Opinion about Baby Nursery Imagery

[Shikarnov]

Hi All,

As you may or may not be aware, in a few months I'm going to be a father to the world's newest little boy. And my wife and I are thinking about his bedroom decor.

But my wife and I have a little disagreement. She wants cute traditional things like animals and whatnot.

And I'm thinking it might be cool to have pictures of atoms, molecules, polymers, cells, all the way up to solar systems and galaxies... Kind of a tour of the universe, starting from the very small and working up to the very big...

I know it's a bit cerebral, but it seems like if the fundamentals of science can become part of his surroundings from the beginning, contributing to his early education -- when children are supposed to be able to learn with the greatest ease -- that would be doing him a great service far and above pictures of Winnie the Pooh and the Lion King.

What do you all think? Am I out of my mind - already putting too much pressure on my unborn child - as my wife seems to believe? I mean, I have nothing against, "Go Dog Go," but compared to the endless wonders of science and mathematics, it seems somewhat lacking...

Thanks in advance,

Z

 

[RoJoHen]

I think a baby's room should be as adorable as possible.

Maybe you could have different walls for things. Have a Science Wall, an Alphabet Wall, an Animal Wall...

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Shikarnov, I think you and your wife can compromise. Have the cute and cuddly, but paint the stars on the ceiling. The important thing is to let your little guy explore at his own pace. Don't overload him.

 

[auntiehill]

You could meet half-way and have planets, stars, with cute little rocket ships and teddy-bear astronauts, and the like---something like this, perhaps: Space Themed Nursery.

The room still has the safe, cuddly, comfortable vibe, but it also has planets, stars, numbers, letters, etc. without it feeling like a classroom.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Having been a dad for a little more than 2 months, I recently thought about this as well.

I am not fond of "cute" things myself. Also, in my experience, as soon as they start distinguish between their two ends, kids vastly prefer dinosaurs and robots to fluffy bunnies.

My kid's room isn't decorated yet: he's unlikely to notice, and besides at the moment he sleeps in a cot in our bedroom - my consort is nursing, and that makes night feedings easier.

But in a few months we'll be adding some science-y or space-y stuff (stars, planets, rocketships and such), and some brightly coloured geometric shapes. We are also thinking about painting one wall with a chalkboard paint, to let him express his artistic side in a controlled space (and hoping he will use it instead of other walls).

The consort, being an unrepentant nerd and a trekkie, is quite happy with this.

 

[thestrangequark]

This is my nephew's room, he's 3. This was actually my bedroom when I was a teenager. They painted over the portrait of Bowie I'd done on the wall in nail polish, but it's okay.

The lamp my brother-in-law is installing looks like the sun (accurately), and the nightlight looks like the moon (again, accurately):

The color is a bit off in these pictures but it gives the impression...

 

[Peach Wookiee]

^Older kid, though. Since we're dealing with a newborn, that changes things.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I don't see how.

 

[Trekker4747]

Act like you're some-kind-of 19th century psychiatrist wanting to know the impact of environmental imagery on a person's long-term mental health. So paint and cover the child's room in all sorts of morbid, gothic, imagery that'd make Buffalo Bill scream in terror. But otherwise raise the kind normally to see how (s)he turns out.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Babies are attracted to faces, that's why cute pictures and toys of animals with big eyes are something they like.

 

[Shikarnov]

Act like you're some-kind-of 19th century psychiatrist wanting to know the impact of environmental imagery on a person's long-term mental health. So paint and cover the child's room in all sorts of morbid, gothic, imagery that'd make Buffalo Bill scream in terror. But otherwise raise the kind normally to see how (s)he turns out.

lol. I have no plans to intentionally play Mad Scientist with my son's psyche... But... It is quite well understood that infants and young toddlers have greater cognitive function than they'll ever have later in life -- for example, babies can easily attain fluency in multiple languages; a feat that becomes nearly impossible for most adults. I kind of feel like it would be a tragic waste of this fleeting moment in time to fill his head with ridiculous stories about talking animals when his brain is capable of so much more...

iguana_tonante, I love the chalk wall idea. I really need to find some of that.

thestrangequark, thanks for the nursery pictures. I was actually thinking of hanging framed posters, but I do like the mural idea as well.

 

[bluedana]

Your newborn will not be able to see more than 6 inches in front of his face for quite some time, and even when he does, he will have no idea what the heck he's looking at. Nursery walls are decorated for parents, not children. You want your son to get acquainted with universe? Invest in some good books and haul them out when he's three. Read to him for 15-30 minutes each night and let him looks at the pictures. In the meantime, paint the walls a soft green.

 

[Kestra]

Your newborn will not be able to see more than 6 inches in front of his face for quite some time, and even when he does, he will have no idea what the heck he's looking at. Nursery walls are decorated for parents, not children. You want your son to get acquainted with universe? Invest in some good books and haul them out when he's three. Read to him for 15-30 minutes each night and let him looks at the pictures. In the meantime, paint the walls a soft green.

I agree with this, but if you want something nerdy on the walls, why not something from this shop?

example:

 

[Trekker4747]

Your newborn will not be able to see more than 6 inches in front of his face for quite some time, and even when he does, he will have no idea what the heck he's looking at. Nursery walls are decorated for parents, not children. You want your son to get acquainted with universe? Invest in some good books and haul them out when he's three. Read to him for 15-30 minutes each night and let him looks at the pictures. In the meantime, paint the walls a soft green.

I'm not so sure on this. I don't entirely disagree with how far a child can see and the concept of the child "not knowing what he's looking at" but some studies have shown an environment a child spend most of its time in can have some impacts on their life in numerous ways. (Granted, other studies suggest otherwise.)

Soft colors, soft shapes should all be pleasing to the eye of both the parents and child. Beyond personal feelings I don't think any gender specific colors/shapes/visuals need be considered and you need not write calculus equations on the walls to "make the kid smart" because they're not going to mean anything to him until he's 20 and probably not even then. I would think making the place as neutral and "inviting" as possible would be a good route to go.

 

[thestrangequark]

^Older kid, though. Since we're dealing with a newborn, that changes things.

Yeah...a crib instead of a big-boy bed...that's what they had in there before.

As to soft colors, infant's eyesight is still developing, and they tend to find designs and patterns in harsh black, white, and red the most visually interesting.

Honestly, though, as someone who studied early brain development, I don't really thing any of it matters that much. A kid in a completely bare room will fare just as well as one buried in educational toys, so long as mom and dad spend enough time talking to and playing with her.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Nursery walls are decorated for parents, not children.

Of course they are. On the other hand, if you have the chance to draw spaceships on your walls in a socially acceptable situation, you shouldn't really miss the opportunity.

I agree with this, but if you want something nerdy on the walls, why not something from this shop?

example:

I bought a couple of things from ThinkGeek, but this one is great.

 

[RoJoHen]

Cover the ceiling in multi-colored lights that blink when you play Mozart.

 

[Kestra]

I agree with this, but if you want something nerdy on the walls, why not something from this shop?

example:

I bought a couple of things from ThinkGeek, but this one is great.

I love a bunch of her stuff. It's totally for the parents rather than the baby, but still!

 

[scotpens]

Hanging a mobile like this one over the baby's crib supposedly provides visual stimulation and encourages the child's intellectual development. It was all the rage when I was growing up.

 

[Trekker4747]

Eh, paint the blades of a ceiling fan different colors and put the crib under it.