What's more, trendy interior designs are shying away from the traditional gender-specific nursery decorating schemes of years past. There are still pink-and-white girls' rooms and nautical-blue boys' rooms, to be sure. But there are also yellow-and-green rooms, rooms with big stripes on the walls, earth-friendly rooms and sophisticated nursery color schemes.

Some designers say that today, parents need not be wedded to thinking in terms of familiar pastel baby-cute decor. Instead they can let their imaginations go a bit, thinking ahead to early childhood as well as to what colors and designs will harmonize with the rest of the house.

Parents get a boost in this approach by what medical science now knows about the physiology of babies. For instance, when they're first born, babies can see only white, black and shades of gray. As their sight develops, red is the first color they'll recognize, which is why so many infant toys have strong reds in their colors. However, painting a nursery in red can confuse an infant whose sight is just developing. Softer paint shades such as greens, blues and pinks are more pleasing to infant eyes as their color vision develops.

One of the trendiest color schemes takes the traditional pink or blue and adds the richness of chocolate brown to it. A girl's nursery could be painted in pink along the tops of the walls, with a chair rail and brown and white stripes below. Likewise, a boy's nursery could boast blue walls, but decorated with brown and blue circles and stripes.

Green is also a color that's having a strong run in nurseries. A color palette of muted green and pink offers another option for a girl's nursery, while another designer chose apple green as the wall color for the nursery of twins, a boy and a girl.

Large painted graphics also are in vogue on nursery walls, in part because babies' eyes aren't developed enough to discern small details. Blue-green walls accented with a giant painting of a tree would begin to get a child in touch with the colors and shapes in nature. A giant monogram of the child's initials would be a graphic touch that wouldn't have to be changed a short time later.

Big, bold stripes are another painting effect that's getting a lot of traction with new parents. By choosing youthful, not necessary infant age, colors, the room can have a look that's more adaptable as the child matures. Another painting effect combines complementary light shades of yellows, blues and greens to create a grid accent wall that sets off white infant furniture.

The outside environment around the home also can be an inspiration for a painting a baby's nursery. For instance, a family who lives in the desert has a wonderful palette of dusty rose, turquoise, sand and light purple to draw upon. Meanwhile, parents in a coastal home can easily create the perfect nursery for son or daughter with calming blue on the walls, some giant wave graphics, and a shelf with seashells or nautical accents.

Whatever color scheme is finally chosen, designers urge parents to choose environmentally safe paints for a nursery. Paints that are labeled as having low volatile organic chemicals, or VOCs, are the safest paints because they don't give off harmful gasses that can pollute the indoor environment. Remember, safety is always the first word in creating a beautiful room for the new baby.

Design consultant Scarlett offers a wealth of creative tips on decorating a nursery. Take a look at her favorite place to go for nursery rugs and kids rugs.