When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to design a gender-neutral nursery.
One of my favorite things to do while I was preparing for the birth of my son, was creating the nursery. My husband & I moved houses when I was 36 weeks pregnant, so we didn’t have a lot of time to put the nursery together (I had my son at 39 weeks exactly). When living in my previous house, I had already bought a few things for the nursery, so we just stuck with the original plan of how we wanted to design it.
I wanted to design a gender-neutral nursery, that incorporated grey, cream, white, and a pop of green. It took me a while, but I decided to go with an animal safari theme, but I also wanted to keep it simple with not too much going on (I don’t like clutter or too many things going on in one space). I wanted something aesthetically pleasing, so I looked through Pinterest for some inspo and went from there.
I started my purchases halfway through my pregnancy, and by the time we were ready to start working on our nursery, we had everything we needed. I highly recommend not starting your nursery last minute. There is a chance you can go into early labor, so try getting the nursery done between 30-35 weeks if possible. Start thinking of the theme that you want, and start looking for decor when you’re out and about. You can always look online for cute pieces as well. I chose the safari theme because it was gender-neutral, and you can’t go wrong with animals. If one day I have a girl, I feel like it would be fitting for her as well.
**By the way, this post may contain affiliate links at no extra cost to you. I only list products that I love and have used myself. Thank you!**
We purchased Milan’s crib from Pottery Barn Kids. We fell in love with it the moment we saw it, and it was a gift to us from my momma (thanks Sunit). We chose this one because it was gender-neutral, and it also turns into a toddler bed as well! His change table was also purchased from Pottery Barn Kids as well. We decided not to paint the walls and just keep them as is (ain’t nobody got time to paint).
Crib – Rory Convertable Crib in the color weathered white
Change Table – Rory Dress in the color weathered white
The photo’s over top of his crib, were found online and I got them printed from a local print shop. I found the frames online through Amazon. You can always mix and match pictures and frames to your liking. I chose not to have too many photo’s and to keep the wall simple.
The Melissa & Doug giraffe in the corner (Milan loves him), was purchased through Amazon. I knew when I decided that I wanted an animal theme, that I had to get the oversized giraffe, it completed the entire room. Milan loves looking at Mr. Giraffe when he gets his diaper changed, or plays in his crib.
The green throw was purchased from Ikea. This added such a beautiful touch to the room, and I love how it matches the baby cubs eyes, and the photo of the leaves. It’s a good idea to choose an accent color when you’re designing a gender-neutral nursery, so that it doesn’t look dull and boring.
The carpet was purchased from Costco. My husband & I love Costco, they have an amazing return policy as well. Their prices compared to other stores are considerably lower, and they also come in multiple sizes.
The gold giraffe statue was purchased at Home Sense in Vancouver (I randomly found it while I was wasting time on my lunch break). It adds a nice elegant touch to the room. Here’s a similar one I found through Amazon (It comes with a mama & baby statue). Next to the giraffe statue is an artificial tropical palm leaf. This was also purchased through Amazon. It comes in a pack of 3, however I only used 1 of them. You can always purchase the pack of 3 and put them around in different areas of your nursery (or even other rooms in your house).
The train that spells out Milan is from Italy, and was a gift for Milan from his Grandpa.
His diaper pail was purchased through Amazon. We decided on the Ubbi diaper pail in white. The diaper pail is awesome, especially when Mr. Milan has raunchy diapers. It keeps the room smelling fresh, and I find it easier to use than a regular garbage can because you have to empty it more often. **Friendly Tip** You do not have to purchase the Ubbi Diaper Pail garbage bags. You can save money by using regular garbage bags that you have around the house.
On the right-hand side is his blanket ladder. When we were looking for a blanket ladder and shelves for his room, we didn’t realize how expensive they were. I wasn’t looking to pay hundreds of dollars for shelves and a blanket ladder, considering the number of things we already had to purchase.
I searched through Facebook Marketplace and was able to find a local carpenter to make the ladder and shelves for a fraction of the price. I paid around $50 for the ladder and $30 for 3 shelves and they are stunning. It’s nice to know that I have good quality and unique piece, and once my kids get older I can use them in another room.
So my advice is to look locally for a carpenter or a used one through Facebook Marketplace. You’ll get a unique piece for less than what you’ll find at local hardware or furniture store.
These hexagon shelves were also made by the same carpenter, which I mentioned above. They add a nice little touch to the bare wall beside Milan’s bathroom. We didn’t want to do too much to this wall, as we wanted to keep a minimalistic vibe to the room. The artificial plant and cactus statue were purchased from a local shop here in Vancouver. The wooden toy truck was bought on a weekend trip to Portland from a gift shop. These shelves are so much fun because you can decorate them whichever way you want, or even leave them empty.
Because we wanted a gender-neutral nursery, we decided to go with these adorable sheets. These bedsheets were purchased from Pottery Barn Kids. The pillow was purchased from a local boutique store for kids in Vancouver. The hand-knit doll was purchased through cuddle + kind. I was searching the web one day and came across cuddle + kind, and I loved how the company donates 10 meals per purchase to children in need (a win-win situation right here). Check out their page and see what other dolls they have, we’ve purchased a few as gifts as well. The one pictured above is Sebastian the Lamb.
Here’s a look at Milan’s closet. We decided to keep his book collection in the closet because his room isn’t very big & we didn’t want too much clutter (he has an entire box filled with books at the bottom of his closet). He’s already got an extensive shoe collection and a growing wardrobe (I think I need to stop buying Milan clothes for now).
Here’s a closeup of his wardrobe. I’m a little OCD when it comes to hangers, so I need to have all of the hangers matching. We found these velvet hangers from Amazon, they’re perfect for his cute, tiny, little clothes.
| Closet Complete Baby Velvet Hangers |
Here you go, folks! A look into Milan’s gender-neutral nursery, animal-inspired nursery. You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg when choosing items for your nursery. I suggest spending the most money on the crib and dresser because most likely you will be using it for each of your other children.
We also decided not to have a rocking chair because our room was too small to include one. However, we did get this one gifted to us for our baby shower but decided to return it as it didn’t work for our room (we received the rocking chair before we moved, unfortunately, we weren’t able to use it, but thankfully Amazon credited our account).
I hope this gives you some inspiration for creating a gender-neutral nursery. This is by far my favorite room in our house, I’m sure your child’s nursery will be your favorite room as well.
What theme do you plan on doing for your babe’s nursery? Comment below.
Cheers,
