Choosing Baby Crib Bedding - Gender Specific Vs. Neutral

Choosing baby crib bedding may seem like a small decision, but it's one of the most common design issues faced by expectant parents. For first-time parents especially, there's a lot of pressure to get the baby's room "just right." Selecting a wall color and furnishings is half the battle, but there are plenty of "soft" details like baby quilts and curtains to consider as well. Much like the comforter or duvet in an adult bedroom, baby quilts and crib bedding dictate the color palette for other soft items in the room.

For many parents, the biggest hurdle in choosing items for the nursery is deciding whether or not to use a gender-specific theme. Particularly for parents who already know their baby's gender, it's often tempting to go for the quintessential "boy" or "girl" room. Baby boy bedding might feature baseballs or puppies, while baby girl bedding often displays flowers, lambs or other feminine details. Choosing baby crib bedding based on your baby's gender is a great way to tie the room together if you're already using a gender-based theme or palette. For rooms that are decorated in neutral shades, opting for gender-specific baby crib bedding is one way of establishing the new baby's identity in the space.

Selecting baby quilts and other textiles based on your baby's gender isn't always the right answer, however. For the many expectant parents who'd rather not know whether they're having a boy or a girl, choosing gender-themed baby crib bedding is a gamble. It might seem easy enough to "double up" and purchase sets for both sexes, but returning the unneeded set later will just add hassle to the already overstressed schedule of a new parent. Speaking of doubling up, selecting only baby boy bedding or girl bedding may not be a good choice for parents expecting multiple births.

From a frugal perspective, buying baby crib bedding that leans toward a specific gender may also increase expenses for parents who hope to eventually have more children. Having another child of the opposite sex will mean purchasing different baby quilts, sets of crib sheets and pads, and other textiles to decorate the nursery. While these may seem like insignificant costs with your first child, it's important to remember that you'll have more expenses after your baby arrives. Particularly if you'd like a large family, it's wise to cut corners wherever you can. By examining your budget and predicting how much you'll have to spend when planning for subsequent children, you might find that discarding the baby boy bedding and selecting brand new baby girl bedding later is impractical and costly for you.

Only you can decide whether gender-specific baby crib bedding is right for your nursery. By examining your unique situation in terms of design style, family planning, available budget and some other factors, you'll be able to make an informed choice about the bedding that's best for your home and your wallet.

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I didn't become Fairy overnight and I have all the Fairy powers to help you with your baby crib bedding and nursery decor. For handmade baby quilts, baby girl and baby boy bedding visit my baby bedding boutique TheQuiltFairy.com

The Seven Most Popular Baby Nursery Themes

Together you and your baby will be spending a good amount of time in the nursery and through colors and décor you can create an atmosphere enjoyable and pleasing for both of you.  As with many other things there is more than one way to accomplish that: you can have the nursery completely finished before the birth of your baby, or you can start with the color scheme and the few major pieces and let the nursery evolve with your baby’s growth.  Whichever way you choose it’s much easier if you decide before hand on a nursery theme. Below are the seven most popular baby nursery themes in use today:

1. JUNGLE THEME

The Jungle theme combines greens, browns and yellows which can be exciting and cheerful and at the same time soothing; it is a gender neutral design.  Baby bedding, quilts and nursery rugs as well as cut-outs of jungle animals, wall paper and borders are easy to find.  Lions, giraffes, monkeys and elephants bring the exotic colors and sounds of the jungle to your little adventurer.

2. SPORTS

The Sports theme gained in popularity in the recent years. Hockey and football, soccer and basketball are all depicted on their own or in different combinations. The Sports theme features heavy graphical patterns and will compliment almost any room but generally is considered as boys’ nursery theme.  Baby quilts, pillow cases, and wallpaper feature pictures of sports and sports items, such as different balls, pucks, rackets, skates, baseball gloves, nets, etc.  The graphically drawn pictures are in bold colors that will easily catch and keep your little champion’s attention. 

3. PRINCESS

Fairy Tale Princess or Cinderella is as girlish as it can be design. Sometimes it can be too heavy on pink but shiny gold stars and accents of orange, sage, blue and brown can help offset the ‘cotton candy’ feeling of the more traditional design.  In the new Fairy Tale Princess nursery designs nothing is missed – the magic wand, the multi turreted castle, the sparkling crown, the pumpkin, the mice, the merciless clock and the legendary glass slipper.  Cribs can even be purchased that resemble Cinderella’s stage coach to complete the perfect princess theme.

4. ALPHABET

The Alphabet is a great theme choice; it looks orderly and neat and is considered a unisex design.  Usually it has a nice mix of colors and shapes which easily compliment even preexisting room décor.  Two-year olds can recognize the letters and with a little parents’ help can memorize them easily. An early grasp on the alphabet is a real head start for your little scholar.

5. SEA LIFE

Perhaps the most popular of all is the nursery theme based on sea life – Aquarium, Under the Sea, Sea World, etc.  Grinning exotic sea creatures and tropical fish in bright and vibrant colors darting through the water kingdom are widely used.  Seahorses, crabs, mermaids and corals all bring a multitude of colors to make this theme equally suited for baby boys and baby girls. 

6. PETS

The Pets theme has always been quite popular among parents. It features favorite household pets like dogs or cats and is quite endearing to a lot of parents.  The colors are usually calmer and more traditional and bring the sense of homeliness.  A lot of parents feel more comfortable with the familiar faces and shapes.  Generally dogs depicting design is seen as boys’ nursery design and cats themes are preferred for baby girls’ nurseries. 

7. ANGELS

Watchful guardian angels are always welcome in the nursery and the theme is as popular as ever.  Angels baby bedding and accessories are often offered in bright and vibrant colors, although more mellow versions are also available.  This theme is gender neutral and is great for all stages of baby development.

A nursery theme is only an idea which you shouldn’t be afraid to develop.  Free your imagination and creativity and experiment; play with colors and shapes till the final result brings a smile on your face.

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I didn't become Fairy overnight and I have all the Fairy powers to help you with your baby crib bedding and nursery decor. For handmade baby quilts, baby girl and baby boy bedding visit my baby bedding boutique TheQuiltFairy.com