From the second your newborn opens their eyes, they begin to absorb vital information and knowledge used to shape and develop them.


It’s thought that around 80% of this information is visual stimulation, showing the importance of choosing the right surroundings for your baby.


In this post, we’ll be looking into baby development stages and how decorating your nursery could have an effect. We’ll cover some key development stages for babies through to toddlers as well as colour and pattern choices. We’ll also be providing some general hints and tips that will hopefully help make your life as a new parent slightly easier!


Just to be clear, we’re not saying if you follow these steps your child will grow up to be a genius! But these tips could help your child reach milestones earlier by giving them the right stimuli to focus on and help form positive habits and routines.


Whether you’re expecting your first child or fourth, keep reading our latest Icon post for a chance to find out a useful insight you might not have heard!



Timeline of Baby Development


Let’s start by looking at the stages of development for your baby. We’ve included key milestones from when your baby is born through to 24 months.


Check out our ‘Key Stages Of Baby Development’ infographic below:


baby development stages infographic


Please Note - Not all babies reach milestones at the same stages. These steps are not set in stone so don’t worry if the steps are different to your child’s timeline. If you do have any concerns, please speak to your GP.



Colours and Styles


Changing times have made a huge difference to nursey styles. The traditional pink and blue rooms aren’t as common and parents are opting for more neutral colours and stylish nursery decor.


In this section, we’ll be looking at popular colours and patterns, detailing how and why they can affect your baby’s development.


Colours


Let’s start by looking at the colours and how they influence your child.


Black & White - When a baby is born, they see mainly in black, white and grey. Using contrasting blacks and whites to decorate your nursery is a great way of creating an engaging decor for children to follow with their eyes. These contrasting colours will help develop a young baby’s eyes.


Bold & Bright Colours - The use of contrasting bright and bold colours works in a similar way to black and white, creating an eye-catching feature your baby can follow with their eyes. The benefit of using bright colours is when your baby gets older, they will be able to see a wider colour spectrum, keeping them engaged as they grow.


Pastels & Soft Colours - Although soft and pastel colours are a common trend, they have little to no effect on the development of your child. Their popularity is mainly due to the appeal to adults and rather than a baby’s development. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t use these options! However, it may be worth adding bright accessories and features pieces with lines and patterns etc.



In addition to these colour categories, you could follow some general colour psychology trends.


Below you’ll find some common colours and their associated psychological qualities that could apply to a nursery.


Red - Red is linked to excitement and passion as well as danger due to its frequent use in warning signs etc.


Blue - Blue is thought to be linked to creativity and calm, creating a soothing vibe.


Green - Green is linked to calm and healing due to its association with nature.


Grey - Grey has a calming and thought provoking association.


Yellow - Yellow is thought to be a cheerful colour linked to happiness and intelligence.


Pink - Pink is a calming colour meant to lower the heartrate.



Patterns and Styles


Another option that could help your child’s development is the use of contrasting patterns and shapes. This is a popular option used for creating a stylish decor that looks great!


Lines and shapes are perfect for newborns and young babies as they focus on the differing shapes. Incorporating these kinds of features will help to stimulate your baby and give them something to absorb their attention and keep their eyes moving.


To include these designs, try creating a feature wall using stripes or patterns such as chevrons or diamonds. You could try out popular trends like geometric shapes or monochrome patterns.


These designs can be created with paint or wallpaper. Just choose your preferred option to decorate your space.


Pattern and shape designs are best suited to a feature wall around the play area of the room rather than a full room or sleeping area as it may be overstimulating for a child trying to sleep.



As we mentioned, your baby won’t see colour until they’re three to five months so you do have time to make the decision if you’re uncertain which option to go for. See if there are any colours your baby reacts to more than others and use this for inspiration.


Colour is subjective, even with children, so choosing based on your experience could be the best option.


Although choosing the right colour for your child can have clear benefits, you should still pick a colour and style that you’re happy with. You’re likely to be in the room as much as the baby and should like the theme you go for!


Whatever you decide on, whether it’s paint or wallpaper, try to make sure it’s easy to clean! Babies are messy things and you’ll likely have some sort of incident where your wall is messed up.



General Nursery Decor Tips


Now you have a better idea of which colours might be right for you, we’ll have a look at some general nursery decoration tips to help you out.


Incorporate Storage To Avoid Clutter


It’s fair to say; especially in the modern day, a baby comes with a lot of baggage. From large items like cots, pushchairs, car seats and wash basins through to smaller things like clothes, toys, nappies and bottles, you’re going to have a huge amount of new things you’ll have to store somewhere.

We recommend you avoid clutter as it will make your life easier and can have an effect on your baby!


For your baby, their nursery should be clear of mess and clutter to prevent over-stimulation. This will help create a peaceful and comforting place that they associate with sleep.


For you, having an organised storage system will prevent you from searching around your house, looking for a lost item whilst holding a baby. It’s hard enough being a parent, trying to keep your baby’s room organised and it will hopefully make the whole process slightly easier.


