The Best Farm Animal Nursery Ideas
Make Room on the Farm: 10 Minimalist Farm Animal Nursery Ideas
When you’re expecting a baby, there are so many things on your mind: how fast can I get home from work today? How much sleep do I need? When will my mom stop asking me about the delivery date? But one thing that doesn’t have to be stressful is decorating your nursery!
Then why does it seem like it is? There are so many amazing nursery themes you can choose from–such as a Safari nursery theme–but in some sense the dizzying array of nursery theme choices is itself stressful. The goal of this post is to help new or expecting moms reduce the stress of choosing a nursery theme. So we’re going to come right out and say it–we’re recommending a baby farm animal nursery theme as one of our top five themes.
Why? Well, farm animals are phenomenal as a theme because they serve two functions, one of which is to help your child quickly learn about animals. Most toddlers can make some animal sounds and name them by the age of two, but being able to identify animals becomes a crucial sign your child is developmentally on track and is a signal of readiness for preschool. While there are many animal themes, farm animals are unique given that learning the sounds specifically made by farm animals can help children get a jumpstart on mastering the alphabet, both consonants and vowels. There is a reason “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” has become a classic nursery song. Launching your little one off with a nursery that is filled with baby animals is a great way to get them off to a good start.
Beyond how farm animals can become essential to your child’s cognitive development, they can also help ensure your child develops a strong emotional intelligence. Children who love animals develop a deep empathy that is enormously helpful as they work to deepen human relationships, especially with other children their age. So yeah, we think a baby farm animal nursery theme is a fantastic idea :)
Neutral Farm Animal Theme Nursery Ideas
But we know what you’re thinking. “What? Design my nursery in a garish farm animal theme, with cheesy animals and obnoxious colors?” Not necessarily. We recommend a modern take on the traditional farm animals nursery theme–a neutral and minimalist twist. The new modern barnyard nursery theme can be designed in classic neutral tones with clean and uncluttered art and accessories that provide not only an educational and supportive environment, but also one that is aesthetically pleasing. We’re here to say you don’t have to sacrifice design on the altar of education in your nursery. And we’ll figuratively die on this little hill :)
So it’s with this in mind that we offer up these minimalist and neutral farm nursery ideas and tips that will help you create a calming and inspirational space for your little one to grow and develop in.
1. Start with a Neutral, Minimalist Crib
The first thing to consider for your minimalist baby farm animal nursery is the crib. Your baby will spend a lot of time in it, so you should choose one that works with both your aesthetic and your budget. If you're going for a more subtle approach (and have no idea what color scheme to go with), stick with something neutral like white, gray or beige. You can also use these neutral colors if you're planning on painting the room later on; they'll help keep things cohesive during this transitional phase.
Beige Neutral crib by McGhee & Co
Gray neutral crib as seen on Alphadorable
White neutral farmhouse crib as seen on Chub & Bug
If you like to get your hands “dirty” so to speak, check out our free color scheme kit to help you develop your own DIY palette with just the right colors for the perfect farm animal nursery theme.
For bedding: A simple set will do nicely here too—plain white sheets are easy to find and work well under any blanket or other embellishments.
After the crib comes the mattress; if possible, opt for an organic one made from natural materials such as wool or cotton instead of polyurethane foam (which might cause allergies). You'll also need bed pillows; again there are several options available online depending upon how much money/time/effort one wants to invest into buying them individually vs having them delivered together.
2. A Farm Animal Mobile
Your baby will be entertained for hours with this fun, colorful mobile. The pendulum's motion keeps your little one’s eyes from getting bored and helps develop both hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. If you're worried about your baby rolling over while they sleep, you can hang the mobile above his crib or even skip hanging it altogether and let him play with it at the end of her mattress.
We found this hand-made farm animal mobile on Etsy by TinyLandUA irresistible.
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Since mobiles are so versatile, they make great gifts—and if you're feeling really creative, try making one yourself!
