How To Pull Off An Ocean-Themed Nursery

Welcoming a new baby into your life is one of the most joyous occasions. Along with all the knowledge you'll be gathering about parenting comes the excitement of deciding what theme nursery you want to curate for your baby. With the endless options out there, you might feel like you're drowning in a sea of ideas. From animal-themed nurseries to ice-cream-themed ones, there is an abundance of options.

If you're looking for an easy yet beautiful theme to put together — and happen to love all things blue, green, aqua, mint, and white — an ocean-themed nursery might be the perfect fit. The colors are sure to provide a soothing ambiance for your little one, and you can get creative with the design, whether you're thinking of incorporating mermaids or a water mural.

Before you begin, though, it might be good for you to determine which items in the nursery will be influenced by the theme. Crowding the room with too much could end up working against you.

The walls — possibly the largest canvas in the room — are a good place to start. Decide if you're going to design the surface with paint, decals, or wallpaper, and then choose the colors. You could also opt to leave the walls white, and hang ocean-themed drawings instead. Decals are an easy way to stick with the theme, according to NewFolks, and can be easily removed if your child decides they don't want a beach-inspired room when they get older. 

If you're choosing the paint route, you may want to start quite early. According to the founder of Wellness Within Your Walls, Jillian Pritchard Cooke, you should be preparing the nursery much sooner than a week or two in advance (via House Beautiful). Fresh paint can emit chemicals for weeks, per House Beautiful, and that is not an ideal environment for your newborn, or for you — be careful if you're going to paint your baby's nursery while pregnant.

Your baby's crib and bedding are one of the most important aspects of the nursery (per NewFolks). There's quite a bit of material to work with here, including the crib itself and all of the bedding — these items need to not only be cute but also offer a calming place for your infant to catch some z's. You can incorporate the colors of your choice and opt for underwater-themed animal and plant prints in the bedding.

Your baby is probably going to be spending quite a bit of time playing on his/her tummy — and eventually learning to crawl — in a designated play area within the nursery (per NewFolks). In addition to ocean-themed toys that could brighten up the space, you can also look for a soft nursery rug with soothing oceanic colors. If you are a reader and want to nudge your little one towards this habit, you can arrange a few sea-themed books in the play area as well. An organic, breathable play mat could be another wonderful addition, according to Baby Chick.

Keeping practicality in mind, the nursery is going to need a changing table, so why not throw in an ocean-themed one? You can do this simply by looking for pad covers that'll suit the mood of the room. Don't forget the sea-themed burp cloths, hamper, and other miscellaneous items (via NewFolks).

A night light is a fun way to decorate the nursery and also provides some well-need illumination for those random feeding times. NewFolks recommends a rechargeable whale-themed night light. Working the theme into your curtains is also a great way to bring the ocean into your nursery. The ocean really is the limit when it comes to decor ideas. All you need is a little bit of imagination.