Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Inspiration

NewFolks may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

7 cute decorations under $20 perfect for an animal-themed nursery

Sarah Prager
By

An animal-themed nursery is a sweet, gender-neutral motif that can fit almost any style or color scheme. Whether you choose jungle safari, woodland friends, or farm animals, the cute wildlife will bring a friendly feeling to your baby’s room. Here are seven of our favorite decor items for animal-themed nurseries — and they’re all under $20!

Pepper & Moose Jungle Safari Animal Unframed Wall Art

Looking for safari nursery decor? This set of six 8×10 posters offer a watercolor elephant, giraffe, hippo, lion, monkey, and zebra smiling above affirming statements like “dream big” and “be kind.” The unframed prints of hand-drawn art are on sturdy 300-GSM-thick cardstock. These friendly animals are a colorful and adorable addition to a nursery.

Related Videos

Why we love it: Not only are the animals adorable, but the positive affirmations will serve growing kids well.

CherryNow Bear Basket

This gray or white woven bear can work as a laundry hamper or storage bin for toys, books, bedding, blankets, or anything else in your animal-themed nursery. Made from soft cotton, the face and ears combine functionality and personality in your nursery. Choose between 10×12 or 14×16 sizes.

Why we love it: It’s cute and functional. Dirty clothes will look a little less like a chore in this basket.

Designs by Maria Little Baby Watercolor Animals Floral Crown Safari Prints

Looking for a different style of watercolor safari prints? These baby animals in flower crowns bring a softer side to your decor. The set of four unframed 8×10 prints of a giraffe, elephant, zebra, and lion don’t have text, but they are heart-melting. Printed on high-gloss, sturdy cardstock with UV coating, they are durable and dust-resistant.

Why we love it: The flower crowns add a gentle touch to these majestic animals.

Bedtime Originals Jungle Fun Window Valance

This window valance can be added on top of practical blackout curtains to bring the animal theme into every corner of the room. These cute lions, birds, and elephants are placed on top of a gray and white diamond print on a machine-washable cotton polyester fabric. There is a rod pocket for easy hanging.

Why we love it: The gray background can match just about any color scheme, and a valance adds a subtle touch to the theme.

Artwork of animals for a nursery
Throwback Traits/Amazon

Woodland Nursery Decor by Throwback Traits Store

Like the idea of inspirational text, but jungle animals aren’t your theme? Here are six watercolor woodland creatures (a fox, squirrel, owl, bunny, bear, and fawn) telling your little one to “be curious,” “be strong,” and “be silly.” The six 8×10 unframed prints are printed on thick and sturdy 300-GSM paper with UV-resistant ink.

Why we love it: Enchanted Forest is a classic theme for a reason (and those positive messages are a plus).

JADENS Night Light for Kids

This LED nightlight comes in either a lion or a bear and provides a warm, soft glow for bedtime and nighttime feedings. The paint-free silicone is BPA-free and safe for babies (even to mouth) and does not get warm to the touch. It comes with a 60-minute timer function and also glows in seven different colors. Cordless and rechargeable by USB, it’s also easy to bring along when traveling.

Why we love it: Its portability means Baby will have something familiar wherever you go.

Lambs & Ivy Jungle Safari Nursery Wall Decals

These easy-on/easy-off vinyl wall decals have a cute neutral style to bring some depth to your safari-themed nursery. A giraffe, elephant, lion, and tree all have different heights for visual interest, none above 35 inches. They can be repositioned and reused if you change your mind about the layout. If you feel nervous about hanging framed prints on the wall above the crib but want some art in that space, these will bring a mural-like look with safety and peace of mind.

Why we love it: You can redecorate and reposition the room as much as you want.

A beautiful and welcoming nursery decor doesn’t need to break the bank. You can add a lot of personality to a room for under $20, whether with wall decor, lighting, or accessories. Bear or lions, foxes or giraffes, any of these items will add to a warm environment for your little one.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Create the perfect princess nursery with this DIY guide
princess nursery diy pink

A princess nursery is a royal idea for your baby on the way. Designing a nursery as a fantasy escape from the hard work of parenting a newborn will help you feel like you're in a storybook, even during those early-morning feedings.

