'No More Boys and Girls'

[user1495915630]

I'm a stepmum and expecting my first biological child in February. We'd like to find out what we'really having and can find out in 3 weeks (exciting!)

However I've just watched a programme on BBC 2 called 'No More Boys and Girls' and it's really made me think.

My stepson (6) loves a mixture of toys and activities including pirates, unicorns, baking and cars, but I'm now second guessing my choices for the baby I'm expecting.

We've got loads of sample colours on the nursery wall, some really lovely neutrals and some very pinks and purples. I'm now wondering whether it's the right thing if I paint a 'gender stereotypical' room.

Am I over thinking it all?!

I'd go neutral so that it's 'fine' for a boy or a girl. The baby will be either! I quite like neutrals for babies.

I'm thinking of doing some browns, creams and woodland themes.

It's just seriously made me rethink. So taken back how much influence as adults we have on our children

It was a really interesting programme wasn't it? We did our nursery green and have a DD

We painted our sons bedroom before he went in it at 16 months (we painted it baby blue and light grey, a girl would have been baby pink and light grey).
Personally I don't mind stereotypical things for boys and girls, it just doesn't bother me.
I'd never find out the sex until the birth, and I don't like nurseries for a baby anyway (especially not some before the baby is born, I'm superstitious and won't even have any baby things in the house until the baby is born and okay), and I wouldn't need it doing so early as I'd never put a baby in their own room until they are much older (like we did with ds). But if I was going to do one, I'd like it to be gender specific, so I'd maybe paint in neutral colours, then add different things, depending on what I had.

Ds had blue because the room happened to be blue. He's kept it that colour though a few more decorations but now wants orange.

We had a white nursery with pale blue accessories (curtains and chair fabric basically). I didn't know what we were having and think pale blue is a really pretty colour for a girl. Anyway we had boys so it wasn't controversial in the end but I'd have thought it really pretty for the girl I didn't have.
I think yellow is a lovely colour too.

My first DD 'a nursery was decorated with soft yellow and green and my second DD's nursery was cream and brown. I didn't find out the sex before giving birth for either but wouldn't have gone for blue or pink even if I had.

A room's colour scheme is not going to affect the kind of person they grow up to be. That's in your hands.

We knew we were having a bit but his room was already Apple white so that stayed. Everything else was cream and his curtains have little hedgehogs on them. Now he is in his toddler bed I have lovely farm animal bedding from John Lewis based on muted colours and also a jungle animals set from Mothercare. Not typical boy things x

My sister had cowboys and Indians wallpaper (60s decor when we moved into the old house). My room had big blue flowers (mad 70s style)

I painted the nursery pale sky blue and painted hot air balloons on top -before I knew the sex

I hate pink

We had buttermilk walls with skip hop treetop decorations so blue, orange, red, green and brown owls and trees. We did not find out and it was perfect for either sex.

DD is 3 and we just redid her room. She chose blue walls as she wanted rainbows 'in the sky'. Rainbows are a great theme for a nursery and I would do that instead of owls if I could do it again.

I am very passionate about not excluding certain colours because of sex/gender/whatever and I am glad you saw the thought provoking programme. Gender neutral does not have to mean white, grey or beige.