Let's talk NURSERY!

ShyTonia

  Ok so I know I'm not the only "planner" out there!!!
Lets get this nursery idea party started!

ShyTonia

I'll go first! Hehe
So 4 years ago DH and I built our dream home after losing our first home to Hurricane Sandy.....A beautiful four bedroom cape cod, which we knew we wanted to fill up with lots of love and laughter   
When our journey to becoming parents began I just always dreamt of what our nursery would look like! 
The past few weeks we have slowly been taking apart the "extra spare room" upstairs next to ours, and it has been lovely, enjoying every minute of it.  
Here is how far we have gotten....

ShyTonia

Still talking paint ideas, but I think we are going towards a more foresty animal vibe. I'm a huge beach/shore girl, but I found this in target the other day and kinda fell in love. 

dkizz82

If it's a boy we're going for this color scheme. Not this exact nursery. 

ShyTonia

@dkizz82 LOVE that green 

ngarciabyu

Soooo with my first two kids I had so much fun planning the nursery, went all out and painted and all that jazz. Baby was born and slept with in our room for 9 months and never used the nursery. By the time the baby started actuall sleeping in their own crib, I wanted to change the nursery, because they weren't really little babies anymore. So my hubs and I are going to exercise restraint this time and not do anything for a while. Unless I find out I'm having a girl, then, well, all bets are off! Haha

cait5413

I have some prints from the Lion King we plan to use on the walls, so probably an animal theme. 2 of DD's changing pad covers have animals on them (one is a monkey and one is giraffe. monkey, and maybe elephants?) so those would work. With DD's room, we didn't go crazy with the theme; the sheets and stuff we picked were gender-neutral to work for a future baby of either sex, and she has a poster from princess and the frog and one of Monet's waterlillies on her wall, as well as some framed stamps (Grammy is a stamp collector) that feature children's book characters. The room that will be baby's is already painted a pretty gray-blue shade, so that won't change.

shellac835

@ShyTonia You're on top of it! Your nursery looks beautiful.  And that stuff you found at Target is adorable!!

I keep switching between being excited to decorate the nursery and not caring because I'm sure the baby won't care  But I'm getting more into it now, and will probably do a mountains/woods theme with lots of natural colors and materials (we spend a ton of time outside in the mountains by our home in Utah).  I really want to put laminate wood flooring on one wall, and paint the others slate blue.  And have the main colors be gray, slate blue, and mint green.  We'll see how things progress over the next 6 months!

MJDsquared

We bought a canvas at Ross way before we were even KU with giraffes that's really cute (in blues and purples). Then after we told my mom she bought us a little blanket with a giraffe stuffed animal. But I'm torn because I do love the 'zoo' animal stuff, but I also really loved woodland animals. I feel like ours will end up being a bunch of everything. I'm just not that great at decorating lol. Also, the room is a neutral color and I don't plan to paint it. If DH wants to, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

balletnerd

If it's a girl we will do a ballerina theme. (Being a dancer I already have tons of decor) OR if it's a boy it will be Washington Nationals Baseball theme since that's our favorite team. So we can't do much planning till we find out the sex!

breezybee

I've got some Nursery room inspo here. If it's boys, we'll do Blue/greens instead of blush pinks, but overall, it'll be the same for either gender. 

Tennis11785

I haven't gone too far down this route yet.  I'm thinking the colors will be navy and grey, and then either mint green, teal or pink for accent (based on what I find and the sex of the baby).  But that could all change if I find something else I love while walking around buy buy baby.  

jlemons-2

I love the nursery thread!! Thanks for starting it! I feel really bad for the new babe because my DD is the one getting a brand new decorated bedroom and the LO will just get her old nursery as it is. It's gender neutral so it will work if it's a boy or girl. So I'm just going to enjoy your nurseries. 

acgonzalez22

With DS he had a vintage Peter Rabbit theme. I have not even thought about what Baby Girl's nursery will look like. All of these are beautiful ladies.

katiegeminimoon

If we are having a girl it'll be light teal and light purple scheme with a slight mermaid/cute sea creatures theme. If it's a boy it will be navy and white theme with splashes of red and slight nautical theme. I am a planner and I LOVE to decorate, I already have Pinterest boards full and ready to go!

atack

Baby # 3 doesn't even have a room yet.  I am debating when to move my older kids (B/G) together and my ideas for their shared room is below.  I don't necessarily like the Navy stripes, but I like the set up and it matches the room I have for them.    But I like the trundle below with the colors...  As for the nursery - won't even happen until after the baby is born because I won't move my DD until baby needs a room.  

flowerpower5838

This is DS's room. He'll share a room with the new little one. We'll ditch the big dresser and put all of the toys downstairs in favor of another crib and maybe a small changing table. 

babytime24

Love these ideas! I'm thinking of going for a gray/white/elephant theme with pops of teal.  I've always loved elephants...and neutrals.  We're having a girl, but I'd like to keep it gender-neutral for hopefully next go-around. 

blueskies17

@ShyTonia love the crib and all the sunlight in the room! 
@breezybee love your aesthetic! 

