Even though some parents choose co-sleeping or keeping their baby in their room for the first few months of their life, eventually they will find themselves ready to let their baby learn and explore in their own room.
There are many things to consider—the unique design of the room, the toys, and activities you put in it, the safety, and how easy it will be to change as your child’s personality changes. For many parents, the easiest thing to do is start with a little inspiration.
Keep reading to learn more about where to look for kid’s room inspiration pictures, as well as some things to consider as you start building your little one a room they will love.
Top 3 Places to Look for Inspiration
Whether you do work at home jobs like writing or graphics, or work as a busy business executive, there is no reason you cannot build the perfect room for your child with the right inspiration.
Here are a few places to find plenty of child’s room pictures to help get you started.
1. Pinterest
Pinterest is a go-to destination for anything crafty or fun. You can find everything from unique room ideas and designs to DIY projects that you can use to make custom furniture for your son or daughter’s room.
The beauty of Pinterest is that it is the perfect platform for people to share innovative ideas. Don’t be afraid of sharing a photo of your own work once your little one’s room is finished!
2. Parenting Magazines
Parenting magazines will obviously have design ideas for your child, regardless of their age. You can connect with them on social media, flip through magazines in the checkout lane, or subscribe to their magazine or website.
Parenting magazines might include DIY, as well as mail-in photos from parents and features on items that might be useful for the average baby or toddler room.
3. Instagram, Facebook, and Other Social Media Websites
Social media is all about sharing. People share their opinions, ideas, news, stories, photos that they enjoy, and so much more. Instagram and Facebook are one of the best sites to share pictures, so it will also be one of the best places to start looking for information.
Guidelines as You Start Building a Room for Your Child
Age and Development
As your child develops, their needs rapidly change. Most parents find that the nursery they made for their newborn does not fit their needs past the first year. As the baby learns to crawl and walk, and as their mind continues to develop, they are going to have new needs.
Fortunately, most toys and equipment build for newborns, toddlers, and eventually, older kids are going to stick with them for several months to several years. Some of the obvious things you will want to include are clothing storage and somewhere for your little one to sleep. There will also be things for your son or daughter to play with unless you have a separate playroom somewhere in the house.
Choose these things based on your child’s age and development and don’t be afraid to make changes as your child grows. This is all a part of healthy growth.
Hard Floor or Carpeting?
The decision between hard floor and carpeting is a challenging one since both options have their advantages and drawbacks.
Hard floor, on one hand, repels dirt and mold better than carpet. It is also easier to clean up spills, and it is compatible with most kid’s toys, even those with designed to roll across the floor. On the downside, dirt and dust tend to accumulate on top of the floor, regardless of how often you sweep it. This can mean dirty feet, hands, and legs for your little one regularly.
The upside of carpet is that its soft, plushness provides an extra layer of cushioning for your little one when they inevitably fall. Additionally, carpeting traps dirt better and does not need to be cleaned as often as a hard floor. However, this stickiness also allows it to trap allergens, especially in deep carpeting. It is also hard to clean up spills on carpeting, and if they are not kept dry, it can create mold. You can reduce dirtiness and staining by choosing a darker colored or patterned carpet.
Ability to Transition
If you have a family home and decide to decorate a nursery in little pink birds and yellow butterflies or baby blue cartoon cars, most teens are going to start being embarrassed about having friends over in their room.
As you choose things for your child’s room, expect that there will come a day when they want to change it. Something like paint or wallpaper can be easily replaced but avoid permanent fixtures.
Safety
One of the top concerns that most parents have is over their child’s safety. As you create a room for your baby or toddler, it is essential to keep them safe. Know the location of electrical outlets. Remove any choking hazards and do not put blinds or other dangling strings in your child’s room. Beware of furniture like bookshelves or dressers that may topple over if your child climbs them. Then, think about how you can make the room safer. Cover outlets that do not need used and be sure to screw bookshelves and dressers into the wall or by an anchoring set.
One thing that greatly affects your child’s risks is their age. You may not have to worry about electrical outlets as much when your baby is young before they start crawling around. Likewise, you will not have to worry about small pieces as much once your child gets older, has a larger airway, and is less likely to explore the world with their mouth.
Storage
Finding a safe way to store things in your child’s room is essential. You do not want to be tripping over their belongings every time that you walk in the room, and you also do not want the risk of them reaching things they should not have.
