Create a Jungle Themed Nursery

Since our daughter was about two months old when we finally moved into our new home, I was in a hurry to finish this nursery. Having an entire house to unpack and decorate, however, left me with little time to waste - and no money to spare, either! So I put together the nursery one step at a time, saving money wherever I could.

When I begin decorating any bedroom, the first item I pick is the comforter. I fell in love with the soft, calm colors and charming design of the Tiddliwinks Sage Jungle Crib Set long before I knew if we were having a girl or a boy, but luckily, it's perfect for both! Plus, it's very easy to add a few splashes of pink or blue to the room as they both look nice with this pattern - and I know this because I actually added splashes of both.


After selecting the bedding set, it's easy to get a start on decorating because of the matching accessories, such as the hamper, diaper stacker, rug, mobile, nightlight and wall hangings that all come in the same gorgeous design! And this particular pattern is not only adorable, but the comforter and bed skirt have sections of delicate, crushed velvet, which adds a very pleasant texture.

From there I chose wall colors that would match the colors in the bedding. I wanted something soothing, not something that would be too bright or busy and keep her awake at night, so I went with shades of green from the Disney collection of paint, available at Home Depot, in the colors "Skipping Stones" and "Christopher Robin's Swing." Whatever you choose, be sure to compare the paint chips with the comforter before buying the paint.

I then chose to apply the lighter color (Skipping Stones) on three walls and place the darker color on a single accent wall. You can do something fancier like paint stripes on the accent wall, or put up a chair rail and paint the darker color under it and the lighter color above it or paint stripes below the rail, but I was pressed for time. Either way, I'm very happy with the way the walls look. I love the wall colors and our daughter seems to enjoy being in the room.

I spent some time shopping around for nursery furniture, hoping to find something childlike but classic and I chose the Storkcraft Aspen set. My husband and I have decorated most of our home in cherry woods and we thought the cherry would lend a touch of elegance to an otherwise playful space. And we were right, because I love the way the cherry stands out against and yet complements the comforter set and wall colors. The Aspen line, however, comes in many colors.

One of the reasons I like this furniture is because I'm obsessed with extra storage. I chose the five-drawer dresser to have extra storage (which I would suggest, anyhow, as it's a child-sized dresser and I don't see the three-drawer version holding much), and even the crib has a drawer hidden beneath the bed skirt that is perfect for holding the extra fitted sheets and mattress covers.

The changing table also has an amazing amount of storage. Not only does it have a drawer that holds dozens of diapers, lots of bibs, diaper genie refills, and other accessories, but the two shelves hold six roomy 10-inch baskets and still leave a little room on the back of the shelf for things like extra boxes of wipes. We plan to reuse the table for any other children we have, but even if that isn't until well after our daughter no longer needs the changing station, then the top can still be used as a display shelf.

The glider and ottoman don't exactly fit into the "storage" theme, but they're a lifesaver during feedings and story time. I also feel that they complete the look of the space. I've spent many hours, both day and night, in the chair and can't imagine the nursery without it.

Since we were trying to save money (even though we registered for the furniture, we knew we might end up paying for it), I tried to pick furniture that was affordable. Unfortunately, this also meant that we had to put it together ourselves. Now, I'm quite accustomed to constructing the furniture I buy, but it was a lot to put together all of the baby furniture at once. And I have to mention that the dresser is held together almost entirely with cam locks, which I hate with a passion, and it was probably the most aggravating piece of furniture I've ever constructed. But the finished look of the furniture is beautiful and worth the effort, highlighting the room with its soft, flowing lines and deep color.

Next it was time to choose some of the bigger accessories. Our daughter spends time every day in the Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym, both on her back looking up at the lights and for tummy time as well. She's delighted by the music and lights and she loves to explore the mat. I love that she loves it, but I also love that it looks great in the room and matches the jungle theme perfectly.

Since it seems to be essential to have things like a bouncer, a swing, and even the aforementioned Gym, and since these things take up a lot of space and usually wind up in the middle of the floor, it's nice to have items that match your theme.

Have you started a Baby Registry yet? People love to buy things for babies, but it helps if they know what you need! All of the products listed on this page can be added to a baby registry at Amazon, so get started today by visiting Amazon's Baby Registry!

This cozy corner of the nursery features some fun storage cubes as bookshelves and her name spelled out in cute, pink letters across the wall. When we're sitting in the chair together, she enjoys staring up at the pink letters of her name which contrast nicely with the paint. I also like the space because the cubes hold a ton of books and the cute lamp is just perfect for evening story time.

The Way Basics Storage Cubes are great for this space. They're made of recycled paper, so are very lightweight, and they're super simple to assemble. The pieces stick together with special 3M adhesive strips and it literally takes only a few minutes to put them together, though you do need a steady hand to do it. They come in a variety of colors, too, like white, black, natural wood, orange and green, but I like how the espresso finish matches her furniture perfectly.

The first pieces of wall décor I acquired were the Tiddliwinks Sage Jungle Wall Hangings that match the comforter set. I hung them over the crib since you should never have anything heavy hanging over your sleeping baby. I like the texture they bring to the room.





Then I found a nice collage frame in a cherry color and filled it with photos of animals. They're not all jungle animals, but I tried to pick photos that were visually interesting and with contrasting colors. You can duplicate this look by using your own photos from trips to a zoo or a national park, or you can clip photos from magazines.

The Jungle Adventure Peel and Stick Wall Decals are one of my favorite things in the room. They bring a lot of color and life to the room in a fun way, and they stick to anything and are easy to remove and reposition if necessary. I put them over the dresser and the changing table, arranging them to appear as if sitting on the table and hanging from the frame above it.

I even put one on the back of the door and one on the Diaper Genie. I put the tiger on the Diaper Genie to add a little color to it and to help it fit the theme instead of just being the big "elephant" in the room.

You simply can't have a jungle without animals! I've scattered stuffed animals all over the room: on the plant shelf, on the dresser, on the floor, on the bookshelves, on the wall and on the glider. They're soft and colorful and add so many deep levels of texture to the room, plus they're functional as fun toys. There are many ways you can go when decorating, either by focusing on realistic stuffed animals in realistic colors, by choosing fun and funky stuffed animals in bright colors, or a combination of both, which is what I did.