I have some time to plan a nursery because we won't have one until we move into a house (currently in a 1 BR apartment). Ideally we'll move around the time that baby is 6 months old. I love neutrals with pops of color and varying textures. Neutral also means we can re-use the nursery for the next kiddo- I love thinking about decorating, but not actually executing on it haha. Which reminds me that a more immediate need is re-doing our kitchen in our current place before baby arrives! DH thinks this will help us when we sell it... he also thinks that I should manage the project. 

Edited words

lestex

DS1&2 will be moved into a room together so the newbie gets the nursery. Our babies usually stay in our bedroom for the first 6 months so I don't start planning nursery themes until they're a few months old.

kyrwyn

@babytime24 I love elephants too! I have a great fabric with teal, blue and purple elephants that I'm hoping to turn into a baby quilt.  If you like sewing, I found a cute softie elephant pattern that seems really straightforward, too. I'd be happy to share a link. 

Amber_Waves

The baby's room is not going to be too nursery-ish because we're going to put the changing table in the laundry room & will not be using a crib (we'll do a floor bed for the baby). The room is pretty big, so there will also be a queen size bed (on a frame, not the floor), a white desk, and a dresser.  

There's a lot of nice sunlight, lovely hardwood floors, and built-in bookshelves, so it should be a pleasing room with almost any decor. But, these two images sum up my plan... team green...

That wall color is Lido Green and it will be mine! i also like the slight outdoorsy/scoutsy theme of the accessories. 

I love the painted bed frame and the cheerful textiles!

i've been using the room in question as a storage dump zone, so I better get to work!

Tennis11785

@flowerpower5838 - I love that room!  Totally my style!

babytime24

@kyrwyn  That'd be great! Thanks!!

@Amber_Waves  FTM, so just curious, but why floor bed instead of crib, if you don't mind sharing? I hadn't heard of that.

KathrynJ088

I love the idea of a nursery, but realistically these babies are going to be our roommates until they sleep through the night. Our spare room/office is heavily used bc my DH and I both work from home quite frequently, and all three bedrooms are located upstairs, while the master is downstairs. Lord knows I'm not trekking up the stairs for every feeding or night check in. Thankfully our master is big enough to add two mini cribs, a smallish changing table, and a rocking chair.

Once they're a bit older, we'll work out if the twins will share a room, or bunk up with DS or DD, depending on genders.

Also, likely an UO, but I think going all out on a nursery is mostly a waste of money. Like @ngarciabyu said, by the time they're old enough to "use" the nursery, I'd probably want to change it from baby theme anyway. Could just be my "I was 18, single, living with my parents,  and broke when I had my first kid" experience talking, or my current "how the hell am I going to pay for daycare for two?" stress!

AMCsquared

For years I've had in mind for a girl to do seahorse theme and for a boy to do turtle theme.

Amber_Waves

Why a floor bed and not a crib?
Long answer, sorry @babytime24

DH and I plan to follow the principles of RIE parenting. RIE is mostly about seeing babies and toddlers as people and treating them with respect.  So, for example, if a baby is looking intently at something, you don't interrupt them unless there is a real need to do so. There is a strong emphasis on babies being able to play by themselves and that being the best thing for them; they use play time to "work on" whatever they need to figure out next, whether it is their own movement or staring at the play of light on the wall. Basically, babies are seen as geniuses at doing what they need to do when it comes to playing and movement and parents need to get out of their way at play time and focus on being amazing carers at diaper/feeding/bathing times.  In order for babies to play freely, they are not confined in bouncers, swings, etc, and are instead placed in super-child-proofed areas to make their own choices in body position and toys. Parents stay nearby, but don't "play with" baby, just maybe smile at them and sports-cast the baby's activities, "you are trying to grab that ball." 

Anyway, floor beds are often chosen by RIE parents since they are safe and not confining. 

If you want to know more about RIE, I recommend tuning into all things Janet Lansbury: Facebook page, blog, books, and podcast. 

https://www.janetlansbury.com/2013/12/rie-parenting-basics-9-ways-to-put-respect-into-action/

personally, a boy I nannied had a terrible fall the FIRST time he climbed out of his crib and I am scarred. 

Also, the one woman I know who does floor beds for her kids has kids who are so good at putting themselves to bed for naps and at night. Her kids can be serious drama throughout the day, but the sleep thing is drama free. The littlest one crawls down the hall and onto his bed when it is his bedtime. So great. And they usually play quietly in their rooms when they first wake up, rather than raising a ruckus so that they can get out of their crib and play.

My interest in floor beds sprang from studying RIE, though they are more often discussed in terms of Montessori nurseries...

