Fantasy and reality come together in the most fascinating way when you get down to decorating the nursery. While you can be as whimsical as you wish in your nursery-decorating endeavours, you also need to be very practical and safety-conscious.

With so many cute-n-cuddly nursery designs available in stores, choosing the perfect decor can prove to be rather difficult. Where do you start? Be practical-the only thing an infant needs for the first few months is a comfortable crib to sleep in, a safe place to be changed in and a loving pair of arms to snuggle up in. As for the rest of the decor; be as whimsical as you please and bring out the child in you as go about designing this special room, which is sure be the centre of attraction for a very long time.

Think Safe

Babies grow up sooner than you can imagine and before you know it they’ll be crawling into corners and yanking, pulling and chewing on any thing they can find. Keep this in mind when designing your baby’s nursery. Give your baby a safe environment to grow and explore without having to go around saying that ubiquitous “NO!”

Here are a few safety tips you may want to consider when designing your baby’s nursery:

• Whether you choose a crib with drop sides or a baby- bed with railings, make sure they conform to safety standards in every way. Placing a soft bumper around the bed or crib offers the necessary protection for babies who have just learnt the art of tossing and turning.
• Mobiles in bright colors can fascinate babies and keep them enthralled for hours. However, it may be a good idea to keep these out of arm’s reach. Also make sure your baby’s bed is free of other long cords, ribbons and hanging toys.
• Cribs and playpens should never be placed too close to windows where little hands can reach out and yank curtains or break window panes. Babies love to explore and climbing out that window to see what lies beyond may sound like an irresistible idea to any baby.
• Make sure all unused outlets are covered with safety caps. No little explorer can resist the temptation of sticking little fingers or objects into them to see what treasures they may find.
• Cords of all kinds look soooo tempting; whether they are attached to lamps, drapes, blinds or crib mobiles. Keep them out of reach so your baby is not tempted to either yank on them or chew on them. Extension cords are particularly dangerous and should be avoided. Find another way to get that gadget or light working or do without it.
• No matter how cute a tiny little object may look; make it an iron-clad rule- No small objects of any kind make their way into your baby’s nursery. Whether they are part of the décor of the room or part of a baby’s toy, small parts very quickly find their way into a baby’s mouth and sometimes even the ears or nose. You don’t need that extra excitement in your life and neither does your baby.
• Make sure you do not place chairs, stools or any other climbable object directly under any open window. Installing window locks that stop a window from opening out completely in a child’s room are good idea.
• Either remove all tall and unstable furniture or make sure they are anchored to the wall.