Have everyday items easy to grab when you’re in a rush and things you use every few days or weekly towards the back.


A closed wall cupboard can really help as you’ll have a great amount of storage in one unit. Alternatively, a cupboard and drawer set gives you two different types of storage and greater flexibility.


Remember, when choosing your storage furniture, a plain design will likely be best. This will remove the need to change the unit as the child gets older saving you money in the long run. Temporary accessories like wall stickers can brighten up a piece of furniture without permanently changing them.



Blackout Curtains and Blinds


A newborn baby can spend up to around 16 to 18 hours a day sleeping. Although this isn’t the case with all babies, it’s quite common for many newborns.


Babies sleep will vary, sleeping at different times through the night and the day during infancy.


Adding a blackout blind or curtains in a nursery can help you simulate night at any time removing natural light that can interfere with your baby’s naps.


Simulating night can help your newborn child associate darkness with sleep. This could help to encourage a child to sleep during the night as they get older. You can also use a nightlight, getting your child accustomed to their routine.


Creating a dark room could also help you get some sleep! This will help if you’re following the popular advice to sleep when your baby does.



Create A Comfortable Space For Yourself


You’ll likely be spending a lot of time in your baby’s nursery, especially while their young. Adding a comfortable chair or sofa gives you a place to sit during those night feeds or nap whilst your baby sleeps.


A comfortable chair will stop you from traipsing to your living room looking for somewhere to sit with your baby.


A great option is a comfortable rocking chair! You can soothe your baby by rocking them back and forth whilst having somewhere to sit. There’s a huge choice of chairs that rock available including armchairs so you’re not tied to a traditional wooden chair.



Use a Baby Mobile


Mobiles are a traditional toy and decorative piece for nurseries that have been used since the 19th century.


They can help to develop a child’s eyesight, stimulating their eyes with bright and moving colours they can follow. They can also help with muscle development once a child begins to move and hold their head up as your child will reach out for it.


Another great feature available with some types of mobiles is music. A soothing lullaby can help your child drift off to sleep, making them feel safe and secure.


With the huge selection of mobiles available, you can choose a design that fits in with your room, looks great and helps your child develop.


It’s worth noting, not all experts agree on the use of mobiles, especially during a child’s sleeping time. This is due to your baby being overstimulated and distracting them from sleep.


The ultimate decision is down to the parents. You could try out a mobile and remove it if it’s not right for your baby. If you do choose to go for a mobile, make sure the fastening is secure and there’s no risk of becoming unattached.



Decorate the Ceiling


Becoming a more popular trend in recent years, decorating a ceiling gives you the opportunity to add a contrasting colour or design to capture your baby’s attention. Babies spend the majority of time lying on their back, so this is a great place to add a new design.


As we mentioned earlier, you don’t want to overstimulate your child if they’re trying to sleep but adding a soothing colour can be beneficial. Try to match or contrast your walls to create the right look.


You could also add a fun design over the side of your room where your child plays. This can help entertain your child whilst looking great.



Add a Rug


You’ll likely be surprised how much time a parent spends on the floor. It’s the prime place for playtime, stories and even baby changing (especially when your child begins to crawl).


Adding a rug can make your space more comfortable for you and your baby to lie on. It can also provide a splash of colour or a pattern, adding another design to help improve their development.


Another benefit is they can help save your carpet from spillages, accidents and general mess, perfect for babies and young children. It’s much easier to replace a rug rather than a carpet and a lot more cost-effective!



Accessorise with a Wall Sticker


Adding a wall sticker to a nursery is a cheap and effective way to enhance the decor of your room and create a stimulating piece for your baby to look at.


Stickers can be used in different ways like adding one large nursery wall sticker as a feature or a sticker set to one wall or your whole room. They can also be added to a range of surfaces including paint, glass, metal, wood and many more


A huge benefit of nursery wall stickers is they come in a huge range of categories, allowing you to choose something that’s right for your theme. Stickers can easily be removed and replaced as a child gets older and develops their own taste.


Wall stickers are also non-toxic, eco-friendly and easy to clean!


In addition to stickers, other pieces of art and photographs can be used to decorate.


Your baby will likely not understand whatever you choose to begin with but don’t worry. Anything visual they can look at and trace with their eyes will likely be beneficial.




Nursery Decoration Summary


Choosing the right nursery decor can help you create the perfect nursery whilst having a positive influence on the development of your baby.

Try following our tips to help you choose your ideal colours and style in your nursery. Following our decor tips can also help make your life as a new parent slightly easier!


Please Note - Many experts do disagree on the effects of colour and decoration with varying views on over and understimulating children. Do what’s right for you and your baby as this is the most important thing!



Do you have some nursery decorating advice? Why don’t you share some of your tips in the comments below!



Find out about our future offers by joining our mailing list, liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter!