How To Make Sure Your Child’s Bedroom Grows With Them

Children mature quickly. One moment you’re purchasing a crib, the next they’re requesting a room of their own! How can you, as a parent, adjust your offspring’s bedroom to fit their growing needs? Soft toys are soon swapped out for iPads and gaming consoles, while once-small beds and other furnishings increase in size as they advance in years. Plus, the accumulation of belongings! Where will all these items be stored? A child’s bedroom surely differs from any other space in your home.

Your child\’s bedroom isn\’t just a place where they sleep, it\’s their own personal space. It\’s a place where they can express their own personality, which is why it\’s important that their room grows with them. As they get older, their tastes will change and their needs will change too, so you need to adapt their bedroom accordingly, but you don\’t have to spend a lot of money to make it feel like a new room. Here are some things to keep in mind as your child gets older.

Make better use of the space

As your child gets older, they will need more space. Their bedroom as a baby will probably consist of just the basics, such as cot and wardrobe, but as they get older those needs change. You may need to move things around or add different furniture to make sure that there is enough room for everything.

Because of all the things they have, kids\’ rooms benefit from some clever storage. (Hopefully you can keep the toys out of other rooms in the house!) Bunk beds are amazing options, as are loft beds. Check out Cuckooland\’s bunk bed collection to help you create more floor space, especially if siblings are sharing. Beds with storage in them are a great option too. Consider storage bins for things like art supplies and specific types of toys so that things are always easily found.

Create an area for schoolwork

You might need to create a space in your child\’s bedroom for school work. This is something to think about as they get older and start doing more homework, especially if you want them to spend time at their desk or table rather than on the sofa. Look at the different ways desks can be used and how versatile they are; whether it\’s using a desk with an attached chair or just a table with storage underneath, there are many options.

School can be demanding and it makes life a lot easier for your child if they have a dedicated area for studying.  This might be somewhere quiet and out of the way, or it could just be a desk that\’s near to where they do their other activities. Dedicate a space for storing the school supplies they aren\’t taking to school daily.

A homework desk can also double as a place to create art, or for children to hang out with friends playing games on their computer. (If they have one in their room!)

Give the walls a fresh coat of paint

Painting the walls of your child\’s bedroom is a great update that will help to refresh their space. This doesn\’t have to be an expensive project either, as it can often just involve giving the room a bit of love with some new paint and maybe even wallpaper if you\’re feeling adventurous.

There are huge ranges of wallpapers available now, from fun designs to more muted patterns. If you\’re looking for something a little different, why not update with some fabric wallpapers? They look amazing and can be found in all sorts of colors and prints.

An accent wall or mural can bring some extra life into your kid\’s room – an affordable pot of sample paint from the hardware store can make it feel like a new room entirely, and be a fun project to work on alongside your child.

Choose a room color that reflects your child\’s personality – you don\’t have to go overboard and paint every surface in bright neon pink or green if they\’re more of a neutral color person! However, you could update with some fun new curtains in a bold print, or update the bedding with fun new colors to match.

Create an area for relaxing and playing

As your child gets older, you might need to update their bedroom with some areas for relaxing as well as studying – such as an area where kids can hang out with friends. This might be a sofa or bean bag, depending on what you want them to use it for and how much space they have in their bedroom.

If you do end up going the loft bed route – you could consider adding some curtains to the bed frame to close in the space at the bottom, creating a versatile cubby house or secret hideout that is perfect for reading or having some imaginative fun.

Encourage them to be involved in the process

It\’s your child\’s room, so why shouldn\’t they decorate it? Let them choose their own wallpaper or paint and let them hang up posters of their favorite band or superheroes. This is the time to let them express themselves through what goes inside of their bedroom and as they get older, this becomes more and more important. 

Your child has great ideas, so why not encourage them to be involved in the process? Let them pick out items for their room and update things as they see fit. They\’ll feel happier and more at home if they have a say in how their bedroom looks. Depending on your child\’s age and what you think is feasible, you could let them do all of the planning or just some of it – whatever works best for both of you.

Get creative with lighting

LED lighting strips are becoming more and more affordable, and are very popular in pre teen and teenage bedrooms. These strips are great for creating mood lights that can be set to different colors, and they look amazing hung above the bed or around other areas of the room.

LED lighting is very easy to install yourself (although it should always be installed by an adult) and it\’s a quick update to make that will really change the look of your child\’s bedroom. Think about lighting which makes bedtime reading easier on their eyes.

As well as LED strips there are loads of different types of light you can add into your kid\’s room – from creative lampshades to small nightlights or plug-in lamps that have fun designs. The bed frame is also an opportunity to wrap fairy lights, or suspend pendants – just be sure to keep them a safe distance away from your child\’s head.

Don\’t forget to update the power supply! No one wants a trip hazard in their bedroom, so make sure any cords are placed out of your child\’s way and consider adding some cord covers or taping them against the wall if they\’re an eyesore.

Respect the space

Privacy is very important for children, especially when they are going through a formative time in their lives. A grown up bedroom is one that feels safe for kids, and that means you need to respect the space and understand that it is theirs. If your child wants to have the door closed when they are in there, let them. Let them have some time on their own after they’ve had a temper tantrum and don\’t go barging in if you\’re not invited.

Of course, there will be times that it\’s important for you to enter their domain or check on them, but it should be a rarity rather than a regular occurrence. Privacy is a huge part of those teenage years and one thing about growing up is that kids start wanting privacy from their parents more and more as they age. It\’s about meeting them halfway and making sure every teen has a safe space where they can find peace within themselves and let go of stress from school.

Consider the floor

The floor in a kid\’s bedroom is going to be an area that takes a bit of wear and tear. Consider investing in some hard wearing floor coverings such as rubber or cork tiles which can stand up to all sorts of abuse from kids and their various activities.

Area rugs can also update the look of a room, especially when they match with decor, art on the walls, or the curtains. Making the floor more comfortable can make a big difference to the way the entire room gets used – you may find that they spend more time there!

Make sure your child is happy with the update

There are some updates that can be made to a bedroom without consulting with your child, but this isn\’t one of them. Your children will spend just as much time in their bedrooms as they do at any other place and their rooms should reflect who they are too. If you want to update the room, make sure you discuss it with them first.

Your child might have ideas themselves about what they want to see in their bedroom update; if they don\’t ask for help, maybe give some suggestions based on the above tips and involve them in choosing new bedding or paint colors. Of course, you have the final say, but make sure you consult with your child and try to accommodate their wishes before making any big changes.

In conclusion – this bedroom is your child\’s domain

What makes it your child\’s bedroom is their personality and how they feel about the space. It doesn\’t matter what it looks like, as long as they\’re happy with where they sleep at night. As you update a child\’s room for them, consider these tips so that every update feels beneficial to your family – without losing too much of the character from when your teenager was younger.

This means that updates should be made with the input and involvement of your child. You can start by discussing what they want to see in their update, but ultimately, make sure they are happy with the update before proceeding.

Your child\’s bedroom is their domain and should be updated as they grow. One update you might consider is to update the bedding with fun new colors to match, or update their room by creating an area for relaxing and playing – such as a sofa or bean bag. You can give those walls a fresh coat of paint. However, privacy in your child\’s room is very important so make sure that you consult with them first before making any big changes.