Believe it or not, that precious little bundle of baby joy you brought home from the hospital is now a walking and talking powerhouse of toddler-hood. Now that your little one is more independent and loves exploring their world, you want to re-do the nursery into a fabulous toddler bedroom. If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out the following ideas:
Skip super-specific and overly saturated themes
While you might be tempted to give your “PAW Patrol”-obsessed toddler a room filled with a “PAW Patrol” fire truck-shaped bed, night light, throw rugs, wallpaper borders and more, you might want to resist that urge. Toddlers are notorious for loving one character or TV show one month with all their heart, only to switch gears and fall hard for another toy or book the next month. Instead of spending lots of money on one specific theme that might fall out of your child’s favor by the time you are done re-doing their room, focus on more classic and timeless furniture and accessories that you can accent with a few pieces from a fave movie, show or book.
Spring for new bedding
While most toddler beds use the same mattress that fits inside the crib, you probably don’t want to re-use the same infant-themed bedding. Fortunately, it is easy to find super cute, soft and high-quality toddler bedding that your toddler will love that will also complement the overall color scheme of the room. Tip: In case your little one has a Pull-Up blow out in the middle of the night or spills juice on the sheets, invest in a second set of bedding; this way, you can easily re-make the bed without having to wait for everything to be washed. You can purchase another identical set or have your toddler help choose a second sheet set that will still go with the overall color theme.
Put things within your toddler’s reach
To encourage independence and well as allow your little one to clean up the bedroom, Momtastic.com suggests putting as many things as possible at toddler height. Instead of a tall bookcase, a cube organizer is much more kiddo-friendly; it can hold plenty of books, and you can also purchase a few optional cloth storage cubes that can hold toys. A shelf that is mounted low on the wall is also a great way to store books and smaller toys.
Create a gallery wall
Toddlers love looking at family photos, and they also tend to be budding artists. Transform a plain bedroom wall into a gallery space filled with large family photos in colorful frames; include fave shots of your toddler with grandma and grandpa, the family pets and more, and then add in some current artwork that your little one created. While the photos may remain on the wall over time, the toddler art can be switched out as new pieces come along.
As you know quite well, kids grow up way too fast — before you know it, you’ll be re-doing your little one’s room again into a tween or teen-appropriate room. So for now, relax and enjoy the process of transforming a nursery into a fun, colorful and toddler-accessible space that your kiddo will love to hang out and sleep in.
