Although the last thing you want your kids to do is to get older; it’s inevitable that they will (and they tend to do so pretty quickly). Therefore, you’ll want your little ones to have a bedroom space that reflects their age, so that they can happily read, play, and sleep in there, and won’t feel like a baby (even though they’ll always be your baby). Ensuring that your children have a space to call their own, that they’re proud of, will help to teach them the responsibility of maintaining a room and ensure that they feel they have somewhere to retreat to should they need. The following are some tips to transform a baby and toddler space into a bedroom fit for a young child, that will see them through primary school and beyond.

Personality

For your kids to feel great about their bedroom space; they’ll want to inject plenty of their character and personality into the room. Wallpaper choice is often a long-term commitment, so bear this in mind if your children ask for a specific character design, like Peppa Pig or The Avengers; they could grow out of it quickly, and you’ll have the task of painting over each wall or re-wallpapering the space. Paint, in a muted version of your kid’s favourite colour, will ensure that you can introduce artwork and accessories to the space, and remove them with ease when someone decides that there’s nothing cool about George or Daddy Pig.

Picture shelves and bookcases are the perfect way to display your children’s favourite toys, books, and mementoes. Curating specific areas where your little one can display the pebbles they picked up on the beach or the Kinder Surprise toy they fell in love with, is a great way to make them feel that it’s their room and full of their style and taste. Keeping wall colours, shelves, and furniture neutral will allow the accessories and mementoes to change regularly with little or no effort, and no matter how garish Hulk’s green body is; he’ll look great as he stands and protects the bookcase.

Function

It’s time to say goodbye to the crib or the little tot bed (sob) and introduce some “big kid” furniture to the space. Take a look at some modern bedroom furniture sets to decide what would suit your child and their bedroom space. Whether they’re desperate for bunk beds (even though there’s only one of them) or they need everything to match; try to invest in items that will see them through for the future. Simple, classically designed furniture pieces will ensure that you don’t have any expensive replacements to make during their school years (unless they decide to use their bed as a trampoline, sigh).

Another crucial area to consider is the storage in your child’s room. Aside from the wardrobe and a set of drawers for all their clothes and shoes; you’ll need to consider their ever-expanding mounting of toys, games, crafts, fidget spinners (you get the gist), so it’s worth thinking about a neat way to store them all. Take a look here and get some inspiration on the clever ways to introduce storage solutions into your kid’s bedroom, so that it can be a tidy space (every now and again). Remember; you can couple up storage solutions with decorative areas, like the shelving that was discussed earlier, so you don’t have to pop everything in boxes (unless their cool boxes that look great).

Comfort

Aside from the aesthetics and the storage options that you’ll want your kid to enjoy (ahem); you’ll need to make their comfort and ability to relax and sleep in their bedroom a priority. Figure out the best layout for the furniture, so that beds aren’t exposed, and they feel like they’re in a cosy nook when it comes to bedtime. Don’t overwhelm a bed with cuddly toys and cushions; you want your child to have a calm space to unwind and drift off to the land of nod. Pop any soft, fluffy bed buddies up on a shelf above the bed, so that they’re still nearby, but your little one has enough room to sleep like a starfish (why are they never in the position you left them in when you come to check on them later on?).

Rugs are a great way to separate designated areas; but, they’ll also provide a cosy addition for small feet and will add to the comfort of a bedroom. Ensure that there are enough lamps and soft lighting, so unwinding after bathtime is a lot smoother, and you can add nightlights so that your child is never in pitch darkness when they’re little (unless that’s how they prefer to sleep). Imagine you were a small human; make their bedroom a multi-functional space that reflects their personality and will last for years to come.

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