3. Farm Animal Wall Art
Our next suggestion is to decorate your nursery with farm animal wall art. Just think about how cute and peaceful it will be to have a little pink piglet gnawing on his straw, or a baby cow chewing on hay, or an adorable baby donkey with its big brown eyes watching over your little one. Children love baby animals and little barnyard animals are amongst the most adorable. In short, baby barn animals on the walls will pull the whole theme together and also help you highlight the style of the nursery, such as minimalist, vintage farmhouse, modern luxury or shabby chic.
While there are many different baby farm animal gallery wall sets, we’re partial to our own. Why? The art in our farm animal gallery set is all hand-drawn, stylized for a minimalist and neutral farmhouse nursery, and then carefully curated to create the perfect farm animal wall art set for your nursery. As we’ve argued previously, illustration and hand-drawn art are experiencing a resurgence and qualify as fine art. Each print can be customized with your favorite textured background to lend a real artisan feel to each print. We think these cutie pies will pull your whole nursery theme together and provide your little one with hours and hour of enjoyment, peace, and a sense of security. Who wouldn’t be at peace with 6 adorable baby farm animals looking over you?
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4. Animal-print Rug
Rugs are a great way to add color, pattern, texture and warmth to your baby's room. They can also add softness and comfort. The animal print rug is a great choice for all of these reasons!
For a barnyard nursery theme, we recommend going with a cow-print rug! Especially if you’re creating a neutral or minimalist baby room. The splashes of contrasting black and white create rich texture, a “fun” mood, and also really bring the barnyard look and feel into the room.
A great option for a cow-print rug is this one by Union Rustic.
5. A Hand-painted Personalized Piggy Bank
Okay, no farm animal nursery would be complete without an adorable piggy bank. In fact, it would be a huge oversight to do a baby farm animal nursery without including an adorable piggy bank.
There are so many wonderful options when it comes to piggy banks, but these days you can really personalize your barnyard nursery with hand-painted banks in almost any theme.
We really love this this Floral personalized piggy bank from Alphadorable,
6. Farm Animal Bean Bag Chair
For the baby who will develop into a child who dreams of owning his or her own farm, this Penelope Pig bean bag chair by Simply Baby Furniture is a must. Who doesn't want to sit on a pig while they eat their peas?
But seriously, bean bag chairs are deceptively simple. In reality, they present all kinds of benefits for kids, including improving posture and increasing proprioceptive input in kids. They can also be put in a corner to create a cozy place that encourages reading in very young children.
The bean bag chair is also practical from nursery perspective, doubling as a chair for a crib and once your child outgrows that stage, you can use it for sitting around reading books with them or watching TV.
7. A Fluffy Sheep Toy Box
No nursery is complete without a toy box, right? So you have a couple of options. You can make one pretty easily or purchase one. You can make this fluffy sheep toy box with an old chest, or use a plain wooden box and cover it with fabric. If you’re using a plain box, paint the outside of it to look like a fluffy stuffed sheep!
After you’ve finished painting your toy box, add some wheels to the bottom so that your child can pull their “pet” fluffy sheep around on the floor. Then fill it with soft toys and books—your child will love being able to store all of their favorite toys!
But if you’re a busy mom-to-be, you don't have time to create this toybox and might prefer to buy the next best thing. This minimalist stuffed sheep toy box from Birch Lane is the perfect accent for your baby farm animal nursery
8. Farm-animal Throw-Pillows
Okay, it’s time we talked about throw pillows. Most rooms need pillows–even well-designed kitchens include some kind of seat cushions. The nursery is no exception, except that with the baby room you can really indulge and buy tons of adorable pillows for your little one, to make his environment not only charming, but also safe. There is a reason most cribs have bumpers on them, right?
