The Nightmare Before Christmas is the perfect blend of two of the most popular holidays. It addresses some real issues, like apathy and the importance of enjoying each thing as it comes. Not to mention, it looks cool and has fun songs! Whatever it means to you, it’s clearly a favorite if you’re looking at basing your nursery on it. We found some Nightmare Before Christmas Nursery Ideas to help you create an inspired nursery!
1) Coffin Letterboard
Letters are a big part of childhood. We want our children to grow up loving to read, so we show them letters from a young age, playing games with letters and teaching them the letters in their names. We found a unique way for you to show your baby letters in a Nightmare Before Christmas-themed way. This coffin letterboard would be the perfect way to write a thematic message or even write something like your baby’s name. The neat thing is that when your baby gets older, they can play with the letters, too.
2) Coffin-Shaped Thematic Letters
Your baby will start to develop likes and dislikes relatively quickly, and you can use those to decorate the room with your baby’s favorite things, but until then, there aren’t many things that are unique to your baby. That’s why your baby’s name is such a vital part of your decorating, but how are you going to include it? We found this neat craft that’s perfect for a Nightmare Before Christmas nursery. Try making patterned coffin decorations like these and putting letters on them to spell out your infant’s name.
3) DIY VHS Tape Display
The room you’re decorating won’t always be a nursery. It might get converted to an office, or your baby might stay there and it may change into a child’s bedroom. That said, a baby’s room should have keepsakes that can stay with them forever. A great nursery idea may be this craft that will mean a lot to your child, even if they dig it out of storage years from now after the nursery is no longer in use. Watch this video to learn how to make a handmade display and future keepsake from a VHS tape.
4) Striped Black and White Crib Sheets
Black and white stripes are an iconic part of The Nightmare Before Christmas, bringing to mind the pinstripes on Jack Skellingotn’s suit. They’re also visible to babies who can’t see color when they first come home from the hospital and the pattern is stimulating to a developing mind. Patterns are essential during early weeks because your baby won’t have as much ability to entertain themselves, so try getting some close-up black and white patterns like these striped crib sheets.
5) DIY Simple Murals
Murals are popular in some of the fanciest and most elaborate nurseries, and many parents try to paint simple murals if they can find the time. If you like the idea of a mural but aren’t sure if you have the funds, time, or skill, you can copy an existing mural like the one in this video. This is a fairly simple mural that you can copy from the nursery in this video. Start by copying the image in pencil from the video or a printout, then paint it afterward.
6) Oogie Boogie
Oogie Boogie is one of the most colorful and fun characters in The Nightmare Before Christmas. He dances and sings his way through the movie as one of the most entertaining parts for young kids. This makes him a vital part of your decorating since you want your child to love it as they grow old enough to appreciate films like this. Make sure to add a couple of Oogie Boogie decorations like this decal that says “Well well well…what have we here?” If you want to be cute, put it right above the crib.
SEE ALSO: 21 Coral Nursery Ideas
7) DIY Sock Doll
Nurseries should have plenty of soft and cute decorations that your baby can cuddle with, giggle at, and play with. It’s a soft space for your baby to sleep and play in safely, so we thought a sock doll would be a perfect decoration. Try using this video to make a Nightmare Before Christmas sock doll that can start as a decoration and become a stuffed toy for them to play with. This could turn out to be their favorite and will have all the more meaning since you made it for them.
SEE ALSO: 23 Moon and Stars Nursery Ideas
8) Moon Night Light
Nurseries need night lights so that you can see when you check on your infant in the middle of the night. You definitely don’t want to turn on some bright overhead lights and wake them up, particularly if you have a finicky baby that doesn’t sleep well. What type of night light should you get, though? The moon features prominently in The Nightmare Before Christmas as one of the few things we see in Halloween and Christmas. Since moons are naturally bright, a moon night light like this would be perfect.
9) Coffin-Shaped Box
Coffins appear often enough in The Nightmare Before Christmas, so they’re an excellent addition to a thematic nursery like this. Since they’re naturally box-shaped, you can use them as storage, either for other decorations like sock puppets or for vital baby care supplies. Try using this tutorial to make a coffin-shaped box and use it as a diaper caddy or storage for wipes, bottles, and more. You could even get creative and look at making a coffin-shaped bassinet, though these instructions would not work for that.
10) Cute Caricatures
Babies are adorable, so anything and everything in a nursery can be cute if you want it to. Since The Nightmare Before Christmas is about a scary holiday, you’ll want to make sure the scary parts are toned-down so they don’t scare your infant. Caricatures are one way to do that since they can take the characters and make them cuter. For example, this wall art set has several main characters, but without the realistic stitching or bugs that create their grotesque appearance.
11) DIY Dollar Tree Decor
Dollar tree decor is ideal for a nursery since a lot of decorations will only be up for a couple of years. Then, you might find that your child has outgrown the decorations or that your toddler is afraid of Jack Skellington. Inexpensive decorations from the dollar store can make it easier to change themes without breaking the bank. We found this video with some Dollar Tree Nightmare Before Christmas decorations, such as Sally’s bottles. The neat thing is that you can also reuse them as Halloween decorations elsewhere in the house.
12) Thematic Collapsible Bins
Collapsible bins are popular in nurseries because they’re inexpensive and fit in most shelf units, making them a cheap way to create a theme. They’re also small enough to be convenient for children and babies’ toys and clothes, or even for changing table organization. You can put these thematic collapsible bins on any shelf to store toys and clothes. Try using them to turn a regular table, shelf set, or dresser into a changing table! Since they don’t cost much, it won’t be a big deal if you don’t need them anymore in a few years.
13) Framed Printable
Printables are a quick and easy way to find nursery decor. You can print out something like this printable of the pumpkin king song and put it in any frame as a decoration. While Kristin Murphy put it in a decorative and spooky frame that fits the Nightmare Before Christmas theme, you don’t have to get that fancy. A simple black frame would still fit in if you’re looking for a simple and easy-to-make decoration. Try putting out a few printables like this on the walls and on shelves.
14) Jack Skellington Bust
This next decoration probably doesn’t seem like a proper nursery decoration initially, but it fits right in. While usually, a bust would be a more sophisticated decoration, it’s traditional to have figures watching over a baby as they sleep. In this case, you can replace a guardian angel with Jack Skellington keeping an eye on your child the way he does for the Town of Halloween. Jack was a protective figure, keeping Sally safe and later defending Santa Clause from Oogie Boogie, making him the perfect defender for your little one.
What’s your favorite part of The Nightmare Before Christmas and how are you going to share it with your baby? Are you planning to use any of these ideas in your nursery? Please let us know in the comments below!