"The idea behind a Montessori floor bed is in line with the general principles of the Montessori Method: a child should have freedom of movement, and should be able to move independently around his (carefully childproofed!) room. For this reason, a floor bed is preferable to a crib, since a crib restricts movement and limits independence. Montessori parents typically keep their babies in a bassinet or Moses basket during the newborn stage, but starting as early as 2 months or so, they transition to a floor bed."

 https://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/montessori-floor-beds-baby-toddler-sleep/

splsmama2016

This one is getting the shaft.... He/she will be sharing the nursery with Sydney until we move into a bigger house one day. We live in a 1200sq.ft. 3bed/2bath, so we have NO extra room. Syds got a jungle princess-y theme, so if its a girl, she's getting the same set lol. if its a boy, it has to match the green on the walls. Sorry kid!! Moms cheap AF right now. 

flowerpower5838

Tennis11785 Thank youuu 

kyrwyn

@babytime24 Here's the pattern: https://birchfabrics.blogspot.com/2013/07/free-pattern-tutorial-henry-helga.html 

Once I feel crafty again, I'm hoping to make one for our LO.  

abcola

Amber_Waves I also have done some reading about the floor bed method and am so intrigued. I feel like my family/friends will think I'm crazy for not having a crib... Although, I have also heard that some children really thrive having that containment and it is more comforting to them... 
The whole nursery thing is a struggle for me because while I am an intense planner, I also know that we wont know what the baby likes/dislikes until they are here and I am tempted to go very basic for everything until we know who they are and what they like. I don't want to assign pre-conceived notions to my child that they'll "love Winnie the pooh as much as I do"... and thus don't want to do anything too theme-y. But obviously I want to plan ahead so I am just at a standstill right now... 

AMCsquared

@ktcakes87 yay mermaids!!!!! love them. i found some mermaid stuff on pinterest a while ago.

Amber_Waves

@abcola  Yep!  I'm fully prepared for people to think I'm nuts.  Also, fully prepared to change course if needs be!  

I'm really decorating the room to my own taste and I'll be prepared to change if that needs to happen.  I figure there is a few years where it is genuinely up to me/DH what the room looks like, so we might as well please ourselves.  Nothing too crazy or scary, but not an boring, empty room, either.  I nannied for a kid who had a pale green room with just a few classic Winnie the Pooh things and it was sweet.  He was a total wildman, so the Pooh stuff didn't stick around as he moved into toddlerhood, but it was just a few accessories, so an easy change!

babytime24

@kyrwyn   Thanks so much!  Adorable!

@Amber_Waves Thank you for all that info!  I will definitely be reading up on REI!  I had a feeling there was more to it!  I am fascinated by different parenting methods and love reading about them!  I've taught kindergarten for a long time now, so I have a good understanding of child behavior and different methods for teaching.  But this parenting thing is all new to me!  I hope to learn a lot in these coming months! 

cait5413

@kyrwyn so cute! I may attempt that!

vvitchhazel

@Amber_Waves Thanks for sharing that info! DD is a crib baby and I'd love to transition her to a floor bed, but it's just not feasible for us at this point. Fortunately, she tells us when she's ready for bed and she plays quietly when she wakes up, for the most part. (She'll be 17 months in less than two weeks.) I really love the Montessori and Reggio Emilia approach and I'm looking forward to embracing those even more once we are fully settled into our new living space. DD is a rockstar when it comes to independent play and I'm so happy that that's something we really focused on when she was very small. I think it has really nurtured her creativity and her intellect. She surprises me every day with just how clever she is and I think it's because we let her figure things out for herself! 

Amber_Waves

@vvitchhazel That's awesome! Independent play is so good. My nephew is a complete wreck if he's not the center of attention at all times, LOL.

If you are into Montessori and Reggio Emilia, you'll probably like RIE, too. Janet Lansbury's podcast Unruffled is so great, usually just 15 minutes where she reads a parents letter and then talks through the RIE approach to the situation the parent is describing. More tools in the tool kit! I find the practicalities so interesting and easier to follow than the abstract ideas of being aware and respectful.

@babytime24 Just glad i didn't bore you! I love parenting theories and needing out on it. RIE is all the best parts of how I was raised and how I hope to have my relationship be with my child.

vvitchhazel

@Amber_Waves Always looking for new podcasts, so I'll definitely add that one, thanks! I'm a fan of Janet Lansbury, for the most part. I do side eye some of the things I've read, but in general, I can get behind what she says. 

stillclever17

I was happy to find a new 3 in one convertible crib (to a full size bed) for under $100. Just went to a garage sale and saw one for $40. I'm so effing mad.

I'm wondering about your choice for crib mattresses. Apparently they can be dangerous because of chemicals and off gassing. I decided on this one because I can't afford a $300 100% organic cotton mattress and I thought it was a good compromise.

https://www.lullabyearth.com/products/healthy-support-crib-mattress

moonlady-2

I don't want anything fancy or a theme really. And it will never be called a "nursery" it is just baby's room. I'm low key. I think I want gray walls with pops of color. I kinda want a crib that is a color. Like kelly green or something; regardless of the sex.

vvitchhazel

@stillclever17 My husband (who used to manage a Mattress Firm) researched the shit out of mattresses. I don't have a link, but we settled on an organic soybean mattress for DD. I think it was somewhere around $100. We'll probably buy another for LO.