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Wall Decoration Ideas for Your Ba’s Room

July 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Article by Aura

Bringing a new baby home is one of the greatest moments in our lives. Decorating the nursery beforehand, however, can be a bit challenging, especially for those parents who want their children’s rooms to be gender neutral. A great way to decorate your new baby’s nursery is with wall art.

Every store has a decorating section for baby nurseries; it’s just a matter of finding the right ways to decorate the room that fit the theme you dreamed about. Baby decals and vinyl lettering come in both genders and gender neutrals. There are flowers and dolls for girls, trucks and trains for boys and even teddy bears.

When decorating your nursery, weather for a girl or a boy, it helps to have a theme in mind, or at the very least, a color. It can be your favorite color, or light lavender if you would like your room to stay gender neutral or are unsure of the sex of your baby. Lavender and sand colored stained wood makes for a great gender neutral nursery idea.

If you are looking to make your nursery gender neutral, a nice tip would be to use animals like horses and teddy bears. For parents who do not want to know the sex of their child before the baby comes, they are the universal symbol of cuteness. You can find animal decals in just about any arts and crafts store or even online. You can also choose themes like jungles or underwater vinyl wall decals for the completion of your theme. You can paint vivid blues and greens on your walls and add animals and fish till your heart’s content.

If vinyl wall decorations seem a little too whimsical, you can always go with metal or wooden wall art. You can create your own wall art by sculpting your baby’s name out of a piece of wood, painting or staining the wood to match your theme and hanging it on your nursery wall. You can also buy wall art in phrases such as “precious” or in religious sayings to give your new baby’s room a personal touch. There are vast resources for ideas on decorating your baby’s room. Parenting magazines and online blogs are plenty. Using wall art lettering that is removable is simple and easy and requires no clean up. Searching for baby nursery decor ideas has never been easier.

Aura is a an artist and student.

Looking for ideas and products to create a safe, organic and natural nursery for your new baby? Sustainable living expert Sara Snow shows you how to select natural furniture, organic bedding and low POV paints for a beautiful green nursery.
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A Few Fun Filled Nursery Decor Ideas

July 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

So you’re having a baby, congratulations! Whether it’s your first child or not, being an expectant parent is always an exciting experience. There’s many things about this time in your life that are enjoyable, and one of the most fun is getting to designate and decorate your baby’s new room. Below we’ve included a couple of fun filled ideas to help you get started on this great project. And the best thing about them, is that they will fit any budget and still allow you to create an amazing nursery!

Besides these great nursery ideas, we have also included some practical tips for you. After all, it can’t all be fun and frivolous. You’ll need some useful and practical items for your new son or daughter.

So it’s time to get started. We will start by imagining an empty room, but if you’ve already painted, you’re a little ahead so just skip to the parts that are relevant to you!

Teddy Bear Nursery

What’s more popular than a teddy bear? Few toys are as appropriate for baby, and the teddy bear theme assures you’ll have a room just as cute as your new baby!

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To start with, you’ll need to paint the walls. To create a fun teddy-bear theme start by painting the walls in a bright and exciting color. A couple of great choices would be green, pink, yellow, or brown, but feel free to use your imagination! Then, choose a rug to compliment your chosen wall color. For example, if you chose pink, go with a creamy colored rug. Or if you chose green, go with a dark green rug. Once you’ve got those two things picked out, it’s time to decide on furniture.

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A baby’s room doesn’t need a whole lot of furniture, but there are a couple of essential items. Most obviously, there’s the crib, as you need a safe and comfortable place for baby to sleep. You will also need a changing table and either a dresser or a clothing cabinet. The changing table is certainly essential, because you will be changing a lot of diapers! And the dresser is important too, because you will soon find yourself with plenty of baby clothes as you get shower gifts and start finding cute things on your own. Two other things, though not essential, are also recommended. One of these is a love seat or small couch, because as a parent, you’ll be spending a lot of time in that room, and it might be nice to have a place to sit! Plus, you will no doubt have a lot of guests over to see the new baby, and it would be great to have a place for them to rest their feet too as they oh and ah over the new arrival. The other thing that is recommended is a twin bed. You will need this eventually anyway as your child grows bigger and graduates from the crib. You can also add a nightstand next to the bed, and a little baby armchair, table, or little ottoman. Remember, it depends on how much space is available in the baby room.

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Now for the really fun part! It’s time to “accessorize” the room. First, find some bedding with a teddy bear theme. This bedding can be as budget friendly or luxurious as you want, depending on where you buy it. Next, start decorating the room. Get a blanket to throw over the back of the love seat or rocking chair that has a teddy bear printed on it. Then place a big plush teddy on one of the corners of the bed or on the loveseat. You can also get some smaller bears to be placed on the changing table. This will work best if you’ve placed the changing table against the wall, so the stuffed animals have some where to lean against. Not only will this look great, but it might even keep the baby from crying while he or she is being changed!

