Preparing for a new baby is an exciting time especially if you’re expecting your first child. Picking a fun theme like a carnival or the circus is a great way to introduce animals like elephants and monkeys, circus acts like flying trapeze artists and big top tents into your nursery design plan. With a carnival themed nursery, you will be able to create a fun and festive place for your child to grow, sleep and dream. Different shapes and colors help to stimulate baby’s brain, encouraging wonder and curiosity: selecting a specific theme will help you to make the room as interesting as possible. Many parents are so focused on the little one that they are expecting that they forget to put themselves in the picture when planning a nursery. Don’t forget to include a comfy armchair or rocker: it will be the ideal place to sit when feeding baby or reading a story.

When capturing the sights, sounds and flavors of a carnival, select colors (shown here from Sherwin-Williams) that are bright or bold like candy apple red, shining gold, bright green, primary blue and orange soda. A merry carnival theme will give you plenty of leeway in how much or how little you would like to layer the walls. A border of circus animals like lions, elephants and monkeys would be a great place to start. Or how about a mural depicting life under the big top? Papering one wall with a silly clown pattern will give the nursery a natural focal point, as well as adding a whimsical element to the décor.

Once you have a general idea of your theme and the room has been painted, you can start choosing the baby furniture for your nursery. The three basic pieces you will need are a crib, a changing table and a dresser or some other type of storage.

The Status Furniture Cavendish Stages Convertible Baby Crib has an adaptable and versatile style that will work well with other décor styles including country and traditional. It’s ideal for a boy’s nursery because it has a gender-neutral appearance that makes it less “fussy” while still having a classic charm.

The BeBe Chic Monkey Business 4 Piece Crib Bedding Set is bright, cheerful and fun. Monkeys, of course, are definitely circus-related. The Monkey Business collection includes a delightful and enchanting throw pillow in the shape of a mischievous monkey face.

Even thought the Cotton Tale Elephant Brigade 4-Piece Baby Crib Bedding Set has a predominately safari theme, it’s all about elephants in bright and whimsical colors. Perfect for a circus themed nursery, this crib bedding set mixes polka dots with stripes and solid colors with elephant prints.

Because of its sleigh-bed profile, the DaVinci Parker 2-Door Wood Baby Changer in Pearl White can also be used in a traditional, transitional or country styled nursery. A changing table saves you a lot of bending and stooping. If you’re on a tight budget or you’re not take with the idea of spending money on a piece of baby furniture that has a limited “shelf life,” many manufacturers offer ones that can be repurposed as a dresser, bookcase or storage unit.

The Riverside Furniture Splash of Color 8 Drawer Double Dresser is available in a number of festive carnival colors. It has charm that will last beyond the nursery years. By including a dresser or armoire in a similar style but different color, you can add a “shabby chic” feel to a traditional, transitional or country style nursery.

You can never have too much storage; especially if you include a variety of storage solutions like the Little Miss Liberty Signature Carousel Horse Baby Nursery Armoire and the Levels of Discovery Stack A Buddies Kids Storage Unit.