow in the room.
6. Think About Convenience
One thing you may not consider when coming up with great nursery ideas is how conveniently located things are in your nursery.
Will you be spending long hours in a chair nursing your baby? Having a table next to the chair where you can set your book and a bottle of water would be nice.
It may take having the baby in the room to recognize where the best place is for storing wipes and diapers, or knowing whether you want to put burp cloths in the dresser or a basket next to the rocking chair.
Regardless of where you choose to put things, try to have a method to the madness. Organization keeps a nursery tidy and keeps you calm when it’s 2 am and you’re stumbling around to find a clean set of sheets.
7. Cleanliness is Key
This may go without saying, but having a clean and sanitary space for your baby is one of the most important factors in creating a peaceful place.
Have a designated bin for soiled diapers and clothes. Empty these and wash things regularly.
Don’t overcrowd the room, walls, and furniture with toys and books. Having space helps your brain feel more at peace and helps to keep your baby safe.
Creating the Perfect Nursery
Welcoming a new baby is an exciting and wonderful phase of life, despite the challenges it brings.
By creating a peaceful nursery where you and your new little one can bond and grow together, you help set the tone for your child to develop in a place of happiness and love.
