5 Important Things To Keep In Mind While Decorating Your Child’s Room

Photo Courtesy: jingdianjiaju

We want our kids to have the best of everything. And the best place to begin with, is their room. At the end of the day, it is their little haven where they can do whatever they want and to an extent, get away with it.

If you have taken up the task of decorating your toddler’s room, we give you five important things to remember, so that you do it right.

1. Discuss

As excited as you may be, don’t forget that it’s your child’s room. We’re sure your kid has a favorite color/s by now, and would definitely want some specific things in his/her room. Discuss, create a mood board, find stock images and illustrations, and show them to your child. Scavenge through the magazines, and collaborate with your kid for a room décor scrapbook. You can also personalize the room with custom-made growth charts, name-tags, stickers, name-plates, custom-knit blankets and drapes, etc.

2. Keep it functional

Here’s the thing with kids; if it’s complicated and tedious to use or operate, they either lose interest or find a way to get rid of it once and for all. And trust us, after spending all that time and money on some state of the art but complicated thing for the room. Remember, it’s not just about novelty and cuteness. Functionality is the key to a successful and intelligent decor. Keep it practical. Design should be such that you could take away the crib and all the toddler stuff and still find the room to provide enough function, without having to re-decorate from scratch.

3. Keep it simple

The market is overflowing with jazzy and fancy things for decorating a child’s room, be it the furniture or the accents. However, it’s important to not get carried away and cramp the whole space with things your child has absolutely no use for. You know what rarity open spaces are outside.

Add to that the fact that your little one is always going to be restricted from running around the house for no real reason. Do your home, your child and the rest of the family a huge favor by leaving enough space in your child’s room to jump about without breaking anything. Over-decorating is easy, but a little matured and grownup decorating is what we call intelligence.

4. Use foresight

Look at this beautiful decor with a ‘sailing/sailor’ theme for a baby’s room – Photo Courtesy: Warren Rohner

Kids will grow. And fast. Before you know it, they have outgrown that plastic slide or the ‘Dora the Explorer’ bedspreads. Always go for things that will find good use even after they’ve grown up a bit. Always look for things that won’t embarrass your child a few years down the lane. Stay miles and miles away from anything gaudy and in-your-face. It may be marketed to be the “in” thing for kids, but we all know better.

Stick to tranquil colors, they never go out of style and function. Foresight is a superpower that will make your child a grateful one for a long, long time.

5. Keep it safe

Safety is the most important thing here. You could have everything else done to perfection, but it’s all for naught if it proves to be an absolute hazard to your child’s health and safety. No matter what you buy, make sure it conforms to the general and safety health standards. Don’t pick something just because it’s on sale. Kids are a curious lot. You never know when they’ll taste something to test its usefulness. Similarly, stay away from sharp or serrated edges, fragile things, or anything that’s made of even a remotely hazardous material.

Kids are a picky lot, and they’re just as fickle too. Therefore, it’s highly important for you to make the right choices that find a place in your child’s room for years to come. Find the perfect balance between cute, functional and sensible, and your stroke of genius will be remembered for years to come.

Jenny Wadlow runs a day care centre. She writes for Hippo Blue, an Australian based online retailer. Her other hobbies include cooking and baking. You can follow her on Twitter @JennyWadlow.