If you decided to add a nightstand, you could also place a teddy bear frame on it with a picture of your new family, once the baby comes. Another option would be to find a stuffed animal themed lamp or lamp sheet to put next to the photo frame. These things could also be placed on the dresser, if you didn’t get a nightstand. Then, finish off the room by adding some classic drapes or valances. Drapes are best if the room as too much light during the day, and valances are best if you have a darker room. Colors for the curtains should be chosen to compliment the furniture or the walls and rug.

So there you go! You have created a fun-filled (and adorable) room for your new baby. Take these suggestions and be as creative or classic as you want, and friendly to your wallet as well! Remember, with some bright colors, basic furniture, plush teddy bears and themed décor you can transform a plain room into the perfect place for baby.

Get started now! Find the perfect stuffed bears just like in the article, plus many other amazing
plush animals at KCPlush.com. Have fun decorating your new nursery with one less thing on your mind.

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Greening the Nursery Part Three: Green Furniture

July 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Article by Tara Smith

There are many things to consider when purchasing furniture for your new baby’s nursery. While many people might think a green nursery is out of their price range, there are many green options available that don’t cost a lot. Buying furniture is one of the most exciting things to do to prepare for a new baby, and there are just a few health and environmental concerns to be aware of before you decide on a crib and other furniture.

First, and foremost we have to consider the safety aspect. Because your baby will be spending a lot of time in a crib, and many times will be unsupervised, most safety concerns are related to the crib. While many experts will recommend that you not buy a used crib, I believe that most relatively intelligent adults can take precautions to ensure that a used crib is safe. Buying a used crib can be the most budget-friendly and environmentally-friendly option, if you can find one that is safe. For example, you’ll want to make sure the crib was manufactured after the current U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission set safety standards. But the biggest measure you can take is to get the product model number and check to make sure it hasn’t been recalled. Other safety measures you could take could include, buying used from a reputable used baby store that has guaranteed the product, buying from a trusted friend or relative, and buying a crib that is only a year or two old. Make sure you check that all the screws and hardware are fastened correctly. In my opinion, it’s best not to use an antique crib. Antique cribs can have slats that are too far apart, and can have finishes that contain lead, and other toxic materials.

I initially bought a used crib for my daughter at a yard sale. However, I made an agreement with the seller that if the crib had been recalled, or if it was missing hardware, I could return it for a full refund. After we got it home, we checked online to make sure it was not recalled, and it was manufactured recently. It was, but it was missing hardware and so I returned it. I wish I would have spent more time looking for a used crib, but we ended up just buying a new one. The greenest crib option for most people on a budget will be to buy used. But there are green options available if you are buying new. If you have the money, consider the highest quality solid wood crib you can afford, that way you can pass it down to your children. Additionally, if you spend a little bit more money you can get a crib that will convert into a toddler bed and then into a headboard and footboard for a double bed.

If you want to make sure you’re buying a product that uses sustainably harvested wood, look for certification from The Forest Stewardship Council, which is a nonprofit organization that encourages green and sustainable production practices. The FSC certifies manufacturers based fifty-seven different criteria that protects wildlife and regulates pesticide use. Other organizations that certify sustainability include the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, however this group is industry-based and its standards are not as high as those of the FSC.

Another issue of concern with nursery furniture is the chemicals used in production. While the majority of cribs are solid wood and the finishes are regulated to be non-toxic, other furniture, such as changing tables and dressers can be made with cheaper pressed wood materials, which can off-gas significant amounts of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde can irritate young babies eyes, skin and throat and cause nausea. Medium-density fiberboard especially, is noted for emitting the highest amount of formaldehyde. For this reason, buying used is also a good idea, as used products have likely off-gassed the majority of the chemical odors. Additionally buying used solid wood furniture is a budget-friendly alternative to buying new solid wood furniture. If you have to buy pressed wood furniture new, consider leaving it outside or opening the windows and allowing it to off-gas as much as possible before exposure to the baby.

Most of all, when it comes to baby furniture and safety, it’s important to consider all the current safety standards, but also to use your own best judgement by examining everything carefully. If you open your mind to the possibilities, you can decorate the nursery well on a budget and be green at the same time.

Tara Smith is a mom, perennial researcher, reader and author of growbabygreen.com, a website that helps parents “go green” for their baby and family.To learn more green, organic and natural living ideas and tips visit http://www.growbabygreen.com.

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