So you’re having a baby. And you need a nursery! We get it — donning your interior designer hat can feel a bit daunting on top of all that other preparation for your brand new little one. As much as you’d like a lavish, decked-out nursery that you spent months decorating, chances are you really just want to find a balance between a celeb-level nursery and a functional space. With the help of VTech, we’ll show you smart decor tricks for a darling *and* sensible nursery that’s child-friendly, not childish.
When it comes to babies, safety, sensibility and care come first. Our friends at VTech know these are the priorities for any parent, and they’ve designed quality products with them in mind. The VTech Safe&Sound® VM344 Pan & Tilt Video Baby Monitor offers full-color, high-res video with night vision and a remote pan-and-tilt camera with 2x zoom. Not to mention its camera is shaped like an adorable owl whose head turns with the remote. Prop the camera on a shelf facing your crib or mount it on the wall for peace of mind when you’re not in the room.
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This contest is now closed.
Starts 2/22 at 12:30pm and ends 3/2 at 11:59pm. Full contest terms HERE.
USE AN ART PRINT AS INSPIRATION
Don’t know where to begin? Find an art print you love and use its colors and shapes to inspire the entire room. Just like that, you’ve found a color palette.
We’ve always had a soft spot for this Honey & Bloom print (from $30) of San Francisco. Its geometric shapes and bright colors are spot on for a kiddo’s room, don’t you think?
MAKE A STATEMENT WALL WITH WASHI TAPE
Make a statement! Washi tape has always been a favorite of ours, because it’s a smart way to decorate *anything* without damaging the surface (we’re looking at you, renters). Other perks? It’s inexpensive, colorful, temporary and, well, hard to mess up.
Inspired by the colors and geometry from our print, we made a sort of mountainscape using colored tape. See how easy it is? Simply add strips one at a time and trim the edges as needed with a utility knife. What’s more, it only took us about 30 minutes.
Ta-da! Add your crib, a baby mobile and other colorful accents for simple and sweet decor.
MAKE YOUR BOOKCASE #SHELFIE-WORTHY — AND FUNCTIONAL
Yes, there *is* an attainable balance between sensible and stylish in a kid’s room, and a bookshelf is the perfect example. Prioritize the utilitarian stuff and add playful touches throughout.
Use a bookshelf to store all the supplies you need within reach. Display the cute stuff (like all those swaddle blankets you’ve been collecting!) and store away the not-so-cute items (ahem, diapers) in bins.
Keep the more delicate necessities, like your baby monitor and VIP powders and lotions, on the top shelf.
The bottom shelf, aka The Grab Zone, should only house stuff your kiddo can safely play with.
THE MORE BASKETS, THE BETTER
Here’s one of our favorite hacks (for grown-ups, too!) — use tons of baskets for easy storage. We *know* putting away all those toys after every play sesh is not always an option. Designate baskets, bins or other storage vessels for toys, books, blankets and more. It’s much easier to toss a dozen toys into a basket, and you know they’ll end up back on the floor tomorrow anyway ;)
Mix whimsical bins — like this DIY pineapple laundry basket — with classic wire baskets. The trick is to choose furniture and decor that will appeal to them (and you!) for years to come.
BONUS: DIY BABY MOBILE
And now for the sweetest addition to your brand new nursery: the baby mobile! We DIY’d this one in under an hour using ever-popular felted wool pom poms, an embroidery hoop and thread.
Check it out!
Materials + Tools
— embroidery hoop
— felted wool pom poms
— embroidery thread
— scissors
— fishing line
— needle with large eye
There may be a needle and thread, but no sewing skills are required!
Cut a piece of embroidery thread about a foot long. Thread your needle and tie the two loose ends together at the end. String on a felted wool pom pom. If you like, you can tie a knot right above this pom pom to keep it in place. Tie another knot a bit above the pom pom, then thread on another ball. Repeat until you have about two inches of thread left, then cut off the needle and set aside.
Make seven more strands.
Tie the top of each strand to the inner embroidery hoop and trim excess thread.
Tie three long strands of fishing wire to the same hoop, evenly spaced apart.
Add the outer embroidery hoop and tighten to size.
Wrap both embroidery hoops with embroidery thread. We decided to only wrap parts of it for a more minimalist look.
About one foot above the hoop, tie all three fishing lines together. Use your needle to thread the fishing lines through a pom pom, then tie another knot.
Hang your mobile using a hook or other sturdy, baby-proof hardware. Make sure all strings are no more than seven inches long and that the mobile is at least a foot outside of your baby’s reach! Check out more baby mobile safety tips here.
We also invited our favorite bloggers and friends to the Brit + Co Shop to make a baby mobile of their own. Check it out!
Is it weird that we kinda want to keep these up in our store? They’re just so darn cute.
We loved seeing everyone’s version of the pom pom mobile. And let it be known that tons of the attendees said it was a breeze to make these.
Are you decorating a nursery or making this mobile? If so, we want to see the results! Snap a pic on Instagram and tag #iamcreative so we can take a look.
This post is a collaboration with VTech.
Authored by: Maddie Bachelder
DIY Production + Styling: Maddie Bachelder
Photography: Chris Andre
