It’s hard to see your bundle of joy grow, but sooner or later you’re going to have to transform your baby’s nursery into a toddler friendly bedroom. This doesn’t have to cost a small fortune though, so don’t let the change leave your hurting for money. There’s lots of ways you can quickly and frugally transform a nursery into a room worthy of your little one’s growing personality. So, get ready to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, so you can turn your little one’s room around. Between DIY tips and a few cheap decorative ideas, you’ll be able to enjoy your little one’s new room as much as your child does.
1. Conversion Furniture
If you ended up buying a convertible crib when your baby was born, then you’re already on the right track to successfully transforming your room. Convertible cribs can go from a crib to a toddler bed in no time flat, which is the best way to start your child out on their toddler friendly room. Of course, if you didn’t choose to buy this type of crib, then you still have options that don’t involve you spending a fortune on a temporary bed. For instance, you can buy a regular sized bed and add a rail to the side of it to help your child stay in place. If you don’t want to use a railing, then a pool noodle is equally as functional. This may even help your child adjust to a bigger bed faster, while bringing confidence to your little one too.
2. Wall Protection
Toddlers love to draw on everything under the sun, especially when it comes to walls. If you don’t mind scrubbing the walls down every few days, then you should be okay to have plain walls in your toddler’s room. However, if you want to save some of your precious time then you may want to consider a few options. One is the miracle that is chalk board paint. You can paint the bottom half of the wall or the whole thing if you want. This will help your child show off their creative side, without forcing you to do extra chores. Apart from that, you could also use paper rolls to create a fun place for the kids to show off their creative side. You can even cut out some of the drawings to save for later. Paper rolls don’t cost an arm and a leg, which should help with the renovation. Not to mention, if you’re renting this can be a huge money saver as you won’t have to worry about painting when you move.
3. Solid Colors
Toddlers can be pretty fickle, just like the rest of us. Their interests today may be totally different tomorrow, which is why you may not want to stick with any themes that can’t be adapted to suit further interests. One way to do this is to simply use solid colors. You can paint their room a couple of different colors to suit their interests, but make sure the colors are subtle and won’t be a part of a tantrum next week. You may even want to keep up with this policy for bedding too. This will help prevent you from spending a small fortune on themed items that may not be in with your little one in just a few days. You can always add posters or buy cheap items like pillow cases to suit the flavor of the week.
4. Utilize Bins
When it comes to keeping organized with toddlers, bins can be your best friend. These items are durable, stackable and can be put in a wide variety of places to help keep the room in order without taking up a whole lot of space. Storage bins can be used for just about everything too. One great way to start teaching your child to clean up their room and stay organized is to color coat your child’s bin. You can even place pictures on the bins to help your child understand which toys go where. Another great use for bins is for clothing and other toddler supplies. These can go in the top of the closet and can be moved down when you want to teach your child how to dress themselves.
5. Repurpose Furniture
Your baby furniture doesn’t have to go to waste or in storage when your child is finished with it. There’s a lot great things you can do with your furniture. For starters, you can easily turn the changing table into a storage area for your child’s clothes, toys and other supplies. You may want to consider painting it to suit your child’s new room, but make sure to follow through with a proper finish so you can reuse it again and again. The crib is another great thing you can refurbish to suit your needs. A cozy child’s chair is one idea for the old bed. You can follow a classic day bed design to make the new chair look adorable and inviting. Another great option is turning the crib into a desk. This could offer plenty of space for your child to get creative and will even help them to start on homework and other assignments as they grow. If you really feel like getting creative, then you can use chalk board paint as a finish for the room.
6. Create a Reading Nook
Start your child out on the right track by encouraging them to read. This is easily done if you whip up a fun reading nook for your child. This can easily be based on your child’s interests. One of the best things you can do is create a cozy place to sit. May it be a toddler sized chair or a fun tent. Once you have the comfortable place to sit and some toddler friendly lighting, you may want to consider adding images of some of their favorite characters to help inspire them to feel imaginative as they read their stories or you read to them. Last but not least, you may want to add in a simple, but secure shelf to allow your child to store books and other cute reading buddies like their stuffed animals.
7. Consider a Rug
Let’s face it, toddlers spill things and often end up getting paint, playdough and markers all over the floor. One of the best ways to cope with the tornado that is the toddler is to use a rug or several. This will help soak up some of the spills while making it a bit easier to clean up after your walking disaster. Of course, a rug will also make your child’s room a lot more comfortable, especially if you have a child that likes to roll around or crawl often. You don’t need to spend a small fortune on a rug though as it most likely won’t make it through the toddler years. You can also make your own DIY rug to add even more charm to the room. This shouldn’t cost much at all and will add a fun project that will show your toddler how much you care.
8. Wall Decals
One of the best things about having a child with numerous interests is you can easily decorate for them without spending a small fortune. Wall decals simply peel on and off of the wall, so you can easily adapt to your child’s changing tastes. Wall decals leave less damage on a wall then posters and other decorative items, which is perfect if you are renting your home or apartment. Best of all, these items don’t cost a small fortune so you won’t have to feel bad when your toddler gets bored of a cartoon or theme. Of course, before you buy too many wall decals, you may want to make sure they stick to your wall as many stickers won’t. They tend to stick to any window or flat surface though, so you can always use them on closets, mirrors and so on.
9. Kids Art
You can really go crazy when it comes to decorating your child’s room in an assortment of décor. However, one of the best things you can do is use your own child’s art to decorate the room. You can easily add their favorite drawings to a frame and place them on the wall to add a special touch to the room. If your child is interested in playdough, then you can dry out the creations and place them on display. Other crafts are easy to display too, which will help your child feel a sense of pride over their artistic abilities, which can encourage self-expression as well as help them improve on motor functions.
10. Toys
One of the easiest ways to enjoy a cute room is to decorate it with toys. You can place blocks on a shelf as well as trains and other adorable toys your child plays with or grew out of. Stuffed animals are a great way to decorate and will help your child have a lot more fun while offering soft items to cuddle with during nap time or reading hour. Another great thing to consider is adding your child’s old toys to shelves and other high up places. This will help preserve the memory of your child’s younger years while allowing your child to grow in a room that is all about them.
Transforming your child’s room from a nursery to a toddler friendly room doesn’t have to be as tough or expensive as you make it out to be. With these ten tips, you should be able to find the perfect look for your little one’s space, so they can feel special and loved. Now, all you have to do is get over the fact that your baby is quickly growing.
