The nursery is probably the place where baby will spend most of his/her time sleeping, playing and spending time with mommy and daddy. Therefore it is really important that it is as comfortable as ever for baby and parents alike.

If you have leafed through interior decor magazines and wished you could decorate the nursery like one of those picture perfect nurseries complete with rocking chairs and teddy bears but worry about the costs, then don't despair. You don't need a lot of money to set up a beautiful and comfortable nursery. All you need is some creativity and loads of time to experiment and do some searching. Here are the steps to take:

1. Choose a color theme: If you preferred not to know the sex of your baby until he/she arrives, then you will need a gender neutral color theme. There are a lot of beautiful, calming pastels you can choose from such as mossy green, buttery yellow, soft pastel orange, creamy beige, light violet and much much more. The idea is to choose a calming color that is not too bright and may not make it difficult for baby to fall asleep because of the bright colors.

2. Choose wallpaper or paint: Some parents would prefer to put up wallpapers of their choice, especially those with teddy bears and cutesy prints. However, bear in mind that wallpapers may need to be changed after a few years. But then, that is the same with paint. So, it is always best to choose the one that you and baby can live with for at least the first few years before he/she is old enough to want something different done to his/ her room!

3. No rugs / carpeting: If your house has wood flooring, it is best to keep it at that. Stay away from rugs and carpeting. This is because these are dust attractors and we do not want dust clogging up the air in the nursery. However, if your house has tiled or other types of flooring, do consider putting in wood flooring or if that's not possible, then you may have to get light, small rugs that you can take out to clean every so often to get rid of the dust.

4. Minimal soft toys: I know, all those interior decor magazines are just so fond of placing loads of soft toys in the crib, on the rocking chair, everywhere. It may look cute but again, think of the dust factor. The baby won't be able to play with a teddy bear until he / she is old enough to hold it and hug it. So, keep soft toys to a minimum, perhaps one or two and that's it. And NEVER place it in the crib with the baby especially the first few months as it may fall over and smother the baby! But to make up for the lack of soft toys, you can get some pretty colorful mobiles for the baby to play with. These are very useful to keep baby occupied.

5. Choosing cribs & dressers: When choosing cribs, it is always a good idea to go for safety and functionality first before you go for pretty designs. Make sure it is secure and that there are no spaces that the baby could get wedged in. Also make sure the slideable bars are secured.As for dressers, make sure it is baby-safe and that it fits your needs. Measure the nursery first and then measure out the spaces you have set aside for the crib and dresser. Then, when you are choosing your crib and dresser, remember to check the measurements so that you won't end up buying pieces that are too big or too small.

6. Extra furniture: Things like rocking chairs, a changing table, night lamp and other extras are all quite optional. Why is a changing table optional? Simple. You won't be using it for long and it will only take up space. The safest (but a bit troublesome) way to change a baby is to place her/ him on a thin mattress on the floor. This way, if the baby do roll over while you are reaching over to get a diaper, the baby won't fall. Of course, you can always get a changing table that comes equipped with safety belts. That's totally your choice. As for rocking chairs, those are pretty useful when breastfeeding and lulling baby to sleep. However, when baby starts to crawl, the chair will have to be baby-proofed or removed or else it could cause injuries to an inquisitive baby.  

The most important part about decorating a nursery is always the ambiance. We would want to create a calm, peaceful atmosphere with calm colors and theme so that it keep the baby calm and makes it easier for baby to fall asleep at night. An example would be to use soft, pastel light blue paint for the walls. And then to equip it with white furniture and cream colored sheets. Complete the look with a thick double-layered curtain to block out the sunlight when baby needs an afternoon nap. The curtain colors can vary between blue and cream. Hang some glow-in-the-dark stars over the crib so that when lights are out, there are still some small pinpoints of light in the room. In the daytime, it will be interesting decor items and for the baby, interesting mobiles to stare at.