How To Style Your Little’s Bedroom

One of the highlights of my pregnancies was being able to decorate my future bundle of joy’s nursery. It was time to wave goodbye to the spare bedroom that once came in handy for dumping half the contents of the house & say hello to 3am pacing with a screaming newborn. This would be the room that mattered more than any other as it would be the room that frequented many nights of solid sleep...haha who am I kidding? 

One of the main things to think about is how quickly those little sicky pooping monsters grow. I hate it when others say this to me but before long you’ll literally turn around & think ‘where’s my baby gone?!’ whilst watching this little hurricane that’s developed it’s own personality. That’s why it’s SO important to decorate not only for that teeny tiny newborn, but also for the fiercely independent toddler & child they’ll soon grow up to be.

Being the ever-patient person I am, I paid for a private gender scan at 16 weeks with both pregnancies just so I had a 4 week head start on picking the perfect paint colours & buying gender specific clothes. This isn’t for everyone though, but definitely came in handy when knowing how to decorate & personalise for the little peanut growing inside you.

Here are my top tips –

• Go neutral on all large/expensive items –

My son spends 99% of his time playing with pink baby toys that have been handed down after Elsa. Luckily it doesn’t really bother me or him however I am so glad that I didn’t go pink crazy when it came to the large & expensive items in her nursery. It’s all too tempting to buy pastel pink cots & changing tables but realistically, if you’d like to have more than one child, it probably isn’t the best idea just incase.

It also pays to not be sucked in to the typical ‘baby furniture’, other than the cot obviously. One of the most underused & pointless baby products is a changing table which when you’re changing 30 leaking nappies a day becomes a pain to walk upstairs each time than simply shoving a changing mat on the floor & stinking out your lounge. Go for sturdy ‘adult’ furniture which can be used for many years to come. If you want to give this a more childlike look then replacing handles is a brilliant & inexpensive way to give it a temporary new look.

This also works on things such as curtains & blinds which can be expensive to replace. On that note, always invest in these to get the best blackout lining that you can – I promise you’ll pay that price 10x over when you’re little decides that 5am is ‘morning time’ if not.

• Invest in a rug –

I’ve paid the price on this when it comes to carpet. Little people make tons of mess even when they don’t mean to. Projectile vomiting, poonami’s & treading in strawberries leads to some not so great looking stained flooring so cover up the main bit until they are 20 can be trusted not to make a mess!

 

• Keep the walls simple –

Nurseries have come a long way in the past few years. Gone are the days where if you hadn’t chose to find out the sex of your little’s then they’d be blessed with a sorbet lemon room with pastel farmyard animals or teddybear wallpaper borders. Pale pink or light blue walls also aren’t to be encouraged as these become fast outgrown when your little one develops their own personality. 

Sticking to neutral colour palettes insures that you won’t need to redecorate so quickly as well as being easier to touch up should sticky hands meet walls. It also means that accessorising comes into it’s own.

• Accessorise –

This is where things can start to become more personalised without so much hard work whilst keeping all the fun. From soft furnishings such as cot bedding, curtains or decorative cushions on nursing chairs, it can be left completely up to you. Think personalised framed prints & displaying sentimental trinkets. 

 

• Feature wall –

If you want to make a real statement then using wallpaper to add depth & interest is a fantastic idea which can easily be changed or removed should you change your mind. Think carefully about the design – could you imagine a 5 year old running around in front of that design?

• Keep it calming –

I once got told that by some delightful person on Instagram that Rory’s nursery was too plain & wouldn’t develop his imagination. I couldn’t agree less if I tried. A little’s room needs to be calming & soothing in order to aid sleep. Neon brights & clashing colours are better suited to plastic toys or a playroom than a room designed to allow them to drift off to sleep.

• Keep plastic to a minimum –

If the room is going to house toy storage as well as the usual clothes & nappies then it’s a good idea to invest in some clever storage sans plastic. Opt for wicker baskets rather than brightly coloured plastic boxes.

Love, Charlotte x