Decorate a Nursery with Rainbows and Unicorns Without Going Overboard

You don’t get many chances in life to decorate a room with rainbows and unicorns—when you do, take it! Yes, a baby’s room should be soothing and calm both for the child and the parents. Mom and Dad are going to spend a lot of time in there feeding, rocking and changing the little one; you don’t want to feel like you’re stepping into a circus ring each time you open the door. But with a bit of finesse you can pull off a lively theme like rainbows and unicorns and still provide your baby with the calming environment she deserves. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Unicorn Nursery Painting - Elin B (Flickr)"][/caption]

The Effect of Color

Warm colors (yellow, orange and red) tend to increase activity in an infant, while cool colors (blue, green and violet) have a soothing effect, according to Thinkquest. With this in mind, it’s easy to see that a colorful collection of rainbows and unicorns could easily create a too-bright, too-busy environment for you and your baby to relax in. But that's where a little editing comes in. Choose one item, such as a blanket or a piece of art, and base the nursery’s color scheme on that one piece. For example, you might select a rainbow wall decal as a focal point and plan the color palette based on the decal. Soothing (cool) light green on the walls will make a calm background for little pops of rainbow color here and there.

Keep it Safe

Not even rainbows and unicorns are sweet enough to make up for a nursery that’s unsafe. Keep the most precious room in your home the safest one, too:

• Install a smoke detector near or in the nursery, and check it often
• Use plug protectors to keep little fingers out of electrical outlets
• Keep window-treatment cords out of baby’s reach
• Never position the playpen or crib next to the window
• Install window guards to prevent falls

Make it Personal

Personal touches like family photos and handmade blankets are what make a nursery really special. Look for picture frames in your theme or paint wooden letters from the craft store in rainbow colors and hang them on the wall to spell out her name. By planning ahead, you could purchase baby shower favors from www.partypail.com in your decor theme, and fill a shadow box with a saved shower invitation as well as a few extras left over from the party.

Baby Boredom

Your baby’s eyesight continues to develop over the first several months of his life. At around five months old, he enjoys tracking things with his eyes. His nursery can be a place of great wonder if it’s accessorized well. Help him stay interested by changing the scenery once in a while. Replace the rainbow mobile over his bed with one that has unicorns, move the toys to different shelves or move the crib to give him a different view of the room. Small changes like this will stimulate his interest and make hanging out in his crib alone more enjoyable.