How to Decorate a Nursery on a Budget - Simple Tips and Ideas!

How to Decorate a Nursery on a Budget – Simple Nursery Ideas and Tips!

Decorating your baby’s nursery doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, so read on to find out how to decorate a nursery on a budget.

Having a baby (especially your first one) is an expensive undertaking. With newborns needing so many different things and growing so quickly you need to save money where you can.

Finding a way to create and decorate your baby’s nursery on a budget can give you the extra money you need for other important items.

Here are a few ideas that will help you to decorate your nursery inexpensively.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our full disclosure here.

Simple Tips on How to Decorate a Nursery on a Budget

Go With Paint Rather Than Wall Paper

Paint is a rather inexpensive way to freshen the room you want to turn into a nursery, especially if you want to create an accent wall. In some cases, wall paper can cost almost as much as a crib.

So why not use paint and stencils to create a cute accent wall perfect for your little one’s nursery.

There are all sorts of different stencils that are perfect for using to create a nursery including:

In addition to being inexpensive, paint and stencils will allow you to create your own whimsical design that will make your nursery truly unique.

Go With a Convertible Bed

Although buying a convertible bed may cost a bit more than a regular crib, it will save you from having to buy any other beds as your child grows.

There are convertible beds that can be converted from crib to youth bed to full size.

Some of these kits come with everything you need to make all three conversions, while others require you to purchase additional pieces as your child grows.

So make sure that you figure the entire costs of all of the conversions when purchasing the convertible crib.

DaVinci Kalani 4-in-1 Convertible Crib, Espresso Delta Children Heartland 4-in-1 Convertible Crib

Don’t Waste Money on Expensive Crib Bedding Sets

Crib bedding sets are designed to be cute and to capture the attention of prospective parents (and grandparents).

However, not only are those bedding sets with those bumper pads and pillows expensive, but they can also be dangerous for your infant.

According to experts, all your infant needs is a firm mattress, a few different changes of sheets and a safety-approved sleep sack or swaddle blanket.

If grandmother makes one of those darling quilts for your little one, try hanging it on the wall over the crib instead of putting it into the crib.

Skip the Changing Table

A changing table is one piece of furniture and one expense you really don’t need. This temporary piece of furniture is used for a very short time that it is never worth the price.

As your infant grows and begins to move around more, most parents end up changing their infant on their own bed or on the floor. (read on to find out how to make a temporary changing station)

Buy Most of the Nursery Furniture Used

Rather than purchase all new baby furniture for your nursery, make the most of old furniture you have or can buy from a second-hand store or yard sale.

For example, you can take an old dresser, give it a fresh coat of paint and new handles, throw a changing pad on top and create a temporary changing table that can easily be turned into a simple dresser.

You can use small baskets inside one of the drawers to place diapers, wipes and other materials needed for changing your baby.

Then when the table is no longer needed you can remove the pads and the baskets and still use the dresser for your baby’s other clothing and receiving blankets.

You can also get a used rocker or easy chair for the nursery, clean it, (paint it if needed) and make some accent pillows that match your nursery for spending time with your baby.

To add a whimsical touch, buy a second-hand rocking horse and refinish it to add to your nurseries décor.

If you shop wisely you can get good solid pieces of most of this furniture for about $20.00 or $25.00 dollars apiece, saving hundreds of dollars when buying used rather than new.

How to Decorate a Nursery on a Budget – Simple and Elegant Nursery Ideas

If you are looking for some simple, elegant and inexpensive nursery décor ideas, here are a few you may want to try.

Go Black and White

Black and white nurseries are easy and simple to achieve and make an elegant and functional nursery.

You can easily start by simply painting all of the wall white and adding white furniture and then using a lot of black accents such as black handles on the dresser and closet, painting the inside of the window trim black.

You can then use a stencil to paint black silhouettes on the walls. Some cute silhouettes could be baby footprints or even animal paw prints. You can even print silhouettes on the ceiling.

Add some black painted shelves, and a mirror with a black or black and white frame and you have everything you need to create an eye-catching nursery.

Add one bright accent piece like an aqua or pink rug and your baby’s room will stand out.

YOH Soft Velvet Fluffy Shaggy Rugs for Living Room, Bedroom, Kids Room, Nursery Noahas Luxury Fluffy Rugs Bedroom Furry Carpet Bedside Sheepskin Area Rugs, Children’s Room Decor Rug

Go Geometric

Going with a geometric theme can result in a nursery that is both quirky and sophisticated.

You can use the black and white theme mentioned above, go for a rainbow of color or anything in between.

Or you can do an accent wall with stencilled geometric shapes. (Squares, rectangles, triangles, octagons, etc.).

You can also purchase geometrically shaped baskets or wooden boxes and turn them into wall shelving for small items.

You can echo the geometric shapes in accent pillows for an easy chair or bench seat in the nursery.

Simply use your imagination and you can create a fun nursery that has an air of quiet sophistication about it.

Toyland Theme

If your friends and relatives are like most people’s friends and relatives, the moment they hear you are pregnant they will show up with a small cute toy for the little one you are expecting. (And let’s face it, budget or no budget you will end up picking up a few baby toys of your own.)

You can also pick up toys such as alphabets or other building blocks to use purely for decorating purposes from friends and relatives or at your local thrift shop.

Using toys as part of your nursery décor will allow you to place a bookcase into your nursery filled with neatly arranged toys.

You can fill the bookcase with Russian stacking dolls, blocks, small stuffed animals, and other toys. Try mixing modern and nostalgic toys for a real Toyland inspired theme.

You can even add eyes to square building blocks and hang them from the ceiling to create an even more fun theme.

Tic Tac Toe

What could be simpler than going with a tic, tack, toe theme. You can easily free hand paint tick tack toe grids, Xs and Os on plain white walls.

Make sure you do some completed games, and some partial games to give the room a more whimsical look. You can either purchase or make a tic tac toe mat for your nursery room floor.

Hey! Play! Giant Classic Tic Tac Toe Game – Oversized Interlocking Coloful EVA Foam mat

For that rocking or easy chair in your nursery, why not make or buy accent pillows in the shapes of Xs and Os in keeping with the rest of your nursery room theme.

How to decorate a Nursery on a Budget – Final Thoughts!

You can see that decorating your nursery doesn’t need to cost a fortune. You can use the above mentioned nursery decorating tips as inspiration for your innovative and budget friendly nursery for your newborn.