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22 Hudson Valley Parent n January 2017 By ROXANNE FERBER Whether you are bringing home your first baby or your fifth, as you stare into the empty space that will become your baby's first room it is easy to feel overwhelmed. First-time parents may worry over the need to purchase everything at once. And although parents with a large age gap between children may feel less pressure, they may also be more than a bit overwhelmed by the newest trends. Thankfully, modern technolo- gy and access to planning services makes dressing the nursery much easier. A simple web search or Pin- terest spree can uncover a plethora of must-haves for the nursery. Getting started It's easy to assume that not much has changed as far as prepping for a new baby goes, but new trends come and go on a regular basis. According to nursery planner Veronica Holmquist, there are four main categories to focus on when planning a nursery: color scheme, lighting, furniture and textiles. Current trends include using neutral colors (pink and blue are no lon- ger the standard options in nursery decor), cordless lighting, convertible furniture and breathable, organic fabrics. "Think gray as the main color with small pops of gender neutral colors thrown in as accessories," Holmquist says. Parents today have a wide range of choices for space saving and convertible furniture - from dressers that double as changing tables to cribs that convert to toddler beds and eventually the headboard and footboard of a full sized bed. "Multi-functional furniture that takes baby from crib to college will grow with your child," Holmquist adds. For Kingston first-time mom Jennifer Malloy, Pinterest was the go-to research tool for planning her nursery. "I selected woodland creatures as our theme because I wanted some- thing gender neutral," she says. "It was so easy to find what I wanted online and build our nursery from there." Take two Parents with children born years apart may feel blown away by how many choices there are. "It is exactly eight years since my last pregnancy and I feel way less overwhelmed this time," Liz West- inghouse of Saugerties says. "Now there is video surveillance instead of just audio monitors and bottles that resemble breasts. The new availabili- ties are endless it seems." Marissa Vetere Siracusano of Saugerties, also a second time mom with an eight-year age gap, said she sought help from Boudoir Baby, Sau- gerties, New York for furniture and Tips for decorating baby's first room Seasoned parents with children born several years apart may feel empowered the sec- ond time around and blown away by how many choices there are.