Closets are an excellent choice for things that you want to store away from children, such as their clothing if they like to rip it out and throw it on the floor or their craft items. You can also add a lock to closets if your child needs an additional deterrent.
When storing toys and other items, you are not limited to just a toybox. Large wicker baskets and clear plastic containers are an excellent choice for helping your little one learn to sort their toys. It also helps them realize what is in each container. Unlike a giant toy box, they will not have to throw several toys out on the floor before finding whatever they are searching for.
Engagement
Unless you have a separate playroom, your child’s room should be somewhere they can go where they need a specific type of mental stimulation. They might pull away from what is going on in the rest of the house and find blocks to build with or a train track to watch.
While you should keep some of your child’s favorites available, you should also encourage them to learn and grow with engaging toys appropriate for their age.
By keeping your child interested in their toys and their play space, you are encouraging them to disconnect from the television and interact with the world. Imaginative play is one of the best ways to stimulate imagination, motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and much more.
While you should have several things to engage your child in their room when they want to be away from the rest of the world, you should also be sure there is enough space for you to join them sometimes. Children learn a lot from interacting with their parents, and it strengthens the child-parent bond as well.
Personality
It is true that before a child is born, most parents only know the gender of their child—if that. Even knowing a child’s gender; however, it is impossible to detect your child’s personality before they start to explore the world. As you design a nursery, you are going to consider less what your child likes, because they cannot tell you.
As your little one grows, however, it is going to be vital that you let them build a room that speaks about their personality.
Regarding personality, keep in mind that children are continually growing and developing. Their needs and wants are going to change. To keep them interested in their own space, it is essential to let them showcase their personality. This remains true even as you watch the child you knew go away, and a teenager with new interests come into their place. If your child wants to paint the room a darker color or cover it in band posters, let them. By keeping their room a safe place, they will always have somewhere to return when the world is getting them down.
Inspiration and Motivation
If you are designing a room for an older child, it can be helpful to set up an environment that will encourage them as they complete their studies and find inspiration in their lives. If your child is inspired by superheroes, cover their room with superhero décor. If they find inspiration in the idea of saving animals, choose nature scenes and motifs as decoration. By surrounding them with images of the things that they look up to and feel inspired to be, you are helping your child grow into the best possible version of themselves.
The best way to learn about what inspires and motivates your child is to talk to them. Learn about their unique interests and notice when their eyes light up as they talk about a certain subject. By taking an interest in your child, you can help him, or her build an area where they can feel most like themselves while being motivated to do better in academics and life in general.
Should You DIY Your Child’s Room?
Some parents prefer the DIY route because of its affordability, while others enjoy it because they enjoy doing projects or want to create custom prices. The DIY route is always an option for the right parent, especially since you can find tutorials, videos, and templates online to help you with these types of projects.
If you are going the DIY route, keep in mind that you should always choose materials that will be safe. Follow instructions carefully, measure everything to the right size, and don’t skip any steps. As no manufacturer or agency is inspecting the product to ensure it meets safety guidelines, the responsibility of safety falls onto you.
DIY is also a good option for smaller tasks like laying wallpaper, painting, and assembly if you do not want to do the big projects yourself. There are also parents who hire professionals to put together their child’s room as well. None of the decisions make you a better or worse parent—it is entirely a matter of preference.
As a parent, you want what is best for your child. Part of that is putting together a room that is safe and age-appropriate. The best rooms will express your child’s unique personality while giving them room to play and grow. Remember that it may be best to choose a room that can be easily transitioned as your child grows.
Their room should be their own space and allowing them to make changes can keep it an area where they feel safe and secure. Hopefully, this article has helped you learn where to find inspiration for your child’s room, as well as what guidelines to keep in mind as you start putting it together.
P.S. If you’re looking for inspiration for your kid’s room decor, but you’re short on time, you should check my shopping section. I have searched the whole internet to find the coolest decor items for a kid’s room.
To get the best insights and tips to create an Instagram worthy kid’s room, I have read more than 200 blog post, look at (almost) every single kid’s room images on Pinterest and ask my friends or others parents. From all their insights and my own experience, I’ve built those list of the perfect pieces of furniture, wall art, and decor items for your kid’s room.
