Decorating for a Mystery Baby- Gender Neutral Nursery

My big sister is about to have a baby! I don’t know how they are doing it but they are waiting to be surprised as to the sex of the baby… the suspense is killing me! So of course, the question is, “how do you decorate for a mystery baby?”…

The first and most important decision you will have to make is about color. People often use bright and bold colors to decorate babies nurseries. Uh…yah. I don’t have kids but I have heard many times that getting a baby to sleep is one of the challenges of new babies. Bright, bold color is STIMULATING… that lime, hot pink and orange combo is fun but it is sure to counter the efforts of your rocking and sweet lullaby-ing. Do yourself and your baby a favor and create a soothing color palette to sleep by. Try using muted colors like baby blue or baby pink… they are named after babies for a reason. For a more gender neutral color scheme, try soft, muted neutrals such as tan, white, buttery yellows and soft green. This makes for a classic backdrop for the fun gender identifying accessories(such as Little Johnny’s fire truck collection or Little Jenny’s Barbie Dream whatever) and a palette that will last a few years until Baby starts having an opinion.

The next thing on the to do list will be layout. Try thinking in terms of what would be the safest, most peaceful, most insulated place in the room. That is where the crib should go. When you open the door, does light from the hallway pour onto Baby’s face? Does the breeze from the window keep that area colder or hotter than the rest of the room? Does that outside wall get toasty or cool from the weather? These are things to think about when placing your crib. Other pieces such as changing tables, toy and clothing storage etc. can be placed along walls and in closets. If you have the space, add a rocker that is comfortable and beautiful.

The next layer is all about personality. The fabrics you bring in with bedding and window treatments, artwork, mobiles, toys and pictures really create the personality. We don’t know yet what Baby is going to be like, so, these pieces are all for the parents and friends to enjoy. There are many ways to add style to a room and I will include some of my favorite photos at the end of this post.

Lastly, Don’t forget to think about lighting. If you can, put the overhead light on a dimmer. Lay down on the floor and look up to see what Junior is going to be seeing. If the light fixture you have has a blaring exposed light bulb, you may want to replace it with a fixture that has a diffuser or covered bulb. While you are down on the floor, this is a good time to think about what color/pattern you want to put on the ceiling… I know it is comfy lying down there. Just imagine Junior drifting off, dreaming of floating through those fluffy clouds, or joining up with that silly circus…

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