From Baby To Toddler - 11 Tips For Updating Your Little One's Room On A Budget
Most parents to be will have some time to prepare their new born's nursery or bedroom with plenty of thought. If it's your first child, then there is the calmness and time to do plenty of research and plan their room without any distractions! Generally, after the first year or two have passed, you will start to look at some ideas to upgrade their nursery into a toddler's room. However, this time around:
1) You've probably got very little precious time.
2) You are more strapped for cash than ever, thanks to childcare fees and less time to earn money.
3) You have more toys than Hamleys.
4) And you need to renovate the room around the little person.
We asked interior designer Steph Briggs for her top ten tips for transforming children's rooms on a tight budget:
1) Colour scheme; Neutral calming colours provide an excellent base for adding new colour highlights. By using a particular colour (or a palette of shades) to form the basis for your room colour, it makes shopping for furniture and accessories much simpler and quicker.
2) Furniture; look at what is needed. Your child will be moving from the cot to the toddler bed, so a good tip is to swap the changing table for a chest of drawers. It's important to always consider the room from a child's height point of view: What does it look like to your little one? Small people love independence, so make sure that any design and refurb are both safe and accessible. Bunk beds might seem like a great idea, but they are best kept for older children.
3) Safety; Anti-tip furniture straps are easy to source and fit. It is well worth fitting them, even if just for your own peace of mind. Even if your little one isn't climbing or exploring yet, it's worth getting them at the point of installation.
4) Lighting: Fingers crossed your little one is sleeping through the night now, but if they do wake up, remember that a dark room can be a frightening place. Think about adding a night light or gro-clock to give off some ambient light in the room. When you look to swapping the cot for a bed, it might be a good time to add a small bedside table or a cupboard. Standard sizes can be too over-sized for this, and usually, a small stool or step is a better height for the bed.
5) Revamp your furniture. I love the transformation that painting furniture can make to a tired piece of furniture and the opportunity it gives for introducing colour to a bedroom. I always use quality paint such as Fusion Mineral Paint or Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for good results. Update your furniture by changing the knobs for something more upmarket can elevate an old piece of furniture.
6) Storage boxes; Have you ever noticed the vast number of toys you seem to have collected?! Storage boxes or baskets are a brilliant quick fix, and Ikea has an extensive range of storage solutions and boxes at reasonable prices. Introducing storage solutions now will also help introduce the idea of tidying up to your little ones!
7) Avoid branded products! Your little one may have a favourite cartoon, but will it be the same one in 3 or 6 months? Avoid having items such as curtains and rugs covered in their current favourite characters as these will be expensive to update.
8) Floor coverings; Your toddler is likely to spend a considerable amount of time playing on the floor. Choose a brightly coloured rug or runner for them to crawl and play on. It will give a cosy feel and adds some extra padding for when they have those inevitable bumps!
9) Window dressing; I always use blackout blinds or curtains in bedrooms and even more so for children's bedrooms! Make sure that the curtain design is in a colour/pattern which will still look good and be relevant as your child grows and interior tastes change.
10) Add a reading area; snuggling up together to read a book is a magical time for parents and children. Adding a small bookshelf with some large scatter cushions and a soft blanket can become a gorgeous, snuggly, magical and cosy place for bedtime reading for both parents and kids!
11) Choose unique and individual touches to your child's bedroom. A vintage piece of furniture, an unusual print in a frame on the wall, can all be inexpensive touches to your child’s bedroom.
Inspired by this blog? You might enjoy reading: Before and After: Top Tips on Painting Kitchen Cupboards with Fusion Mineral Paint
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