These unique nurseries don't have to be one certain pink way, so read on for some creative princess nursery ideas.

Read more
4 best baby-food cookbooks under $20 for when your baby starts eating solids
A table with baby food ingredients on it and a bowl of baby food puree.

When it comes to what we feed our babies, it is a deeply personal decision right from the beginning. Our little ones start out either drinking milk or formula, both of which are wonderful sources of nutrients for them. Then, before you know it, your baby is ready to eat solid foods. However, you may not want to buy baby food at the grocery store when you can make it yourself for much cheaper, plus you get more that way! It is surprisingly easy to create delicious foods for your baby in your home.

If you are not sure where to start, a great place to get recipes for baby food is in a cookbook. Here we have chosen the four best baby-food cookbooks and baby-food recipe books to help you create yummy meals for your little one!
The Super Easy Baby Food Cookbook: Healthy Homemade Recipes for Every Age & Stage
 

Read more
7 incredible baby-clothing storage ideas to make your life simpler
Drawer full of baby clothes

Baby clothes may be tiny, but you sure need a lot of them! Between spit-ups, feedings, and diaper blow-outs, not to mention temperature changes, babies need way more outfits than grown-ups. You need a place to store the pajamas, hats, booties, bodysuits, pants, and so on, and you need it all to be easily accessible when you need them.
These baby-clothing storage ideas will help you figure out how to organize baby clothes in a functional and stylish way that saves you precious space.
For those little odds and ends
Inside a top dresser drawer or on top of a changing table caddy, use these organizers for socks, mittens, shoes, headbands, hats, and other accessories. Beyond clothing, these also work for pacifiers, diaper cream, and any other small items that would fill up a messy drawer. Easily access everything you need with this set of 12 organizer fabric boxes.
For out-of-season clothes and the next size up
Store bathing suits in winter and sweaters in summer (as well as all of the older-baby clothing waiting its turn) in under-crib storage. This option has dividers, which you'll want when you've taken the time to sort your 2T hand-me-downs from the 3T and don't want to put them all in together. Simply slide it under the crib and forget it until you need it, then slide it right out with the handle to access it.
For organizing dresser drawers
You can fill a full-size adult dresser with all the clothing your baby needs (especially if you use any leftover drawer space for bedding and other nonclothing items that need storage), but the drawers are so large that the tiny clothing items will only fill up a fraction of the area per clothing type. Use these adjustable drawer dividers to divide the space so that you have separate areas in each drawer for pants, onesies, and shirts that won't bleed together and get mixed up.
For labeling dresser drawers
From the outside, a dresser hides the piles of clothing inside, which can be nice for covering clutter. But since you can't see what's inside, you may end up opening every drawer until you find what you're looking for. With baby clothes, there are types of clothing cycled out often (T-shirts in one season and sweaters in the next), so you may forget where one category belongs, especially with the lack of sleep.

Label the outside of your drawers with these cute chalkboard sticky labels that come with an erasable chalk marker so that you can change your labels from 0-3 to 3-6 as they grow. With drawer dividers, most drawers will be doing double or triple duty, so these labels will help you remember where the newborn-size pants are stored.
For hangables
If you have a closet, hang up as much as you can to use that horizontal space off the floor. Finding what you're looking for among the dozens of hanging items can be tricky, so save your time with these adorable wooden closet dividers that let you know which clothing size is located in what section. With everything separated by size, you'll be able to find the right item much quicker.
For maximizing closet space
All of the vertical space in your nursery's closet is prime space and shouldn't go unused. Use this hanging closet organizer with five drawers, two shelves, and three side pockets to use for clothing as well as diapers, and more. There are dividers within some of the drawers that can be used for socks and other small items. Easily Velcro this to the closet rod, and it will hold up to 30 pounds of baby gear.
For everything in one
If you're looking for a kid-friendly look, this child dresser can be used in several different ways to store clothing, toys, bedding, books, blankets, and more. There is even space to hang up some items, which is perfect if you don't have a built-in closet in your nursery. The cute design will fit right in in a baby's space, and it's practical for you.

Read more