Throw Pillows
Okay, so while we love throw-pillows and it was really difficult to choose just one, we fell in love with this wonderful farm animal throw pillow from Mudpie, which features the backsides of a baby cow, piglet, and sheep. Just look at it! It manages to be both clean and elegant, but also incredibly cute. Can you imagine your little one marveling at the backsides of all her favorite farm animals–especially the corkscrew pink tail.
Pillow Covers and Cases
Designing your nursery on a budget? No problem. You can save money by simply purchasing pillow covers rather than new pillows. These are great for those who want to keep their existing bedding but add some farm-animal flair to it! Just slip one on over your pillow cover or case (depending on what kind you have), then let the good times roll! They are also really easy to make if you have a basic sewing machine.
Pillow Shams
If you're worried about ruining your favorite pillow covers with constant baby spills or wear and tear from washing them too much (or just don't have any yet), try using something called a "pillow sham." This is basically just another word for "pillowcase." A lot of people prefer them because they're less expensive than regular pillowcases and easier to care for than duvet covers or comforters—just throw one into the wash once every few weeks instead of having to clean all that fabric covering up every inch of space around a standard bed frame every couple days like usual!
9. A Rocking Horse/Pony/Cow/lamb/Pig or Rocking Chair
Rocking Horse
For the farm animal nursery that has just about everything, you may still want to consider purchasing a rocking horse. The classic wooden rocking horse has long been used as a symbol of childhood in Western culture. But rocking horses are also practical toys, as they help children develop balance, coordination and strength. So as your baby grows, your rocking horse grows with them :)
We’re partial to this very minimalist rattan rocking horse at Crate and Barrel. It lends a perfect feeling of simplified elegance while bringing out the essence of a farm animal. Again, didn’t we say you don’t have to sacrifice aesthetics to have the perfect farm animal nursery?
Rocking Chair
Rocking chairs made from various materials can be found in many modern nurseries. These chairs often feature colorful designs that match the décor of the room in which they are placed, such as pastel colors or bold patterns like stripes and polka dots. But rocking chairs, long a staple of farmhouse porches, take on new significance in the modern farm animal nursery.
If you wish to add some variety to your nursery's décor but still provide convenience for guests visiting your home at night when they need somewhere comfortable where they can sit down while talking about whatever topics come up during conversations between friends (or strangers), then consider buying one.
10. A Barn or Farmhouse Dresser
If you want to go all out, try using a dresser with a barn door. This can be an excellent way of showcasing your love for farming or modern farmhouse design while also providing a convenient place to organize your child’s clothes. You can make it look even more authentic by putting decals of cows and other farm animals on the drawers!
Alternatively, you could paint the outside of your dresser with a farmhouse design using acrylic paint and stencils. This will not only serve to emphasize the farm animal theme but give the dresser character. What’s more it also just makes it more visually interesting than plain wood or metal.
But if you don’t have the time or aren’t feeling up to a huge DIY project, another great option is to purchase a dresser painted in classic “barn red.” We’re a huge fan of this barn red distressed dresser from NYC Furniture Outlets
Many Ideas for Decorating Your Farm Animal Nursery
Whether you're looking for a baby farm animal nursery theme or just want to add some barn animals to your space, we’ve provided what we think are the top ten furniture, art and accessories you need to create a wonderful minimalist nursery that is as educational and supportive as it is elegant.
As we just noted, farm animal themed decor is great because it's cute, timeless, and educational. Modern farm themed decor in the nursery means you get minimalist elegance, while your child gets optimal cuteness. It’s a win-win for everyone.
More importantly, if you choose or create the pieces in your barnyard nursery right, they are the gift that keeps on giving. You can use many of the accessories in other rooms in addition to the nursery, once your baby grows up. This is especially true if your entire house is designed in modern farmhouse style.
So to close, there are lots of great minimalist farm animal nursery ideas. We’ve presented just a few of them here. So we encourage you to get started with planning what kind of room design will work best for your little one—and don’t forget about adding in plenty of toys and books as well!
