Your baby’s nursery might be one of the most important rooms in your home. From the crib to the color on the walls, everything that has gone into designing the space has been chosen with love and care. So, when your baby starts to outgrow their crib, it can often be emotional. You might begin to wonder how you’re going to turn your nursery into a child’s room.
There’s nothing more bittersweet than the moment that your baby is ready for her big girl bed. Since you want to accommodate your growing girl’s needs, you’ll need to update her room so that it’s less nursery and more toddler friendly. The good news is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to transform the nursery that you so painstakingly put together and now has to meet the needs of a two-year-old. With some small (but significant) design changes, you can turn your nursery into a child’s room that’s functional as well as beautiful.
Maintain Some Design Elements
Look through the room to determine what needs updating, and what can still stay. For example, you might decide to keep the same paint color on the walls but update the linens. You can remove anything that’s too cartoony or babyish and swap in some oversized floral designs instead. A bold awning stripe (rather than a pinstripe) can also make the room more mature. If that powdery pink color on the walls just won’t do anymore, you can choose a new wall color (one that your child can help you pick out! and keep the textile colors consistent to add a richer hue to the room.
Figure Out Your Floor Plan
Without a big bulky crib in your way, you might find that you have more room to play with in your child’s new bedroom. However, it will still have to suit the needs of a toddler, so look for ways to get creative with your floor plan. Although you’ll probably be swapping out a crib for a toddler or a twin-sized bed, you may find that you don’t need to add more furniture to the space. Adding more toy storage, books, play spaces and hidden nooks can help the room keep up with your growing child. So, get creative with the room’s layout–you might want to place a bookshelf perpendicular to the wall to create a private child-sized play nook for a space that’s all her own.
Reflect Your Child’s Personality
Most likely, when you were designing your baby’s nursery, the decor matched with your own personal style. Now you have to take your child’s own likes (and dislikes) into consideration. So, speak with her about what she’d like to have in her own room. Talk about her hobbies and decide how to accommodate those in her space. Since her interests can (and will!) change over time, you’ll need to be creative. Opt for items that are easy and inexpensive to swap out, like an art collection instead of a custom-built skateboard bed. By using decorative accents rather than big furniture items, you’ll be able to keep up with your child’s ever-changing interests.
Toy Around With Toy Storage
As your child grows, so will the amount of stuff she has. Unfortunately, it’s up to you to wrangle all of those toys and teddy bears in a way that doesn’t produce more clutter or anxiety. So think about some of the best ways to keep her toys and other items neat and tidy. You might go for storage bins that can be tucked away at the end of the day. Or choose some kid-friendly storage containers that entice your child to clean up her toys. Maybe!
Prepare For Preschool
Your child’s room isn’t just for sleeping and playing. Eventually, she’ll use her space as an area to do her studying. That’s why you should create a cozy space for reading. Turn your nursing chair into a reading chair with lamp and bookshelf nearby. Add a new blanket or pillow to update the look to match your child’s own aesthetic. Above all, make it comfy and special for her. That way, your child will love spending time in her room because it meets her growing needs–and is beautiful, too.
Transforming your child’s nursery into a big girl’s room is a monumental moment. Celebrate it for what it is and help your child redesign her room to be beautiful and work for her, no matter how old she is.
Source: Press Release, Serena and Lily, www.serenaandlily.com
