A fun, flexible baby room theme is to decorate it in whimsical patterns. Try painting butter yellow or grass green stripes on the walls. Then hang bold graphic pictures of cats and dogs in bright red or blue frames on the walls.

Use the same graphic style to paint a toy chest using stencils, or apply stickers against a colorful painted background.

Another fun baby room theme is a design around the theme of Sweet Dreams. Use bright colors such as watermelon pink and lime green on accessory pieces, and then choose white for the walls, ceiling, and lamps.

Use the bright, bold colors in places that will capture your baby's attention, and mix them with different fabrics and patterns. Try fabrics such as grape terry cloth, plaids, polka dots, and candy cane stripes. Paint the walls a creamy vanilla to keep the room centered and calm.

You might wallpaper one entire wall with a bold print of watermelon slices. Then hang a diaphanous sheer white-on-white polka dot draping from the ceiling that flows around the crib. Paint or paper a small square above the crib with the same watermelon slice print.

When your baby looks up, he or she will certainly fall asleep and have sweet dreams!

A good theme for decorating a baby nursery is to design it around a Playhouse theme. This baby room theme works well for both boys and girls, and also gives them a great place to play as they grow older. Use a border paper with houses or apartment buildings printed on it.

You can find a variety of whimsical playtown dressers with buildings, cars, and clouds painted on them. Top it with a lamp that has a wooden base shaped like an apartment building and a taxicab clock. You might paint a mural of a street scene on one wall and use your family member's names on the signs above stores.

There is a multitude of characters from cartoons that you can utilize for baby room themes. Try Superman, Aladdin, the Lion King, Curious George, Snoopy, Cinderella, or Mickey Mouse. How about pirates, knights, princesses, castles,
cowboys, Peter Pan, and Tinkerbell?

You'll have no problem finding bedding, lamps, rocking chairs, and other accessories with these design figures. You can even choose animals for baby room themes, such as frogs, bugs, and goldfish. Buy a table and chair set painted with snails, butterflies, moths, ladybugs and caterpillars.

Or furniture with bold colors and patterns, such as lime green chunky ball feet on tables, and chairs with polka dots decorating purple table and chair legs.

Transportation themes are also easy to coordinate when you are deciding on a baby room theme. Pick planes, trains, bicycles, or automobiles. Use bright primary colors and put up a display of model trains or vintage cars.

Whichever theme you decide on, choose a design that is appropriate for an infant and a toddler. Use inexpensive, stain-repellant area rugs that can be replaced when you want to update the design.

The frog lamps, duck mobiles, and framed pictures of lions and tigers can easily be switched to pictures of the latest cartoon heroes when your infant becomes a toddler.

The most important factor in choosing a baby room theme is to make sure it's safe and comfortable for your baby.

Then figure out all the activities that the room will be used for and go from there. The sky, literally, is the limit!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Holland is the creator of http://www.kids-rooms-and-crafts.com. His web site offers lots of FREE decorating tips and ideas for decorating your home.