Buckaroo Style's New Cowboy Baby Nursery Guide: How to Decorate for Your Little Cowboy or Cowgirl Baby

Of course, newborns only really need the sweet love of their parents, and the safety of their loving arms, but for those of us who dream of decorating a cool cowboy baby nursery, here is a little about my experience. My two little cowboys are now four and two years old, so I have learned a little bit along the way. Best wishes and good luck to you and your new cowboy baby!

Baby Proofing for Baby Buckaroos

For starters, before we even get into the details.... the most important thing to always consider is the safety of your baby. Take advantage of the newborn phase and do your babyproofing now. Once your little cowboy gets more active, you will be more busy chasing him or her around. Life is so much easier, happier, and safer after the cabinets and non-kid friendly rooms (like the garage and laundry room) are all secure. Medicines, chemicals, and poison should be impossible for kids to access. Those handy child-proof safety door knobs are amazing!

We use the child proof safety door knobs on the following doors : front door, back door, laundry room, hall closets, bathrooms, kitchen pantry, and even the guest bedroom when we have company. Just remember, the door knobs only work if the doors are closed.

One time, we had overnight guests, and someone did not close the door to the guest bathroom during an early morning trip. Our son, at three years old, woke up, wandered in, found some child cold medicine, opened the child-proof cap, drank some, and spilled some on the floor. All of this happened in the span of a few minutes from when we heard him wake up. We called 911 immediately, because we did not know if the empty bottle had been mostly empty or brand new. Our son went to the hospital and had to be forced to drink charcoal. Turns out, the medicine did not even register a trace in his bloodwork, so the bottle must have been just about empty when he found it. Learn from our mistake.... Your child is not completely safe just because dangerous items like medicine, detergents, and cleaning supplies are hidden behind a door with a child proof doorknob.

Okay, now the fun stuff. 
Cowboy Baby Nursery Decor!

A good place to start is with a new, sturdy crib. Safety standards have changed over the years, and you want to make sure your crib meets the new regulations. Aside from that, here is where you begin to decide the colors and style of your child's room. It is always nice if the bed, dresser, and book case or other furniture have the same finish. I think a Western or cowboy style nursery works best with natural maple and pine finishes, but any kind of wood will look great with this flexible decor theme. Painted furniture can also be super cute, but it might be a good idea to hold off on painted pieces until baby is a little older and done putting every thing with his mouth, around two years old.

After I chose the finish, I decided on a basic, standard crib in natural maple. In hindsight, I do think it might have been worth exploring the "convertible" cribs that convert into twin or full size beds. God willing, your baby will grow and need a big boy bed sooner than you can imagine! Time flies, so definitely research these convertible cribs now.

Then, we chose a dresser with a changing table on top. I never really used the changing table, because I ended up keeping all the diaper supplies in my bedroom for convenience. The front edge of the changing table provides a sort of safety ledge that helps keep items from falling off the top. Be warned, that two and four year olds love to "hang" off the edge, as it extends over the top of the dresser. The dresser will definitely need to be bracketed on to the wall for safety. The height is also just right for my two year old to walk into it and bang his head. (sigh)

A lot of people love their changing table and pad, but for me, I got annoyed with constantly having to wash and remove the changing pad cover. Plus, the smell of the dirty diapers can be very overwhelming. The trash can needs to be emptied every day, and honestly, I learned to carry all the stinky diapers immediately out to the garage, in the big trash can. This way, my house always smells great. When I change diapers, I lay a towel on my bed, and change it. The diapers and wipes are stored in the bedside table next to my bed, or on the floor, under my bed.

Aside from the crib and the dresser/changing table, we purchased a small book case. It is handy to store books, and the top is great to display cowboy style picture frames, knick-nacks, and artwork. The height of the bookcase is low enough to be placed underneath the window, and it serves as a sort of barricade to keep the kids from pulling on the window treatments for a couple of years.

I also borrowed my Mom's rocking chair. It was an antique when she bought it to use when she rocked me as a baby. It had dark wood, and real nice lines. The wood did not match my nursery, but the piece was sentimental and priced right. Of course, I went to a seamstress and had a custom seat pillow made out of upholstery fabric. By the time I was done, I could have just bought a new rocking chair. (-; I never really used the rocking chair very much, but it made my Mom very happy to hold her grandbabies in it.

Cowboy Style Baby Bedding

It's hard to go wrong with a cowboy style nursery. The bed set and linens you choose for your crib will set the tone for your room. You can choose individual pieces, but I always liked the convenience of buying a cowboy themed bed set. The most important style pieces are the baby blanket and the crib bumpers. A crib skirt is nice too. These bed sets can be expensive, but the cost can be justified when you consider how super cute and colorful and fun they are. It just makes my heart happy to see a super cute cowboy nursery! At Buckaroo Style, we are always on the search for new designers and cute, affordable bedding.

Newborns should not use pillows or have any toys in the crib with them, they can become a suffocation hazard. I recommend at least two sheet sets, these will need to be washed pretty frequently, might as well have a back up.

A big reason I love the cowboy style room is that it can grow with my child. My original nursery decor was the "Hey Diddle Diddle" theme with the cow jumping over the moon. After a few months, I thought it was too "babyish" and totally redid the room with cowboy style. My son is now four, and we've replaced the crib with a twin size bed and twin cowboy style bed set. We love it, and it was an easy transition. The original cowboy artwork and walls still look great!

Accessories with Cool Cowboy Flair

Speaking of cowboy artwork and walls, this is a big reason why we created Buckaroo Style. We were on a tight budget yet have a strong love of style! One of our most favorite and best selling cowboy baby decor items is our Rope Art. We literally make your child's name out of rope, using a special process. These are a unique way to personalize your cowboy baby's bedroom. And, of course, artwork on the walls with some cowboys and horsies is a must. We created a whole line of kid friendly artwork on giclee canvas, and are working on posters as a more affordable option. You can also find great fabric and frame it as art too.

For the walls, we love using stars and star peg hooks. Literally, even if you are not an artist, you can use a little bit of acrylic paint and some star shaped stamps, and put stars all over your child's walls. You can create an accent wall, or do all of them. We are working on offering a kit for sale with the star stamps and paint, paint brushes, and instructions on how we did our son's room. It came out pretty great. Our base wall color is pale brown, kind of the color of coffee with a lot of milk in it. Then, we took the star stamp, brushed on some copper colored acrylic paint, and went to work stamping all four walls. Remember to allow a lot of space between the stars, and to stand back for perspective before you get too far along. You can always add more stars, and the consistent spacing is key to a uniform look. (-;

We used a red bandana fabric for the window valance, since we already had maple wood blinds. Two shelves hold baby pictures and some stuffed animal friends. And, we found a super cute whitewashed cast iron bell for the wall too. It has a horse on it, of course. (-;

Thanks for reading my thoughts about how to decorate a cute cowboy baby nursery. I hope it was helpful and inspires you. Please feel free to email me photos of your nursery, I love to see the ideas and creativity behind new cowboy bedrooms! Please visit us at Buckaroo Style and learn more about our products at http://BuckarooStyle.com. You can write us at service@buckaroostyle.com.

Happy trails to you and your cowboy baby!

XOXO,
Michelle Hamilton
Buckaroo Style
http://BuckarooStyle.com
michelle@buckaroostyle.com

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