Children grow up so fast. Your toddler is soon exerting their growing independence as a pre-teen, then before you know it they have entered the realm of the teenager where nothing you do or say seems right.
During that time, the way in which a child’s space is used changes rapidly. The sweet nursery with its soft lights and nursing chair is very quickly redundant, and the most important aspect you are going to have to start incorporating is storage, and a bed that is going to grow with them.
His could be expensive, but with a bit of aforethought and some clever planning, you can create the perfect evolving bedroom for your child as they grow up, reflecting their likes and dislikes, incorporating their personalities, and hopefully keeping their bedrooms and lives within some form of organisation.
Themed wall panelling
Wall panelling is an excellent way to inject personality into a room design without causing a wealth of additional work. Using MDF cut to size panels, these can be painted and decorating according to the mood of the moment, and simply fixed into place.
Whether it’s a forest with fairies or a space adventure with rockets and stars, these panels are affordable and easy to remove. If you child becomes tired of the current design, then all you need do is simply remove them and repaint them into a different design using a number of decal templates available from DIY shops or online.
A bed that grows with the child
Once your child has grown out of their cot (probably by around the age of two) it is time to start looking for the right solution for a bed that can extend and grow with your child. Take a bit of time looking for the right one – shoddy quality will soon show signs of age and you’ll probably need to replace it before you had budgeted to do so.
Your child’s bed should respond to the following expectations:
Adjustability – choosing a good, solid bed will probably ensure you can keep the bed right through to your child’s early teenage years. It’s got to withstand a lot of wear and tear, from pillow fights to trampolining, so make sure it has a robust, solid, durable framework.
Safety – until your child is swinging around the bedroom like a monkey on a sugar rush. You want to be able to feel confident and secure for your child’s safety. Over the years, you want to be giving your child more and more freedom, and that includes leaving them to play in their bedroom alone. Confidence in your furniture will help this process.
Mattress – most beds will come with compatible mattresses. Make sure that the choice you make is compatible with how your budget works.
Ease of assembly – don’t let ease of assembly compromise on the overall quality of the bed. It doesn’t have to. As long as you can easily extend the bed when the time comes without having to call in professional help then you’ll be well within budget.
Know what to invest in, and what to pay more budget prices
Your bed is a substantial, and important, piece of furniture and it is important to see this as an investment for the future. However, there are a lot of other cheaper items that you can buy which will give the room life and personality without costing the earth.
Item such as duvet covers and pillow cases, fairy lights, can be purchased relatively cheaply, and can be swapped around and changed according the your child’s changing personality.
Ultimately, your child’s room should be a haven for them to escape to as they grow up. It is the first space that is completely their’s, and it is important to give them a sense of ownership.
