Is it time for you to clear out your child's crib and design a bedroom centered around your toddler's interests? One of the best ways to do this is by using calming colors to encourage rest and interactive toys for play time. You can also make things run more smoothly by designating specific play areas. Below are a few ideas to help you get started.
Taking your child's crib out and converting the room to a toddler room can be very bittersweet for you and exciting for your toddler. They may be apprehensive at first, but one way to help them during the transition is to use calming colors. Their bedroom should encourage rest, above everything else. Lighter colors, such as tans, blues, lavenders, etc., are said to help relax instead of stimulate. I believe every mom agrees that at bedtime the last thing you want is your toddler stimulated! Any way you look at it, calming colors seem to be the way to go.
If you do not have a separate play room for the children, and the bedroom serves as both, you should incorporate some interactive toys in the room to keep your child entertained during the day. Maybe your little girl's dresser can also serve as her vanity and her toy box as her dress up closet. For the little boy in your house, maybe you incorporate a bunk bed that he can use as a fort by draping blankets over it so that the bottom bunk in enclosed. Train tables fit great in corners and little boys love these as well. The possibilities are endless!
Designating specific areas in children's rooms for different activities help keep everything organized. One great way to do this is by using area rugs. For the little boy that loves everything that moves, there are rugs that have roads on them so he can "drive" all of his cars around the town. If you have a bookshelf in the corner, place an area rug beside it and use this area for you and your child to sit during book time. This will help you to almost create "centers" in a child's room. Since this room functions as a bedroom and playroom, why not designate a corner with a large rug as the toy area? If all toys stay in this area, it will save mom or dad from stepping on something painful when they go in after dark to check on the little ones. There are many ideas that you can incorporate with this. Always remember that you can order area rugs and other supplies online to save yourself a trip to the store. How much easier can it get than clicking a mouse and having it arrive on your doorstep?
No matter how you accomplish it, changing your nursery into a toddler room will be quite an adventure, albeit bittersweet for you! Whether you do it by changing the wall color, adding area rugs to designate centers, or adding fun interactive toys for your growing little one, they are sure to love it! Remember to have fun and think of the way you would have wanted your room as a child. There are many ways of achieving the affordable dream room. Design away!
By:Sarah Crosset
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