Jungle Babies Nursery

by Amanda Javens
(Galion, Ohio, US)

When I found out I was pregnant, I was so excited that I wanted to start on the nursery as soon as possible! Keeping this in mind, since I didn't know the sex of the baby yet, I needed a neutral theme. I also thought that if our next child had grown out of it, I could always unpack it and reuse it despite the sex of the next child.

We decided on the jungle babies theme because my husband and I are both animals lovers and it's a fun theme that you can find tons of things for, EVERYWHERE, even on a tight budget.

We used the cheapest paint, walmart brand. And it did very well.

We used the NoJo Jungle Babies border. I then bought wooden letters to spell out "Its a Jungle in Here!" and painted those with the same green paint from the bottom of the room.

I also bought wooden jungle animals and I hung them on the wall with extremely strong (NONTOXIC) putty so that it looked like the animals were walking on and hanging from the letters. I used the putty so that I didn't ruin the letters or have to put tons of holes in the wall.

On the closet doors (not shown) I hung four more wood animals, and around them I used letter stencils to spell out the name of each of the animals. After I traced the letters on with a pencil, I used a small paintbrush and the same green paint to fill them in.

I bought used/cheap shelves and sanded them down and painted those with the green paint too - this way the green contrasted against the yellow. I set jungle beanie babies and ceramic jungle animals that my mom made on top.

I painted the outlet covers yellow so that they would contrast with the green paint on the bottom half of the walls.

I bought the Delta 4 in 1 crib from Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory. The armoire was hand made, we finished and sealed it to match the crib. The rocker is made by coaster fine furnishing. It was a gift to us. The changing pads and cushions for the rocker were hand made and the fabric was bought at Joann Fabric.

I used the NoJo Jungle Babies theme bedding. We have handmade sheets. This helped cut down on cost and they fit nice and snug, which is safer for baby!

We used the NoJo Jungle Babies Valances and Lamp.

On our windows, we used paper mache and fake tropical flowers to make vines... we then wrapped them well around the curtain rods and also made sure they were just the right length, for safety reasons. At our shower, which was also jungle theme, there were little banana banks. So we set two on the ends of one shelf, with a monkey sitting on each and then set one on

his dresser. He also has a tiger bank.

At the other shower we had, we had little home made mint baskets made of plastic canvas that matched his room, each of them have a different jungle animal face and we set those on his dresser. On one of his shelves we used baby block stickers that spell out "Baby Boy". And we also hung a frame that has a spot for each month until he is a year old and then another that has a spot for his footprint and hand print.

The crib has shelving in the back where I put all the extra diapers. I put a basket underneath the changing table for things I would need while changing him. I then stored the extras in baskets on the top shelf of his closet. I also bought a plastic storage container with three wide drawers for his towels, washcloths, extra bedding etc... I have a roll away drawer under his crib where I stored larger blankets and extra receiving blankets.

In the armoire, I put 4 storage containers with lids so that dust couldn't get in. One has pacifiers, another has health items, etc... on the next shelf I put two baskets. One has burp cloths and another has receiving blankets for easy access. The next shelf I have another basket full of bibs and a little Micky Mouse container that someone made with some odds and end things I will need later.

We took our time with our Jungle Babies Nursery. We started in January because it was winter and we were bored! We finished in May, because that's when our last shower was - we finally had everything to complete it. It was a slow process, we took our time, and were in no rush. Everything was pretty simple. I think the most time consuming part was painting and making sure the border was level. It also took my husband a while to get the dresser stained and sealed because the weather didn't permit and it had to be done outdoors. Everything else was pretty easy...

I was so excited to do it all and then when it's over you wish there was more! I think the funnest part was just doing the finishing touches... putting the crib set in... putting the mobile up, finishing organizing because FINALLY you can stop and look at the finished project and show it off!

I pretty much did everything on my own. My husband helped me paint and hang things on the wall. I did the decor and design and I basically said where to hang it.

What I love most about the Jungle Babies Nursery is that everything came together so well and it's fun and full of bright colors for him! Also that you can tell we put time into it for him. I also love that he won't grow out of it right away!

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If you're considering a jungle or safari nursery theme for your little one, check out the great decor options in ababy.com's African Safari Theme section.

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