There are many things to consider when decorating your nursery, from whether you will be decorating for a boy or girl to how long your child will be using this room.

When you choose a theme for your nursery you can often purchase whole sets that cover baby bedding, wall decorations, curtains and more. Alternatively you can purchase a crib bedding set on its own and add other touches to your nursery as you go.

It’s important to consider the long term use of the room. Will it be

• a nursery used first for this baby and later for others, or
• the bedroom of this one child for many years, which you will not wish to redecorate
• the bedroom of this one child, but which you are prepared to redecorate in four to six years time?

If the room is going to remain the nursery, you will want to purchase gender-neutral decorations. You may still choose to go with a baby boy bedding theme, such as a lion theme, that will go well with your unisex decor, or a baby girl bedding theme, such as a flower or butterfly set that can do likewise. This is more easily replaced for the next baby than a full nursery redesign.

If your baby is going to remain in this room as he grows, you may again want to limit you themed decorations to the bedding and other easily removable items, such as a diaper hanger. If your whole room is decorated in a Disney theme, for instance, from bed to wall paper to curtains, your ten year old boy is rather less likely to be content, than if you kept to neutral colours for items like wallpaper and curtains, while using your them on your crib bedding and maybe a lamp or pictures for the walls.

On the other hand, if you are more than happy to redecorate your child’s room in five or six years, then go wild now, decorating the room the way you will like it, knowing that your child can then redecorate in ways to suit his taste later. This can be a great project you can do together, but the cost does add up!

For more ideas on nursery decoration, bedding themes and other information about baby sleep issues, check out the articles at Happy Baby’s Sleeping.