Many parents opt to decorate their baby’s nursery in a neutral color or theme for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they want to be surprised by their baby’s gender, or maybe they don’t want to have to redecorate the nursery and replace baby nursery basics down the road when future babies come along. No matter what the reason, designing gender-neutral nurseries can be a lot of fun with some careful planning and imagination.

Baby Nursery Basics

When shopping for your new baby’s nursery, a good sturdy crib should be the first item you buy. Don’t skimp when it comes to buying a crib–make sure it’s made from solid construction materials and conforms to modern safety standards, especially if you buy it used. If you don’t have a lot of room for your baby’s nursery, you can make do with only the following baby nursery basics:

• Baby crib
• Dresser
• Storage unit.

However, if you have more space to work with, a sturdy and safe changing table can be very helpful. Most parents also find they need a rocker or glider in the nursery for feeding and rocking the baby to sleep. Other baby nursery basics, such as shelves and boxes for toys, can help round out the space.

Neutral Baby Bedding

Most department stores sell neutral baby bedding sets in a wide variety of colors and themes. A basic nursery bedding set includes:

• Comforter
• Crib bumpers
• Dust ruffle
• Fitted sheet
• Pillow.

However, many of these items are for decoration only, at least until your baby is a little older. When your baby is in the crib, he could easily suffocate by getting wrapped up in loose blankets, comforters and pillows. the only bedding items that should be in there are the:

• Crib bumpers (if you choose to use them)
• Fitted sheet
• Mattress cover.

Neutral Nursery Colors

Choosing neutral nursery colors isn’t as difficult as many first-time parents think. Obviously you’ll want to shy away from obviously feminine soft pinks and decidedly masculine bright blues, but that leaves hundreds of other colors and combinations to choose from. Some of the most popular neutral nursery colors include:

• Brown
• Green (any shade, from bright lime green to deep sage)
• Red
• Yellow.

In fact, some parents decide to deck out the nursery in all primary colors:

• Blue
• Red
• Yellow.

Neutral Nursery Themes

Plenty of nursery themes abound that don’t scream “boy” or “girl.” They include:

• Circus
• Jungle
• Music
• Ocean life (fish or dolphins, for example)
• Popular cartoon characters, like Mickey Mouse®, Winnie the Pooh® or Snoopy®
• Teddy bears
• Zoo animals.