Choosing the Best Color for Your Nursery

With a new arrival on the way, choosing the best color for a nursery might not be at the top of your list. With everything to plan for, we can find ourselves scurrying to get the room painted. So, we’ve taken the guesswork out of the decision for you. Today we will offer a few tips suggested by interior designers and even child psychologists to create a pleasant, nurturing environment for your new family member.

Choose the Color to Compliment the Room

Gone are the days of either blue or pink. Today’s paint manufacturers offer virtually any shade of any color, but color can affect how a room is perceived. For example, light colors tend to reflect light better than dark colors, so if the nursery is smaller, a light shade will often make it seem more spacious. If the room is low on natural light, often light colors can be used on walls adjacent to windows, reducing possible glare. If the nursery seems to bright, the pros recommend either a slightly darker shade, and/or reducing the sheen to eggshell or even flat.

Paint For Now and Later

Babies are not able to see colors the way adults do. For about the first six months, a baby’s eyes have not fully developed, so they see everything as mostly shades of black and white. Optometrists recommend using highly contrasting colors to help stimulate the baby’s brain and help them learn to distinguish one color from another.
Using contrasting colors can also help when the child gets older. Nurseries often become bedrooms, so planning the colors in advance can help the nursery transition more easily. Therefore, some parents recommend using lighter shades for the nursery because deeper, more vivid colors will easily cover the lighter colors. However, the opposite is also true, so interior designers often recommend avoiding darker colors for nurseries.

Choose the Nursery Paint Carefully

Warm colors can be considered inviting and stimulating for a baby, but an excited baby might be the last thing we want. Blues and greens are often considered peaceful and relaxing, while reds and yellows are thought to make us hungry! For this reason, experts suggest carefully selecting paints for a nursery. They also recommend placing cribs and bassinets away from windows in rooms with bright colors to avoid glare.

Perhaps the most important element when choosing a nursery paint is to use low or zero VOC paint. VOCs refer to volatile organic compounds that can be harmful to humans. VOCs can be thought of as the fumes that remain when paint is applied, so they should always be used in nurseries. Most paint styles, shades, and textures are available in low or no VOC versions, so whatever color you choose, make sure you get the safest version for your newborn.