17 Adorable Nursery Themes For Your New Baby

You’re expecting a little one! Congrats! With their arrival just a few months away, you’ll be busy preparing and decorating the nursery to welcome your baby. If you’re brainstorming nursery themes, you’re in the right place!

At Newton Baby, we think designing and decorating the nursery is not only a really fun part of expecting a new baby but also very important.

In this article, we’ll talk first about safety and how to set up and decorate the nursery so that it’s a secure place for your baby. Then we’ll give you 17 ideas for adorable nursery themes to get your wheels turning!

Safety First With All Nursery Themes

Having a cute nursery isn’t worth much if it isn’t safe for your sweet little one. The good news is there are plenty of ways to make your nursery both adorable and safe!

There are just a few things you’ll need to keep in mind as you design and decorate. Let’s take a look.

Buy A Safe Crib

Your baby’s crib can be a focal point of the nursery theme and decorations. But, because your baby will spend a lot of time sleeping in it, you don’t want to settle for just any crib.

Choose a stylish yet safe place for your little one to snooze!

Everyone loves a good hand-me-down, but when it comes to cribs, it’s best to purchase new. And as you shop for cribs, think about the width of the slats, how sturdy it is, and whether or not the crib mattress will fit snugly.

For our full recommendations on how to purchase a safe crib, read our article here.

Opt For A Firm, Breathable Mattress

A secure place for your baby to sleep requires two things: a safe crib and a safe mattress.

Although a soft, fluffy mattress might be comfortable for you, your baby doesn’t need one. In fact, soft and fluffy is the opposite of what you want in a crib mattress!

Your baby’s mattress should be firm and fit well inside the crib you’ve chosen, without big gaps (no more than the width of two fingers) between the mattress and the inside of the crib slats.

Increase your peace of mind even more by putting your baby to sleep on a breathable mattress, like Newton Baby’s Crib Mattress.

Made with our Wovenaire® Core (90% air, 10% food-grade polymer), this mattress is 100% breathable. No more sweaty backs! And if your baby rolls over in the middle of the night, they can breathe straight through the mattress.

Keep Decorations Out Of The Crib

You can go all out decorating the walls, floor, and furniture in the nursery, but when it comes to the crib, keep the decorations out of it!

Baby pillows and blankets are cute, but they aren’t safe for your little one to sleep with. A safe crib includes a firm mattress, a top sheet, and nothing else! Stay away from extra bedding, crib bumpers, toys, and the like.

To add an adorable but safe touch to your baby’s crib, opt for Newton Baby’s Breathable, Organic Cotton Sheets. They come in four different patterns as well as two different sizes to fit standard or mini cribs.

And, just like our mattresses, these comfy sheets are 100% breathable!

Hang Art And Decorations Carefully

Speaking of decking out the rest of the nursery, here’s one thing you’ll want to keep in mind as you do so: where and how you hang art and other decorations.

Avoid hanging things on the wall directly over the crib or changing table, and be sure that your baby can’t reach curtains and cords from the crib. And when you hang something, make sure it’s secure and won’t accidentally fall (or be pulled) off!

Removable wall decals are a great option for adding safe yet stylish decor to your little one’s nursery.

Keep these recommendations in mind as you dream up the perfect nursery theme for your baby and you’ll create a space that is fun, welcoming, and safe! To help you come up with the perfect theme, here are a few of our favorites.

17 Adorable Nursery Themes

1) ABCs

Go with letters, blocks, and all sorts of colors with an ABCs theme! When it comes to color and style, the possibilities are endless with this theme.

2) The Tiny Library

Take your nursery design one step further and deck your baby’s room out in all things books! 

Foster a love for reading by creating their own tiny library in the nursery. Outfit their room with plenty of bookshelves, book-themed wallpaper, and decorations made from old pages.

3) Up, Up, And Away!

Planes, hot air balloons, or rockets are all great nursery themes! Choose your favorite and combine it with lots of clouds and sky for an airy, adventurous room.

4) Little Explorer

Whether your baby is named Dora or otherwise, consider decorating their room with an explorer theme! Think binoculars, animals, compasses, and a big map that takes up a whole wall.

5) Bon Voyage

Similar to the explorer theme, travel makes a fun theme for the nursery. Choose a specific country or state (even use some of your own trip photos!) or go generic with globes, boats, planes, and maps.

6) Wish Upon A Star

Bring the moon and stars into your baby’s room with a starry night nursery theme! You can even paint a starry sky on a wall or the ceiling, and you don’t have to be a professional artist to do it.

Simply paint the ceiling or sky a deep blue, mixing in a bit of white paint for a lighter effect on various areas. Then dot the stars on using white paint and a variety of sizes of paintbrushes and voila!

Time to wish upon a star.

7) Climb Every Mountain

Another way to bring nature into your baby’s room? Go with a mountain or woodland animals nursery theme. Think mountains, moose, bears, and gorgeous, natural shades of blue and green.

8) Surfin’ Away

For those who like the beach better than the mountains, you’re in luck because the coast also makes an excellent nursery theme. Bring a taste of the ocean into your baby’s room!

Your beach theme can consist of light, breezy colors, palm tree wall decals, and starfish. Or make it more mystical with mermaids, sea animals, and waves.

9) Enchanted Forest

Make the nursery magical with an enchanted forest theme. Let your imagination run wild with trees, leaves, mushrooms, secret doors, butterflies, and, of course, fairies!

10) City Lights

While the forest can be enchanting, so can the city! Tall buildings, lights, and skylines are fun nursery decorations. Opt for a city theme in lots of colors or strictly black and white. Whatever suits your fancy!

11) Black And White

Black and white can be a theme in itself! Think clean lines and shapes like triangles, circles, or squares in black, white, and gray. Or go with black and white patterns like zig-zags, polka dots, or plaid.

With black and white, the options are endless!

12) Sounds And Music

Your little one might be the next Beethoven with a music-themed nursery!

This is another versatile nursery theme. Decorate with old records, guitars, and bold colors. Or keep it soft and sweet with sheet music, muted colors, and music notes.

13) The US Of A

Deck the nursery out in red, white, and blue to make it patriotic! This can be an extremely easy nursery theme: start by painting one wall navy blue, hanging a flag on a white wall, and adding any other touches.

14) Circus Tricks

Big red and white stripes, balloons, and animals doing tricks make the circus a fun nursery theme! If you want, turn it into an old-school circus with vintage photos.

15) On The Farm

Decorating a nursery with farm animals and the like just never seems to get old and there are always new ways to reinvent it!

Whether it’s cartoon animals and primary colors or prints of real barnyard animals and soft tones, you’re sure to find something that will make your little one smile.

16) On Safari

If farm charm isn’t your thing, turn the nursery into a safari for a theme that your little one will enjoy for years to come. Giraffes, zebras, and elephants are no-brainers!

Plus, if you love animal prints, this is your chance to work it into the nursery decorations.

17) Cute Monsters

Who said all monsters are scary? Decorate the nursery in shades of blue, green, and orange and plenty of cute, friendly monsters!

Welcome Home, Little One

Your baby’s nursery is where they will spend lots of time snoozing, not to mention nursing, cuddling, reading books with you, and playing. It should be a special, welcoming, and safe place.

As you dream up the perfect nursery theme, keep our safety tips in mind: buy a safe crib, choose a breathable mattress (like Newton Baby’s Crib Mattress), keep decorations out of the crib, and be careful where and how you hang artwork.

With those tips, our nursery theme ideas, and your own creativity and imagination, you’ll decorate the nursery in a way that will be just right for your baby. Welcome home, little one!