Where Does Baby Rest His Head?

A crib, also called a cot, is an essential piece of baby nursery decor. When your child is too big for a bassinet, it can be dangerous to continue placing them in one for sleep. Babies often reach this stage at about six to eight months of age, and a bassinet becomes a cramped and uncomfortable place to sleep. A crib is the next step up: more space for them to move, more support for the entire structure, and often, the long-anticipated move to their own room.

When shopping for cribs, it's important to consider the baby nursery decor you've already purchased, or that you plan to purchase. This way you can strive to create a cohesive theme with your baby nursery decor rather than assembling an eclectic or unbalanced group of furniture and images.

Creating a Customized Crib

A crib itself often won't have a specific "theme" to it. Cribs are usually constructed from wood or plastic, often in light tones such as white or pale natural wood. All cribs have vented sides, which is to say, their sides consist of a row of bars rather than a solid piece; this is to reduce the risk of an infant suffocating if they become trapped against the crib's side. Because of the lack of surface area, they're generally not customized to match other pieces of baby nursery decor, despite often being the focus of the nursery.

This isn't to say a crib can't be made to match the rest of the baby nursery decor. Let's assume, for example, that you're trying to create a bold red-and-gold Chinese dragon theme for your nursery. Along with pieces of baby nursery decor that emphasize the Chinese dragon motif, you could paint a wooden sleigh crib a dark cherry red or lacquered black, as is common in Chinese furniture construction. This way, the crib appears to be part of the baby nursery decor theme, without much effort on your part.

It's possible to stain, paint, or stencil a wooden crib to match the rest of your baby nursery decor, but again, due to the small available surface areas, your design will have to be somewhat sparse. Painting a teddy bear over every bar of the crib would be quite a task, and would produce a very "busy" piece of baby nursery decor that might overwhelm the rest of the room. A single teddy bear on the headboard and footboard creates a tasteful and balanced image which can be used as a 'focus' for the bedding and other articles of baby nursery decor. Additionally, be sure the paints and stains you wish to use will be safe for your baby when they start teething on the crib rail!

Balancing the Nursery

While any crib capable of securely holding an infant will do, purchasing a crib shouldn't be a decision you rush into. If you haven't already decided on a theme for the nursery, begin picking out items of baby nursery decor now, and design the room as you go. Baby nursery decor is the one interior decorating project where you have the freedom to be as silly and colorful as you like; incorporate the crib with fun colors, designs, or an interesting shape.