Karen Miglin
REALTOR® /Sales Associate
Realty Executives Exceptional Realtors®
It’s never easy to accept that your little one is growing up. But something fun that happens when they do start to become a little bit taller and stronger is moving them from a nursery into their very own big boy or big girl room full of their blossoming personality. Let’s go through five tips to help you transform that nursery into a kid’s dream room!
The Big Kid Bed
The biggest change when converting your child’s nursery into their long-term big kid room is going to be saying goodbye to the crib and introducing a toddler or full size bed. This transition may be a little hard at first since your child is most likely going to want to get out of bed now that they aren’t surrounded by the crib bars, but it’s also something to be celebrated! Your kiddo will be so excited to have a big bed of their own and you can make it even more fun by adding a cozy comforter and placing their favorite blanket or stuffed animal on top. You can find plenty of different bed frames for various prices that will fit your style and/or theme.
Play Area
When you design your family nursery you often don’t think about a big play area since you often have the baby with you in the larger rooms of the home so you can keep your eye on them or have a designated pop-up playpen. But as your child grows, so does their toy collection and love of play space! Setting up a play rug for them to set up their dollhouse or racetrack, placing a small table and chairs for building Legos or an easel for arts and crafts, are all great ways to give your child their own private area to play and be creative that is still safe and easy to clean up.
Decor
The nursery decor and theme is completely up to you before the little one arrives but when making it into the room of your child’s dream, it’s important to ask for their input! They have now started to show off their own personality, likes and dislikes so they will be much more excited about the new room if they have a say in some things. Have them pick three theme options and see what you think would work best. Then have them pick out a special painting, picture or other piece of decor that they for sure want to have in their space. Giving them a special project will allow you to decorate the room with what you and your child want seamlessly!
Make Room for More
Like we mentioned before, the older your child grows, the more stuff they accumulate. From clothes, toys, school books to larger furniture, it’s a given that you will need to do a little reorganizing to their previous nursery. Try to find storage pieces that are easy to clean and easy to open to make your life much easier. You can also find plenty of creative ways to make extra room in their closet by adding shelves or cabinets (if space permits). Lastly, getting rid of baby toys and clothes can be hard because of the emotional attachment they hold, but it’s essential to only keep the important things and donate the unnecessary items to make room for a growing boy or girl.
Invest in the Future
Remodeling isn’t cheap and redoing a nursery is no exception. You can find plenty of affordable decorations, or DIY makeover tips but you may want to consider splurging a bit on the big furniture purchases. Investing in items that can be used throughout not only their toddler years but into their pre-teen ages will save you money and time in the long end. The best way to do this is by creating a budget with different categories. Designate the least amount for decor or “knick-knacks”, then add in for paint or flooring if necessary, next assess what furniture you need to buy and then look online to see what pieces go for what price. After you know the range of pricing, you’re able to decide what is most important to you and what makes the most sense to splurge on.
Just remember to have fun, ask for help from your little one and invest in quality or quantity and your big kid will have the best room on the block!
