Nursery - I'm torn

maurisa74

I am curious what you have all decided to do regarding a nursery.

I can't decide whether to decorate a gender neutral nursery while in the process of adoption, or wait until matched. On the one hand I don't really want to end up looking at an empty room for a long period of time. On the other hand, if we decorate gender specific after matched with a birth mom and that adoption plan changes we might be stuck with a nursery that doesn't match the sex of our baby. How did you all handle this? Any advice?

 Just a few more bits of information...we are likely to be certified in December, so, if we do a room before match it will be in November or December. And the room right now is not being used except as my sewing room. TIA for the advice. 

 

Alicia_22

Our formal application was just approved this past week and we are hoping to be approved and "waiting" by the beginning of the year and I've decided to go ahead and get the nursery set up ( at least the furniture and bedding/paint, etc) around the end of the year. We are going to do a "jungle baby" theme that would be gender neutral. We are asking for a boy but are open to twins so I still want to be gender neutral. I think if you can find something that would work for either gender, I'd go ahead and get it done. That's one less thing you will have to worry about if you get matched quickly, IMO! Good Luck to you!!! 

MayDayGirl

I started collecting things and buying gender neutral things that could be made specific later. We bought a crib and a white bed skirt but knew I could add a pink or blue quilt later. I some frames that were chocolate brown and lime green, knowing I would add pink or blue accents later.

FinallyMrs.G

We are doing a gender neutral nursery. We alrady have the walls painted a baby blue so the colors will be blue and brown and if we bring home a girl we plan to add pink touches.

cindynscott

We had to purchase a crib and some other items for our foster/adopt process and it was stange just having that in the empty room. So we ended up doing it neutral green and chocolate and we did a monkey theme boy or girl it turned out  nice. gl

 

kmkaull

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to this.  Just do what feels right to you.  We started picking things up before our home study started, and then completed the whole nursery after the home study and while we were waiting for a match.  It gave us something to do, and kept me positive and hopeful.  After we were matched and found out it was a boy, we started to buy a few boyish items.  But for the most part, I kept things neutral because I didn't want specific items attached to a baby if the match fell through.

 One way to look at it is, you will be parents . . . you deserve to prepare like all other expectant parents.

Jessie*J

Our nursery is blue and brown polka dots. If we do get a girl we'll just add in some pink stuff!

maurisa74

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. My husband I decided to go get the nursery together after our fingerprint results come back. I do love to shop, so it is exciting to look forward to getting the nursery together. 

ColoRxGirl

I went gender neutral with green, brown, and cream in a forest critter theme.  (Pic in my blog if you're curious.)

As far as looking at an empty room, I go in and admire it ocassionally, but mostly the door to the room is closed.

LadyRed7

We are doing a gender neutral nursery. Are theory is we would rather have it done and ready in the case of an "instant" situation than wait.

We can always do the really girly room or really boyish room when they are a toddler and can help pick stuff out, etc. 

GLynn2009

We painted the walls yellow.

When it came closer to time (I knew we were going to get a girl) I made butterfly curtains with lots of colors. After a visit this spring with DD we knew she loved Dora so we got Dora wall stick ones. We have also put her full new name on the wall.

Cissi64

We did foster to adopt and had a "girl" room (pink and blue with Peter Rabbit/ Beatrix Potter stuff) and a "boy" room (red and blue with Winnie-the-Pooh)  I think gender neutral basics would be the way to go and you can always specifiy gender with accessories.

BTW we ended up with 2 boys and a girl in 1996 1n 1997.  The boys room got updated as they grew older and our DD moved to another bedroom in the basement at age 8.  About five years ago I decide it was time to redo the "girl" nursery(baby furniture had long been removed but it was still painted/ decorated the same). Before I could ge started, we found out we were pregnant with our miracle baby who turned out to be a girl so the room still hasn't been redecorated!