Now that baby is on the way, it’s time to start decorating that nursery! You don’t need to spend oodles of money to build the perfect nursery. You can create a warm and comforting environment for your new little bundle, without having it painted yellow or mint green.

ABC’s: The alphabet is a great nursery theme that will carry through to the school years.  It’s an easy theme to accomplish, all you need is some bright paint and some stencils.  You can choose primary or pastels, and paint the letters of the alphabet as a pish-posh pattern all over the walls, or the traditional alphabetical order.

Crayons and Color: Primary colors are an early learning tool for babies and toddlers, so get a head start by filling your child’s room with crayons!  You can choose to paint your own, or buy peel and stick stencils to do the job.  Most children’s furniture, such as tables or desks also come in bright, primary colours, making this nursery theme easy to build on as your baby grows.

Life on the Farm: Part of your baby’s beginner learning will be the discovery of farm animals.  Soft sheep and clucking chickens are friendly and fun for boys and girls.  You can paint one wall like a giant, red barn, or use peel and stick stencils to create a farmyard of cows, horses, chickens and other farm animals.

Fairytale Wonders: If you know you’re having a girl, then fairy tales are the perfect inspiration to decorate the nursery.  Light pink walls can accentuate the pretty dresses of Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.  Fairy tales never go out of style and are available on sheets, bedding, curtains and wall decals. 

Fish in a Bowl: Little ones are fascinated by fish.  A light blue or pale green wall creates a fabulous fish bowl, that can be filled with decals of colourful and friendly looking fishies.  It’s great for girls or boys, and you can add a mobile for the crib to top off the theme.

Lions and Tigers and Bears (oh my!): Jungle animals have always been very popular with children of all ages, and make an adorable nursery theme.  If you don’t like peel and stick decals, try buying some small plush jungle animals, such as giraffes, monkeys, elephants and lions to decorate the walls.  A little clear fishing line and some push pins are all you need to make a jungle border in the nursery.

Firetrucks: There’s never been a little boy who wasn’t fascinated with firetrucks.  A nice wall mural can be the fire station, or you can use fire engine decals on a bold, blue background.  This is another great theme to build on, with curtains, bedding and of-course, toys.

Twinkle, Twinkle: Adorning the nursery with glow in the dark stars is quick and inexpensive.  You can also use friendly decals showcasing stars and the moon in a pretty night sky.  This is a great theme for boy or girl nursery’s, and is easily complemented with mobiles, bedding and throw rugs.